Who Makes Suzuki Cars?

by Leo Wilkinson

Suzuki is a Japanese brand best known for its compact, affordable cars and SUVs. Founded in 1909 as a weaving loom manufacturer, Suzuki has produced cars since 1955 and continues to build a variety of products, including motorcycles, outboard motors and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).

In This Article:

Who Makes Suzuki Cars?

Japanese car brand Suzuki is larger than you might expect – in 2023 it was ranked eighth for global sales, ahead of big names such as BMW and Chevrolet and Tesla. Suzuki has been a publicly listed company since 1949. General Motors (GM) was a major shareholder in Suzuki from 1981 to 2008, with the two brands collaborating on a number of models. A similar arrangement (and part-ownership) with the Volkswagen Group took place between 2009 and 2015.

Suzuki is based in Hamamatsu, Japan, but it has subsidiary companies (and factories) in a number of other countries – most notably Maruti Suzuki, the largest carmaker in India.

What Sort of Vehicles Does Suzuki Make?

Suzuki is known for its affordable hatchback, sedan and SUV models, as well as its motorcycles. Suzuki started official imports of its cars to the US in 1985 but pulled out of the US in 2012 due to poor sales. You can still find a handful of used Suzuki models for sale, with the most popular being the Kizashi sedan and Grand Vitara and XL-7 SUVs.

by Leo Wilkinson

Leo is a writer and editor specialising in the automotive sector. He has held senior roles at What Car?, MSN Cars, The Telegraph and Cazoo, and since gone on to write for brands including Auto Trader and CarGurus. Over the past twenty-plus years he has driven and reviewed hundreds of cars, from budget-priced runarounds to luxury SUVs.

Popular Used Cars

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