http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/news/american-suzuki-motor-company-files-bankruptcy/ (http://www.asphaltandrubber.com/news/american-suzuki-motor-company-files-bankruptcy/)
"Certainly wanting to bury the news in the after-work hours, American Suzuki Motor Corporation has just announced that it is filing for Chapter 11 protections, as the American subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation heads into bankruptcy and business restructuring."
"As part of its chapter 11 filings, ASMC will submit a proposed Plan of Reorganization and Disclosure Statement that specifies how the Motorcycle, ATV and Marine divisions will be maintained and enhanced, and how its relationship with Automotive dealers will be largely transitioned to support consumers and dealers through continued parts and service operations. SMC or its nominee intends to purchase ASMC’s Motorcycle, ATV and Marine businesses, as well as the Automotive service operation responsible for parts and warranties, through a new U.S. subsidiary that will retain the ASMC brand name."
Whoa!
So it appears they are getting out of the car game and intend to stay in Motorcycle, ATV and Marine... but whoa
Finally! The autos have been a drag on ASMC for a long time, hopefully this will free-up resources for the power sports lines in the long run for the US.
I understand the autos are doing pretty well for SMC in SE Asia & India (models not in the US market) but they just never really penetrated the market enough to make a go here (US).
Wishing the best for my friends at ASMC HQ, stressful times I'm sure but it's been rough there for years so hopefully now there's light at the end of the tunnel.
Not really much of a surprise. Their cars were always crap.
I don't see this freeing up much money for other divisions.
It's not like the bikes have been selling like gang busters either, at least in the US (again maybe doing better globally).
It was just a model year or two ago that they brought in NO NEW BIKES because they had plenty of leftovers in dealers and warehouses.
Suzuki Marine is a niche player in the US too.
Quote from: SDRider on November 06, 2012, 10:49:57 AM
Not really much of a surprise. Their cars were always crap.
Hardly...
The Sidekick/Tracker/Vitara line were rugged, overbuilt little trucks. VERY durable. Hell the 4-banger motors used in em were often used in light aircraft they were so bulletproof.
Granted the cars and trucklets were more economy than typical US luxury vehicles, but they lasted.
It was more an issue of poor support to the dealers and limited network.
The problem is that their cars have no soul, no passion.
Quote from: spolic on November 06, 2012, 02:34:59 PM
The problem is that their cars have no soul, no passion.
gotta disagree I had a Samurai for 10 years ...great vehicle with real heart ..unstoppable off road ...equal to any of my mod'd jeeps
(http://image.4wheeloffroad.com/f/16850360+w750+st0/131_0908_08_z+august_2009_4x4_trucks+1988_suzuki_samurai.jpg)
almost identical to mine
Quote from: ute on November 06, 2012, 04:29:04 PM
gotta disagree I had a Samurai for 10 years ...great vehicle with real heart ..unstoppable off road ...equal to any of my mod'd jeeps
(http://image.4wheeloffroad.com/f/16850360+w750+st0/131_0908_08_z+august_2009_4x4_trucks+1988_suzuki_samurai.jpg)
almost identical to mine
Have to agree with you although I'm a green oval fan for many years I'd say the vitara would give any of your 4x4's a run for there money
Quote from: ute on November 06, 2012, 04:29:04 PM
gotta disagree I had a Samurai for 10 years ...great vehicle with real heart ..unstoppable off road ...equal to any of my mod'd jeeps
(http://image.4wheeloffroad.com/f/16850360+w750+st0/131_0908_08_z+august_2009_4x4_trucks+1988_suzuki_samurai.jpg)
almost identical to mine
Easy to tip over too! Fun for the whole family...
Quote from: SDRider on November 07, 2012, 08:54:27 AM
Easy to tip over too! Fun for the whole family...
So are motorcycles...
Just sayin'
Hopefully the restructuring will help out its motorcycle business, which has been stale for the past 2-3 years. The other 3 Japanese seem to have survived and re-invented themselves except for Suzuki. Then again, maybe the US market is now too crowded for 4 Japanese manufacturers...
Quote from: Goat_Herder on November 07, 2012, 11:50:35 AM
Hopefully the restructuring will help out its motorcycle business, which has been stale for the past 2-3 years. The other 3 Japanese seem to have survived and re-invented themselves except for Suzuki. Then again, maybe the US market is now too crowded for 4 Japanese manufacturers...
I don't know. I haven't seen sales numbers for any of the Japanese motorcycles for several years. Not sure how they have reinvented themselves. Seems like they have basically retreated. Honda brought out their 250 sport bike and Kawasaki revamped their small Ninja, but it seems like everything else they've tried in recent years has not sold. Meanwhile BMW and Ducati are grabbing market share with new products.
Quote from: Slide Panda on November 07, 2012, 08:56:09 AM
So are motorcycles...
Just sayin'
Well, you kind of expect that with a 2 wheel vehicle. Not so much with a 4 wheel one. [cheeky]
Ducati was about to go bankrupt before they went regain their status by designing the revolutionary Multistrada. I hope the same would be for the Suzuki. They always had good motorsport products, but their cars are ridiculous, save some few good ones. I was a salesman for 2 years and whenever I sold a Suzuki to a customer I feel somewhat bad, because these cars aren't known for their reliability.
Issues:
- One customer, after driving 9 miles from the dealership stalled in the major interstate.
- Another lived 80 miles away and when she got home, she couldn't start the car next day.
- This hispanic college student saved for 1 year before buying a seemingly good deal ($5000 for a Suzuki 2006 Forenza I think, 20,000 miles); he came back the next day and told me that he wants a refund. My boss gave him the technicailities and shit, the gist was he couldn't.
I don't see any reason why they couldn't invest in the car spectrum... at all. Their GSXR 1300 engines are very reliable and cheap, even the 1000's, put that into a sports car frame (i.e. Miata, TC...) then you have a competent car.
Suzuki missed the mark with their auto offerings.
Their campaigns said that they are a motorcycle company that builds cars.
Well, where is the sports car that is just as fun to drive as their supersport motorcycles?
If they had one sports car in their lineup, and marketed it as being just as fun as a GSXR 600, they would have had people curious, and in their showrooms.
But, they never did.
Small thing to point out is that most Americans don't like motorcycles.
Saying that your small cars and cuv's are like motorcycles isn't going to get those people in your showrooms.
And then, the motorcyclist owners that do show up, and test drive your products, are then going to realize that your marketing is nothing more than a bunch of bs.
Wrong way to market a small car company in the American market.
Good example in how to ruin a company, though.
BC.
LOL....I did daily it for about 5 years .....34 kms Highway ....yupper it was a white knuckler sometimes gave the term SWB a whole new meaning
Also it made my YJ feel huge !!
and you have to love the wax bowl choke !!!! -25c it did not seem to comprehend
But as you guys have said they did lose there way
Quote from: SDRider on November 06, 2012, 10:49:57 AM
Not really much of a surprise. Their cars were always crap.
Really??
Suzuki designed and manufactures (at a joint GM/Suzu factory) the Equinox.
They also made the Swift (sold as the Chevy Aveo in the US)
I drove a friends SX4 -- I was impressed with it. I thought it was a shame they weren't more common, it was a very nice AWD car.
not a big fan of the name, but I always thought the "kizashi" was a pretty slick looking little car.
i personally don't think their marketing was a problem â€" they had plenty of commercials that didn't say anything "motorcycle" at all in my eyes... the eskimo campaign for instance.
i think their real problem is that for some reason, as displayed in this thread even, there is a stigma in existence that their cars are pieces of crap that aren't going to last. Whether it was ever true or not, i'm not sure... but people have that mindsight, and would rather pay a little more cheese for a car that doesn't say "Suzuki" on it.
Its' funny to me because when you're in N Afrika, that is one of the most common vehicles you see -- Suzuki jeeps and small trucks (along side the Toyota HiLuxes)
Lots of Fiats too, but the jeeps were mostly Suzukis and Daihatsus and they were pretty tough.
Sukz are popular everywhere except NA. I was going to say only the US, but I doubt you'll see many in Canada, eh? Maybe not as popular in Europe either, since they have a ton of manufacturers that make good small cars.
Anyway, down here in the 3rd world, you see them everywhere. They are by no means a luxury brand, but they do make the Kizashi that can be compared to the Lancer.
Suzuki, IMO, (excluding the Sidekick, Tracker and one or two others) simply entered late into a well saturated market with a good, but underwhelming product and, unlike the Korean cars, no price advantage. As far as reliability goes, from a Suzuki tech I know, quite good, except for the few that were re-badged GM cars like the later Vitaras.
Suzuki had some good ideas. The GSX-R4 roadster would have been a seller IMHO if they had ever gotten them past regulations and into showrooms. Then the Equator - a re-trimmed Nissan - RMZ-4 exercise. It was trimmed out specially to haul motorcycles... What ever happened to that? It was a good idea but never materialized. Even the Ford Harley trucks are nothing special to haul bikes with. Something or somebody kept Suzuki from playing with the big boys.
Just remember that the distributor has gone bellyup, not suzuki.
Is even possible that this is a deliberate strategy to wrest control over distribution rights.
Does this make my 'Busa or Gixxers collectors items? [laugh]
Quote from: reebok on November 09, 2012, 12:50:50 AM
Just remember that the distributor has gone bellyup, not suzuki.
Is even possible that this is a deliberate strategy to wrest control over distribution rights.
More importantly they're not ceasing automotive production, just pulling automotive distribution out of the US.
As for bikes, they're not pulling them out of the US at all.
The Swift is selling well down here. You see them everywhere.
You guys get the Hayabusa morphing into a Kizashi advertisement?