Over the years, a number of memorable cars have come out of Japan, with one of the main manufacturers being Suzuki. The multinational corporation has developed cars, motorbikes, all-terrain vehicles and various other products. Suzuki is an important manufacturer in the vehicle industry and there are many interesting stories surrounding the company. We’re listing six intriguing facts you might not have known about Suzuki.
Suzuki’s first invention was a loom
Company founder, Michio Suzuki, grew up in a small village called Nezumino-mura where weaving was the main skill of the inhabitants. Having grown up around sewing, Suzuki’s first invention was a metal and wood floor loom that he created for his mother. It wove ten times faster than previous models. Word got out about the loom and Suzuki started taking orders. Ultimately, this led to the creation of the Sarong Loom in 1930, which became Suzuki’s first exported product around South East Asia.
Suzuki are diversifying on the kei car range
Japan is known for producing kei (small) vehicles and there are strict regulations. The rules state that a vehicle can’t exceed 3.4m in length, 1.48m in width and 2m in height. Engine capacity must also be below 660 cc. Suzuki is looking to be more creative and produce kei models for every customer, ranging from sports cars to mini-crossovers.
Suzuki in space
As part of the Lunar XPRIZE, Suzuki have partnered with Hukato and entered the competition. Lunar XPRIZE involves encouraging engineers and entrepreneurs to get into space. In order to win, the Suzuki team need to land a spacecraft on the moon and take a high resolution video and images across at least 500m of the moon’s surface.
Suzuki workers take 2545 steps to complete every car
The car making process for workers involves 2545 steps, which is an improvement on the previous 3077 steps that were in place until 2014. The reduction came after a string of fatigue initiatives.
Suzuki is a master of the ocean
In addition to designing popular motorbikes and cars, Suzuki has proven itself in boat racing as well. This was demonstrated during the 2014 Endurance Class B World Championship in Barcelona. The championship involved boats with engines of up to 294 kilowatts. Suzuki won the competition, beating vessels from Belgium, Italy, Galicia, Andalusia, Catalonia and Switzerland.
India is Suzuki’s biggest market outside Japan
In the 1980s, Suzuki recognised India as a big market for cars, so they set out to make their mark. Maruti Suzuki India Limited was established in 1981, with the Maruti 800 being the first car to be produced. Today, India is Suzuki’s biggest market outside Japan, selling cars to half of the nation.
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