HAMAMATSU: Suzuki is known the world over as the “small car experts” and produces over three million cars per year.
Shunzo Suzuki’s original strategy of the design and production of lightweight vehicles lives on with the latest platforms introduced for Ignis, Swift and Baleno. The next light new model to arrive from Suzuki will be the Swift Sport in June 2018, weighing in at just 970kg.
But did you know the Suzulight was the first Suzuki car? It’s rumoured that only one or two of the original Suzulight cars exist now, one of which is in the Suzuki Plaza Museum here.
It all started 64 years ago when Suzuki Motor Co was formed in 1954. Michio Suzuki designed and developed his first Automobile together with Son in law Shunzo who headed up the young engineering team, many of whom were in their twenties.
Shunzo Suzuki used several European models for benchmarking as well as an Austin 7 from the UK, a popular car of the era and available at a very reasonable cost. The Suzulight was a compact and light vehicle weighing less than 500kg, it was designed to be easy to drive and maintain as well as inexpensive to buy. Powered by a 360cc, 16hp two cylinder, two-stroke engine it was way ahead of its time with independent coil spring suspension and rack and pinion steering.
Measuring just 2,990mm long, 1,295mm wide and 1,400mm high the Suzulight easily met the Japanese ‘Keijidosha’ or Kei light car legislation and Shunzo Suzuki and his team quickly began their first development road testing of it.
Production of the Suzulight started in October 1955 and Shunzo made his first two deliveries to doctors who used the small and lightweight car on their daily rounds. Initial production was 3-4 cars per month but by early 1956 monthly volume had climbed to 30 units. The Suzuki success story had begun.
Keyword: Suzulight sparked success for Suzuki