Suzuki Motor Corporation

Type	Public (TYO: 7269)
Industry	Automotive
Founded	1909 (as Suzuki Loom Works)
Founder(s)	Michio Suzuki
Headquarters	Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Osamu Suzuki, (Chairman & CEO)[1]
Products	Automobiles Engines Motorcycles ATVs Outboard Motors
Production output	2,878,000 units (Automobiles) (2011) 2,735,000 units (Motorcycles) (2011)
Revenue	¥2.608 trillion (2011)[2] (US$31.367 billion)
Profit	¥45.17 billion (2011) (US$543 million)
Total assets	¥2.224 trillion (2011) (US$26.84 billion)
Employees	52,731 (2011)[3]
Subsidiaries	Maruti Suzuki Magyar Suzuki Pak Suzuki Motor
Website	www.globalsuzuki.com www.suzuki.co.jp

Suzuki Motor Corporation (スズキ株式会社, Suzuki Kabushiki-Kaisha^?)^[4] is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines. Suzuki is Japan's 4th largest automobile manufacturer after Toyota, Nissan and Honda, the 9th largest automobile manufacturer in the world by production volume,^[5] employs over 45,000, has 35 main production facilities in 23 countries and 133 distributors in 192 countries.^{[citation needed]} According to statistics from the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), Suzuki is Japan's second-largest manufacturer of small cars and trucks.

History[link]

This section includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (July 2009)

In 1909, Michio Suzuki (1887–1982) founded the Suzuki Loom Works in the small seacoast village of Hamamatsu, Japan. Business boomed as Suzuki built weaving looms for Japan's giant silk industry.^[6] In 1929, Michio Suzuki invented a new type of weaving machine, which was exported overseas. Suzuki filed as many as 120 patents and utility model rights.^{[citation needed]} The company's first 30 years focused on the development and production of these exceptionally complex machines.^{[citation needed]}

Despite the success of his looms, Suzuki realized his company had to diversify and he began to look at other products. Based on consumer demand, he decided that building a small car would be the most practical new venture. The project began in 1937, and within two years Suzuki had completed several compact prototype cars. These first Suzuki motor vehicles were powered by a then-innovative, liquid-cooled, four-stroke, four-cylinder engine. It featured a cast aluminum crankcase and gearbox and generated 13 horsepower (9.7 kW) from a displacement of less than 800cc.

With the onset of World War II, production plans for Suzuki's new vehicles were halted when the government declared civilian passenger cars a "non-essential commodity." At the conclusion of the war, Suzuki went back to producing looms. Loom production was given a boost when the U.S. government approved the shipping of cotton to Japan. Suzuki's fortunes brightened as orders began to increase from domestic textile manufacturers. But the joy was short-lived as the cotton market collapsed in 1951.

Faced with this colossal challenge, Suzuki's thoughts went back to motor vehicles. After the war, the Japanese had a great need for affordable, reliable personal transportation. A number of firms began offering "clip-on" gas-powered engines that could be attached to the typical bicycle. Suzuki's first two-wheel ingenuity came in the form of a motorized bicycle called, the "Power Free." Designed to be inexpensive and simple to build and maintain, the 1952 Power Free featured a 36 cc, one horsepower, two-stroke engine.^[7] An unprecedented feature was the double-sprocket gear system, enabling the rider to either pedal with the engine assisting, pedal without engine assist, or simply disconnect the pedals and run on engine power alone. The system was so ingenious that the patent office of the new democratic government granted Suzuki a financial subsidy to continue research in motorcycle engineering, and so was born Suzuki Motor Corporation.

In 1953, Suzuki scored the first of many racing victories when the tiny 60 cc "Diamond Free" won its class in the Mount Fuji Hill Climb.^[7]

1955 Suzulight

By 1954, Suzuki was producing 6,000 motorcycles per month and had officially changed its name to Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. Following the success of its first motorcycles, Suzuki created an even more successful automobile: the 1955 Suzuki Suzulight. Suzuki showcased its penchant for innovation from the beginning. The Suzulight included front-wheel drive, four-wheel independent suspension and rack-and-pinion steering—features not common on cars until three decades later.

Volkswagen AG completed the purchase of 19.9% of Suzuki Motor Corporation's issued shares on 15 January 2010, Volkswagen AG is the biggest shareholder in Suzuki.

Historical timeline[link]

The Suzuki plant in Esztergom, Hungary has over 6000 employees. (As of 2007)

• 1909: Suzuki Loom Works founded in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, by Mr. Michio Suzuki.
• 1920: Reorganized, incorporated, and capitalized at 500,000 yen as Suzuki Loom Manufacturing Co. with Michio Suzuki as president.
• 1952: "Power Free" motorized bicycle marketed.^[7]
• 1954: Company name changed to Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd.
• 1955: Lightweight car Suzuki Suzulight (360 cc, 2-stroke) front wheel drive, marketed helping to usher in Japan's light-weight car age.
• 1961: Suzuki Loom Manufacturing Co. established by separating the loom machine division from the motor works and lightweight truck "Suzulight Carry" marketed.
• 1962: Suzuki won the 50 cc class championship at the Isle of Man TT
• 1963: U.S. Suzuki Motor Corp., a direct sales subsidiary, opened in Los Angeles.
• 1965: "D55" (5.5 hp, 2-stroke) outboard motor marketed and makes early inroads and Fronte 800 marketed.
• 1967: Thai Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. established as a local assembly plant.
• 1968: Carry full-cab van marketed.
• 1970: T500 (TT Isle of Man) Frank Whiteway
• 1970: LJ-Series (Jimny) 4×4 marketed.
• 1971: Ts185 Enduro marketed.
• 1971: GT750 motorcycle marketed.
• 1973: Suzuki Canada Ltd., opened in Ontario, Canada.
• 1974: P.T. Suzuki Indonesia Manufacturing established in Jakarta, Indonesia, entry into medical equipment field by marketing the Suzuki Motor Chair Z600 motorized wheelchair, expansion into the housing field initiated with Suzuki Home marketing two models of prefab "Mini-House" and three types of storage sheds.
• 1975: Antonio Suzuki Corp., a joint venture for knockdown production and sales, established in Manila, the Philippines.
• 1976: GS-Series motorcycles marketed.
• 1977: LJ80 4×4 vehicle marketed and exports of GS1000H motorcycle began.
• 1979: Alto marketed.
• 1979: SC100 marketed in the UK.
• 1980: Suzuki Australia Pty. Ltd. established in Sydney, Australia and entry into general purpose engine field by marketing three electric power generator models.
• 1981: Business ties with General Motors (U.S.) and Isuzu Motors, Ltd.(Japan) signed.
• 1982: 4×4 production began at PAK Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. in Karachi, Pakistan and won maker championship for 7th consecutive year at the World Road Race Grand Prix 500.
• 1982: SC100 Discontinued in favour of Alto.
• 1983: Enters into a partnership with Maruti Udyog Ltd. to produce cars in India.
• 1983: Cultus/Swift 1.0-liter passenger car marketed and 4×4 production started at Maruti Udyog Ltd. in Gurgaon, Haryana, India.
• 1984: Suzuki New Zealand Ltd. established in Wanganui, New Zealand and began export of Chevrolet Sprint to the United States. Car production technical assistance contract signed with China National Aerotechnology Import & Export Beijing Corporation. Operation of Suzuki Motor GmbH Deutschland began in Heppenheim, Germany.
• 1985: SUZUKI of AMERICA AUTOMOTIVE CORP. established with the introduction of the Samurai, and the GSX-R750 motorcycle with an oil-cooled engine marketed and scooter production started at Avello S.A. of Spain. Agreement with Santana Motors to produce Suzuki cars in their Linares factory in Andalusia, Spain.
• 1986: American Suzuki Motor Corp. is formed merging U.S. Suzuki Motor Corp and Suzuki of America Automotive Corp.
• 1987: Cultus/Swift production began in Colombia and total aggregate car exports reached 2 million units.
• 1988: Escudo/Vitara 4×4 marketed and total aggregate car production reached 10 million units..
• 1989: CAMI Automotive Inc. established and began operation in Ontario, Canada. Swift GT/GLX and Sidekick sales begin in the United States.
• 1990: Corporate name changed to Suzuki Motor Corporation.
• 1991: Car production started in Korea through technical ties with Daewoo Shipbuilding & Heavy Machinery Ltd and Cappuccino 2-seater marketed.
• 1993: Passenger car production/sales began at Suzuki Egypt S.A.E., opening ceremony for new car production plant held at Magyar Suzuki Corp. in Esztergom, Hungary and Wagon R passenger car marketed.
• 1994: Maruti Udyog Ltd. of India total aggregate car production reached 1 million units.
• 1995: Total aggregate motorcycle export reached 20 million units
• 1996: Start of production in Vietnam (Motorcycles and automobiles)
• 1997: Achieved 10 million cumulative automobile sales for overseas market and 4-stroke outboard motors win the Innovation Award at The International Marine Trade Exhibit and Conference (IMTEC) in Chicago.
• 1998: Suzuki and General Motors form strategic alliance and Chongqing Chang'an Suzuki Automobile Co., Ltd. received official approval from the Chinese government for production of passenger cars.
• 1999: Aggregate motorcycle production reaches 40 million units and Jiangxi Changhe Suzuki Automobile Co., Ltd. receives official approval from the Chinese government for production of commercial vehicles.
• 2000: The company commemorates the 80th anniversary, aggregate car production at Kosai Plant reaches 10 million units and Suzuki production starts at General Motors de Argentina S.A.
• 2001: Aggregate Launch of Suzuki Liana/Aerio. worldwide sales of Jimny/SJ reaches 2 million units, production of Alto reaches 4 million units and Suzuki achieves "Zero-Level" target of landfill waste
• 2002: Achieved 30 million cumulative automobile sales for worldwide market and America's No.1 warranty: 100,000/7-year powertrain limited warranty.
• 2003: Suzuki is No.1 in Kei car sales for the 30th consecutive year and Twin, the first hybrid Kei car in Japan, marketed.
• 2004: Aggregate domestic automobile sales reach 15 million units.
• 2005: Swift was awarded the 2006 RJC Car of the Year.
• 2006: New XL7 is marketed particularly to the North American market; and GM divested, selling 92.36 million shares and reducing their stake to 3%.
• 2008: GM divested its remaining 3% stake in Suzuki.
• 2009: Suzuki introduces its first production pickup truck called the Equator. Volkswagen AG and Suzuki reach a common understanding to establish a close long-term strategic partnership.^[8]
• 2009: Suzuki built a new 650,000 sq.m. factory in Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate in Rayong province, Thailand, that have ground-braking in November 2009 , the 20 billion yen investment for eco-car that production are start from March 2012.
• 2010: Volkswagen AG completed the purchase of 19.9% of Suzuki's outstanding shares.^[9]
• 2011: On 4 July Suzuki Motor chairman will come to Indonesia to announce Indonesia as regional production base with investment up to $800 million over the next few years.^[10]
• 2012: In January, the company said it would build a new engine factory as the third factory in Indonesia to fulfill the fast-growing Southeast Asian market. On a 1.3 million square-metre site in an industrial park outside Jakarta, Suzuki has spent 10 billion yen with the potential to reach 30 billion yen.^[11]
• 2012: Suzuki Swift (Third Generation), a new age of eco-car, is started the production on March 2012 in a new factory based in Rayong province, Thailand which Suzuki invested 20 billion yen in 2009 targeting its compact car production

Maruti Suzuki[link]

Maruti Suzuki's A-Star vehicle during its unveiling in Pragati Maidan, Delhi. A-Star, Suzuki's fifth global car model, was designed and is made only in India.^[12] Besides being Suzuki's largest subsidiary in terms of car sales, Maruti Suzuki is also Suzuki's leading research and development arm outside Japan

Maruti Suzuki Swift

Based in Gurgaon, India, Maruti Suzuki India Limited is Suzuki's largest and most valuable subsidiary with an annual production of 1,018,365 units in the fiscal 2009–2010.^[13] Suzuki has a 54.2% stake in the Indian auto giant and the rest is owned by the various Indian public and financial institutions. The company was incorporated in 1981 and is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange of India.^[14] In 2005–2006, the company had a 54% market share of the passenger car market in India.^[15] Nearly 75,000 people are employed directly by Maruti and its partners.

Maruti Suzuki was born as a Government of India company, with Suzuki as a minor partner, to make a lower priced car for middle class India. Over the years, the product range has widened, ownership has changed hands and the customer has evolved.

Maruti Suzuki offers 14 models, ranging from India's one-time best selling car, Maruti 800, for less than INR 200,000 (US$ 5000) to the premium sedan Maruti Suzuki Kizashi and luxury SUV Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara. Maruti 800 was the first model launched by the company in 1983 followed by mini-van Maruti Omni in 1984. Both models were huge success in their respective categories because of the use of high-end technology and good fuel efficiency. Maruti Gypsy, launched in 1985, came into widespread use with the Indian Army and Indian Police Service becoming its primary customers. The short-lived Maruti 1000 too achieved moderate success until it was replaced by Maruti Esteem in 1994, to counter increasing competition in the medium-sedan category.

Maruti Zen, launched in 1993, was the company's second compact car model and also became extremely popular in India because of its high performance. The company went on to launch another compact car Maruti Wagon-R followed by Maruti Baleno in 1999. However, with increasing competition from Tata, Hyundai, Honda and Daewoo Motors, Maruti was not able to achieve the same success with Baleno as it had with its earlier models. So it replaced Maruti Suzuki Baleno with the Suzuki SX4. Currently Suzuki SX4 is facing stiff competition from the Honda City.

In 2000, Maruti Alto was launched. The launch of Tata Indica and Hyundai Santro had affected Maruti's sales but Alto helped secure the company's position as the auto leader in India. It is currently the largest selling car in India. The Maruti models include Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, launched in 2003, Maruti Versa, launched in 2004, Maruti Suzuki Swift, launched in 2005, Maruti Zen Estilo and Maruti Suzuki SX4, launched in 2007. The Alto, Swift and SX4 are leaders in their respective segments in the Indian Market.

On 14 February 2011, Maruti Suzuki India, a Suzuki subsidiary in India, announced that it achieved one million total accumulated production volume of the Alto. The Alto has reached the million units mark in just seven years and five months since its launch on September 2000. The last half of the million has come in a record 25 months. The Alto has been India's largest volume-selling car, every month, for the past 37 consecutive months. Its popularity has continued to grow since its launch, with customers attracted to its low price with fuel efficiency. With this the Alto became the third car in the Maruti Suzuki stable to cross the million units mark. Previously, the Maruti 800 and the Omni had exceeded the million units mark. Besides its success in India, over 152,000 Altos made at Maruti Suzuki were delivered internationally, enjoying good outcomes in Algeria and Chile.

Maruti Exports Limited is the subsidiary of Maruti Udyog Limited with its major focus on exports and it does not operate in the domestic Indian market. The first commercial consignment of 480 cars were sent to Hungary. By sending a consignment of 571 cars to the same country, Maruti crossed the benchmark of 3,000,000 cars. Since its inception export was one of the aspects the government has been keen to encourage. Every political party expected Maruti to earn foreign exchange. But compared to Hyundai Maruti Suzuki is poor on export front.

Other subsidiary companies of the Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan in India are:

• SUZUKI POWERTRAIN INDIA LIMITED: Manufacturers engines for cars
• SUZUKI MOTORCYCLE INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED: Manufactures two wheelers under brand name 'Suzuki'. Its two wheeler models launched in India are 'GS 150R, Intruder, Hayabusa 1300 cc, 125 cc Access, 125 cc Motorcycle Zeus.

American Suzuki Motor Corp. history[link]

American Suzuki headquarters is located in Brea, California. Through an agreement with General Motors, Suzuki began selling a version of their Suzuki Cultus in the United States as the Chevrolet Sprint in 1985. This model was initially sold as a 3-door hatchback and would be Chevrolet's smallest model.

2004 Suzuki XL-7

The Samurai was also introduced in 1985 for the 1986 model year and was the first car introduced to the United States by the newly created American Suzuki Corp. No other Japanese company sold more cars in the United States in its first year than Suzuki. The Samurai was available as a convertible or hardtop and the company slogan was Never a Dull Moment. The Samurai was successful until Consumer Reports alleged the Samurai of being susceptible to roll over in a 1988 test. This led to a much publicized 1996 lawsuit, not settled until 2004.

In 1989, American Suzuki introduced the Swift which was the 2nd generation Suzuki Cultus. The Swift was available as a GTi and GLX hatchback with a 4-door sedan following in 1990. A new small SUV called the Sidekick was also introduced in 1989. 1991 saw the introduction of the 4-door Suzuki Sidekick, the first 4-door mini-SUV in North America. The Swift and Sidekick were cousins to GM's Geo Metro and Geo Tracker and were mostly produced in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada by Suzuki and GM's joint venture, CAMI. The Swift GT/GTi and 4-door models were imported from Japan. Negative evaluations from Consumer Reports of the Suzuki Samurai led to some temporary setbacks at American Suzuki as annual sales in the following years dropped to below 20,000 units.

In 1995, American Suzuki introduced the Esteem and redesigned the Swift. The Swift GT was dropped and this version Swift was specific only to North America where it was built at CAMI. These models were the first Suzuki vehicles to be marketed in North America with dual front airbags. A station wagon version of the Esteem was introduced in 1996. Worldwide Suzuki production reached more than 975,000 cars this year.

Also in 1996, American Suzuki released the 2-door SUV X-90 and a revised Sidekick Sport model with dual airbags, a 120 hp (89 kW) 1.8 liter engine, 16 inch wheels and two-tone paint. The Sidekick was replaced by the Vitara and the Grand Vitara for 1999. The Grand Vitara would be Suzuki's first model with a V6-cylinder engine and available 4-wheel ABS brakes.

The Grand Vitara XL-7 was introduced in 2001 as a stretched version of the Grand Vitara. The Grand Vitara XL-7 had a larger 2.7 liter V6-cylinder engine and 3-row seating. This would be Suzuki's largest vehicle to date.

The Swift was dropped from the model lineup in 2001 and the Esteem was replaced in 2002 by the new Aerio, which was offered as a 4-door sedan and 5-door crossover with 4-wheel-drive as an option.

In 2004, General Motors and Suzuki jointly purchased the bankrupt Daewoo Motors renaming the venture GMDAT. American Suzuki rebadged the compact Daewoo Nubira/Daewoo Lacetti as the Forenza and the mid-size Daewoo Magnus as the Verona. The Forenza gained station wagon and hatchback body style in 2005, with the hatchback sold under the Reno name.

2006 was the first year American Suzuki sold more than 100,000 vehicles in the United States. Suzuki redesigned the Grand Vitara in 2006 as well as introduced the all-new Suzuki SX4 and Suzuki XL7 in 2007. The Suzuki SX4 is produced as a joint venture with Fiat and the XL7 (notice the shortening of the name from Grand Vitara XL-7) was produced as a joint venture with GM at CAMI Automotive Inc. in Ingersoll. Suzuki put XL7 production on indefinite hiatus in mid-2009 due to low demand and subsequently sold off its share of CAMI back to GM later that year.

Despite a difficult domestic US automarket, Suzuki has been keeping pace with its 2007 sales numbers including recording their best May ever in May 2008.^[16]

In 2009, Suzuki sales dropped 48.5%,^[17] after sales fell 17% in 2008.^[18] Suzuki did not import any 2010 model year street motorcycles into the US, with dealers instead relying on unsold stock from the 2009 model year.^[19][20] New street motorcycle models to the US resumed for the 2011 model year.^[21]

Pakistani Suzuki Motor Company Limited[link]

Following the terms of the Joint Venture Agreement between Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan (SMC) and Pakistan Automobile Corporation (PACO), Pak Suzuki Motor Company Limited (PSMCL) was incorporated as a public limited company in August 1983.^[22]

The new company assumed the assets including production facilities of Awami Autos Limited. PSMCL started commercial operations in January 1984 with the primary objective of passenger cars, pick ups, vans and 4x4 vehicles.

The groundbreaking ceremony of the company’s green field automobile plant at Bin Qasim was performed by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan in early 1989.

On completion of first phase of this plant in early 1990, in-house assembly Suzuki engines started. The new plant was completed in 1992, and Suzuki production was transferred to new plant – and three-box 1,300 cc Margalla car was also added to its range of production.

In September 1992 the company was privatized and placed directly under the Japanese Management. At the time of privatization SMC increased its equity from 25% to 40% Subsequently, SMC progressively increased its equity to 73.09% by 31 December 2001.

The Bin Qasim Plant further expanded its production capacity to 50,000 vehicles per year in July 1994 and 300,000 vehicles had been manufactured at this plant by December 2003.

Paksuzuki currently exports its cars to countries like Bangladesh, Ghana, Nigeria & Maldives.

Suzuki Canada Inc. history[link]

• 1973 – 1 June, Suzuki Canada Ltd. was incorporated with offices at Downsview, Ontario. Product lines included motorcycles, parts and accessories to Suzuki dealers throughout Canada.
• 1974 – Vancouver branch office and warehouse inaugurated to service dealers in western Canada.
• 1980 – Autumn – Suzuki Canada began its automotive sales with the marketing and sales of four-wheel-LJ80 in eastern Canada. 1 November, the name of company changed from Suzuki Canada Ltd. to Suzuki Canada Inc.
• 1982 – Introduction of a line of Suzuki all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in Canada.
• 1983 – Introduction of a line of Suzuki outboard motors in western Canada. 1 February 1983 – Western Branch moved to enlarged facilities in Richmond, British Columbia.
• 1984 – Began the sales of 'Suzuki Forsa' (Suzuki Cultus) automobile.
• 1986 – A $600 million Suzuki-GM joint venture CAMI Automotive Inc. announced for the manufacturing of vehicles. Production was set to begin in 1989 at Ingersoll, Ontario.
• 1987 – 25 January – Suzuki Canada Inc. moved to a new 110,000 sq ft (10,000 m²). head office and warehouse facility at Richmond Hill, Ontario.
• 1988 – Autumn – Suzuki began selling the CAMI-built 2-door Suzuki Sidekick.
• 2009 – Autumn – Suzuki sold its participation in CAMI to GM

OEM deals[link]

Since 1985, Suzuki has shared or produced automobiles for other manufacturers around the world.

General Motors

Chevrolet Sprint – United States/Canada (Suzuki Cultus)

Pontiac Firefly – Canada (Suzuki Cultus)

Geo Metro – United States (Suzuki Cultus)

Holden Barina – Australia & New Zealand (Suzuki Cultus)

Chevrolet Swift – South America (Suzuki Cultus)

Chevrolet Cruze – Japan (Suzuki Ignis)

Holden Cruze – Australia (Suzuki Ignis)

Chevrolet MW – Japan (Suzuki Wagon R)

Bedford Rascal – Europe (Suzuki Carry)

Bedford Rascal – United Kingdom (Suzuki Carry)

Holden Scurry – Australia (Suzuki Carry)

Chevrolet Supercarry – South America (Suzuki Carry)

Geo Tracker – United States (Sidekick/Vitara)

Chevrolet Tracker – United States/Canada (Sidekick/Vitara)

GMC Tracker – Canada (Sidekick/Vitara)

Asüna Sunrunner – Canada (Sidekick/Vitara)

Pontiac Sunrunner – Canada (Sidekick/Vitara)

Chevrolet Vitara – South America (Sidekick/Vitara)

Chevrolet Grand Nomad – South America (Suzuki XL7)

Holden Drover – Australia & New Zealand (Suzuki Sierra/Jimny)

Opel Agila – Europe (Suzuki Wagon R and Suzuki Splash)

Chevrolet MW – Japan (Suzuki Wagon R)

Vauxhall Agila – United Kingdom (Suzuki Wagon R and Suzuki Splash)

Fiat

Fiat Sedici – Europe (Suzuki SX4)

Subaru

Subaru Justy – Europe (Suzuki Swift)

Mazda

Mazda Proceed Levante – Japan (Suzuki Vitara)

Mazda Carol – Japan (Suzuki Alto)

Autozam AZ-1 – Japan (Suzuki Cara)

Autozam Scrum – Japan (Suzuki Every)

Autozam AZ-Wagon – Japan (Suzuki MR Wagon)

Mazda AZ-Offroad – Japan (Suzuki Jimny)

Mazda Spiano – Japan (Suzuki Lapin)

Mazda Laputa – Japan (Suzuki Kei)

Nissan

Nissan Moco – Japan (Suzuki MR Wagon)

Nissan Pino – Japan (Suzuki Alto)

Nissan Roox – Japan (Suzuki Palette)

Maruti Suzuki

Maruti 800 – India (Suzuki Alto)

Maruti Omni – India (Suzuki Carry)

Maruti Gypsy – India (Suzuki Jimny)

Maruti 1000 – India (Suzuki Cultus)

Maruti Zen – India (Suzuki Alto)

• All Maruti models since the Zen are referred to as Maruti Suzuki.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen Rocktan (Suzuki SX4) – currently in development.

Mitsubishi Motors

Mitsubishi Colt T120SS – Indonesia (Suzuki Carry)

Mitsubishi Maven – Indonesia (Suzuki APV)

Automobiles[link]

• Suzuki models
  • Aerio/Liana
  • Alto
  • Alto Lapin
  • APV
  • Cappuccino
  • Carry
  • Cervo
  • Suzuki Cultus (aka Suzuki Forsa, Suzuki Swift, Geo Metro, Pontiac Firefly, et al.)
  • Escudo
  • Suzuki Equator
  • Esteem/Cultus Crescent
  • Fronte
  • Grand Vitara
  • Ignis
  • Jimny
  • Kei
  • Kizashi
  • L4
  • LJ-Series
  • Mehran
  • MightyBoy
  • MR Wagon
  • Palette
  • Sidekick
  • Splash
  • SX4
  • SX4 Crossover
  • SX4 Sport
  • Suzuki Twin
  • Wagon R
  • X-90
  • XL7

• Daewoo based North American models
  • Swift+
  • Forenza/Reno
  • Verona

• Chevrolet based South American models
  • Fun

Concept automobiles[link]

GSX-R/4 concept car

The GSX-R/4 concept car was presented in 2001. It is fitted with a 1,300 cc engine taken from the GSX1300R Hayabusa.

Motorcycles[link]

Suzuki's flagship motorcycle, the GSX1300R Hayabusa

Suzuki started manufacturing motorcycles in 1952, the first models being motorized bicycles. During the 1950s, 1960s and the better part of the 1970s, the company manufactured motorcycles with two-stroke engines only, the biggest two-stroke model being the water-cooled triple-cylinder GT750.

A large factor in Suzuki's success in two-stroke competition was the East German Grand Prix racer Ernst Degner, who defected to the West in 1961,^[23] bringing with him expertise in two-stroke engines from the East German manufacturer MZ. Suzuki hired Degner, and he won the 50 cc class F.I.M. road racing World Championship for them in the 1962 season. Suzuki became the first Japanese manufacturer to win a motocross world championship when Joel Robert won the 1970 250 cc title. In the 1970s, Suzuki established themselves in the motorcycle racing world with Barry Sheene and Roger De Coster winning world championships in the premier 500 cc division in road racing and motocross respectively. Suzuki continues to compete in MotoGP and last won the title in the 2000 season. Since 2006, the team is sponsored by Rizla and is known as Rizla Suzuki MotoGP team. On 18 November 2011, Suzuki announced that the GP racing was suspended, partly due to natural disasters and recession, until 2014.^[24]

It was not until 1976 that Suzuki introduced its first motorcycle with a four-stroke engine, the GS400 and GS750.

In 1994, Suzuki partnered with Nanjing Jincheng Machinery to create a Chinese motorcycle manufacturer and exporter called Jincheng Suzuki.

Models[link]

Notable Suzuki motorcycles include some of the following:

• Hayabusa (GSX-1300R) – a sport motorcycle capable of 190 mph (310 km/h) in 1999, and limited to 186 mph (299 km/h) since 2001.
• GSX-R1000 – currently the largest model of the GSX-R series, first launched in 2001.
• GSX-R750 – the grandfather of the GSX-R1000, this designation is more than 25 years old and this model is being updated/redesigned entirely every two to four years.
• GSX-R600 – a smaller version of the GSX-R750.
• GSX-650F – introduced in 2008, this new sport touring model fills the void of the retired Katana. The 2009 model has ABS as a standard feature.
• SV650 – introduced in 1999 as a budget entry in the emerging naked bike market and, as of 2008, offered both naked and fully faired. Since 2009 it is also offered in the Gladius variant.
• Burgman – series of urban scooters with engine capacities from 125 cc up to 638 cc produced in Japan, Italy and Spain.
• RGV250 – the road-racing replica of Kevin Schwantz's RGV500 GP race bike
• DL-650 V-Strom – a dual-sport motorcycle

All-terrain vehicles (ATVs)[link]

• Suzuki Eiger 400
• Suzuki LT 230
• Suzuki LT-R450 (race ready)
• Suzuki LT250R

Event sponsorship[link]

Suzuki is a major sponsor of luge, biathlon, and cross country skiing sporting events. They also the current title sponsor of ASEAN Football Championship.

See also[link]

	Companies portal
	Japanese cars portal

• List of Suzuki engines
• Suzuki World Rally Team
• Suzuki T Series
• Suzuki T20
• Suzuki GT Series

References[link]

Further reading[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Suzuki vehicles

• Suzuki Global website
• Suzuki autos at the Open Directory Project
• Suzuki motorcycles at the Open Directory Project

v t e TOPIX 100 companies of Japan Core 30 7&i Astellas Canon Honda JFE JR East JT KDDI KEPCO Komatsu Mitsubishi Corporation Mitsubishi Estate Mitsui & Co. Mizuho MUFG Nintendo Nippon Steel Nissan Nomura NTT NTT docomo Panasonic Shin-Etsu Sony Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Takeda TEPCO Tokio Marine Toshiba Toyota Large 70 ÆON AGC Asahi Kasei Bank of Yokohama Bridgestone Chubu Electric Power Daiichi Sankyo Daikin Daiwa House Daiwa Securities Denso DNP Eisai FANUC Fujifilm Fujitsu Hitachi Hoya INPEX Itochu JR Central JR West Kao Keyence Kirin Kobelco Kubota Kyocera Kyushu Electric Power Marubeni Mitsubishi Chemical Mitsubishi Electric Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsui Fudosan MOL MSIG Murata NEC Nidec Nikon Nippon Oil Nitto Denko ORIX Resona Ricoh Rohm Secom Sekisui House Sharp Shiseido SMC SoftBank Sompo Japan Sumitomo Chemical Sumitomo Corporation Sumitomo Electric Sumitomo Metal Mining Sumitomo Metals Sumitomo Realty Sumitomo Trust Suzuki T&D Holdings TDK Tohoku Electric Power Tokyo Electron Tokyo Gas Toppan Toray Yahoo! Japan Yamada Denki

v t e Automotive industry in Japan Companies Components Aisin Seiki Bridgestone Calsonic Kansei Clarion Denso GS Yuasa Hitachi HKS IHI Corporation Jatco JECS JTEKT Mikuni Sumitomo Rubber Industries Toyo Tire & Rubber Company Toyota Boshoku Tsubakimoto Chain Yokohama Rubber Company Zexel Motorsport and tuners Autech Dome GReddy HKS Impul JUN Kojima Mazdaspeed Mine's Mugen Motorsports Nismo RE Amemiya SARD Spoon Sports Subaru Tecnica International Tommy Kaira TOM'S Veilside Services Autobacs Seven Tokyo Trading Vehicle producers ASL Daihatsu Duesen Bayern Honda (Acura) Isuzu Kawasaki Mitsuoka Mazda Amati Autozam Ẽfini Eunos M2 Xedos Mitsubishi Fuso Mitsubishi Motors Nissan Datsun Infiniti Prince Tama UD Trucks Otomo Subaru Suzuki Hope Toyota Hino Motors Lexus Scion Yamaha Other Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association Tokyo Motor Show Used vehicle exporting Defunct companies and marques shown in italics Category

v t e Nikkei 225 companies of Japan 7&i Advantest ÆON AGC Ajinomoto ALPS ANA Asahi Breweries Asahi Kasei Astellas Bank of Yokohama Bridgestone Canon Casio Chiba Bank Chiyoda Chuden Chugai Chuo Mitsui Trust Citizen Clarion Comsys Credit Saison CSK Daiichi Sankyo Daikin Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Daiwa House Daiwa Securities Denka Denso Dentsu DNP Dowa Ebara Eisai Fanuc Fast Retailing Fuji Electric Fuji Heavy Industries Fujifilm Fujikura Fujitsu Fukuoka Financial Furukawa Furukawa Electric GS Yuasa Heiwa Real Estate Hino Hitachi Hitachi Construction Machinery Hitz Hokuetsu Paper Honda IHI INPEX Isetan-Mitsukoshi Isuzu Itochu JFE J. Front Retailing JGC JR Central JR East JR West JSW JT JTEKT JX Kajima KEPCO Kao Kawasaki KDDI Keio Keisei Kikkoman Kirin K Line Kobelco Komatsu Konami Konica Minolta Kubota Kuraray Kyocera Kyowa Hakko Kirin Marubeni Maruha Nichiro Marui Matsui Securities Mazda Meidensha Meiji Holdings MES Minebea Mitsubishi Chemical Mitsubishi Corporation Mitsubishi Electric Mitsubishi Estate Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi Logistics Mitsubishi Materials Mitsubishi Motors Mitsubishi Paper Mitsubishi Rayon Mitsui & Co. Mitsui Chemicals Mitsui Fudosan Mitsui Kinzoku Mitsumi Mizuho Mizuho Securities Mizuho Trust MOL MS&AD MUFG NEC NGK Nichirei Nikon Nippon Express Nippon Kayaku Nippon Light Metal Nippon Ham Nippon Paper Group Nippon Soda Nippon Steel Nippon Suisan Nissan Nissan Chemical Nisshin Seifun Nisshin Steel Nisshinbo Nittobo NKSJ Nomura NSG NSK NTN NTT NTT Data NTT docomo NYK Obayashi Odakyu Oji Paper OKI Okuma Olympus Osaka Gas Pacific Metals Panasonic Panasonic Electric Works Pioneer Resona Ricoh Sanyo Sapporo Brewery Secom Sekisui House Sharp Shimz Shin-Etsu Shinsei Bank Shionogi Shiseido Shizuoka Bank Showa Denko Showa Shell SKY Perfect JSAT SoftBank Sojitz Sony Sumco Sumitomo Chemical Sumitomo Corporation Sumitomo Electric Sumitomo Heavy Industries Sumitomo Metal Industries Sumitomo Metal Mining Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Sumitomo Osaka Cement Sumitomo Realty Sumitomo Trust Suzuki T&D Taiheiyo Cement Taisei Taiyo Yuden Takara Takashimaya Takeda TDK Teijin TEPCO Terumo Tobu Toho Toho Zinc Tokai Carbon Tokan Tokio Marine Tokyo Dome Tokyo Electron Tokyo Gas Tokyu Tokyu Land Toppan Toray Toshiba Tosoh TOTO Toyobo Toyota Toyota Tsusho Trend Micro Ube Unitika Uny Yahoo! Japan Yamaha Yamato Transport Yokogawa Electric Yokohama Rubber

David Suzuki
Suzuki in 2009
Born	David Takayoshi Suzuki (1936-03-24) March 24, 1936 (age 76) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Residence	Kitsilano, Vancouver, Canada
Citizenship	Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Signature

David Suzuki, CC, OBC (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a Ph.D in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department at the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001. Since the mid-1970s, Suzuki has been known for his TV and radio series and books about nature and the environment. He is best known as host of the popular and long-running CBC Television science magazine, The Nature of Things, seen in over forty nations. He is also well known for criticizing governments for their lack of action to protect the environment.

A long time activist to reverse global climate change, Suzuki co-founded the David Suzuki Foundation in 1990, to work "to find ways for society to live in balance with the natural world that sustains us." The Foundation's priorities are: oceans and sustainable fishing, climate change and clean energy, sustainability, and Suzuki's Nature Challenge. He also served as a director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association from 1982-1987.

Suzuki was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 2009.

Early life[link]

Suzuki has a twin sister named Marcia, as well as two other siblings, Geraldine (now known as Aiko) and Dawn. They were born to Setsu Nakamura and Kaoru Carr Suzuki in Vancouver, Canada. Suzuki's maternal and paternal grandparents had immigrated to Canada at the beginning of the 20th century from Hiroshima and Aichi Prefecture respectively.^[1]

A third-generation Japanese-Canadian ("Canadian Sansei"), Suzuki and his family suffered internment in British Columbia during the Second World War from when he was there (1942) until after the war ended. In June 1942, the government sold the Suzuki family's dry-cleaning business, then interned Suzuki, his mother, and two sisters in a camp at Slocan in the British Columbia Interior.^[2] His father had been sent to a labour camp in Solsquinternment camp.

After the war, Suzuki's family, like other Japanese Canadian families, were forced to move east of the Rockies. The Suzukis moved to Islington, Leamington, and London, Ontario. Suzuki, in interviews, has many times credited his father for having interested him in and sensitized him to nature.

Suzuki attended Mill Street Elementary School and Grade 9 at Leamington Secondary School before moving to London, where he attended London Central Secondary School, eventually winning the election to become Students' Council President in his last year there by more votes than all of the other candidates combined.

Academic career[link]

Suzuki received his BA from Amherst College of Massachusetts in 1958, and his Ph.D in Zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961.

Early in his research career he studied genetics, using the popular model organism Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies). To be able to use his initials in naming any new genes he found, he studied dominant temperature-sensitive phenotypes (DTS). (As he jokingly noted at a lecture at Johns Hopkins University, the only alternative was "damn tough skin".) He was a professor in the genetics department (stated in his book Genethics: The Ethics of Engineering Life, 1988) at the University of British Columbia for almost forty years (from 1963 until his retirement in 2001), and has since been professor emeritus at a university research institute.^[3]

Broadcasting career[link]

Suzuki in 2006

Suzuki began in television in 1970 with the weekly children's show Suzuki on Science. In 1974, he founded the radio program Quirks and Quarks which he also hosted on CBC AM radio (the forerunner of CBC Radio One) from 1975 to 1979. Throughout the 1970s, he also hosted Science Magazine, a weekly program geared towards an adult audience.

Since 1979, Suzuki has hosted The Nature of Things, a CBC television series that has aired in nearly fifty countries worldwide.^[4] In this program, Suzuki's aim is to stimulate interest in the natural world, to point out threats to human well-being and wildlife habitat, and to present alternatives for achieving a more sustainable society. Suzuki has been a prominent proponent of renewable energy sources and the soft energy path.

Suzuki was the host of the critically acclaimed 1993 PBS series The Secret of Life.^[5] His 1985 hit series, A Planet for the Taking, averaged more than 1.8 million viewers per episode and earned him a United Nations Environment Programme Medal. His perspective in this series is summed up in his statement: "We have both a sense of the importance of the wilderness and space in our culture and an attitude that it is limitless and therefore we needn't worry." He concludes with a call for a major "perceptual shift" in our relationship with nature and the wild.

Suzuki's The Sacred Balance, a book first published in 1997 and later made into a five hour mini-series on Canadian public television, was broadcasted in 2002.^[6][7] Suzuki is now taking part in an advertisement campaign with the tagline "You have the power", promoting energy conservation through various household alternatives, such as the use of compact fluorescent lightbulbs.

For the Discovery Channel Suzuki also produced "Yellowstone to Yukon: The Wildlands Project" in 1997. The conservation-biology based documentary focused on Dave Foreman's Wildlands Project, which considers how to create corridors between and buffer-zones around large wilderness reserves as a means to preserve biological diversity. Foreman developed this project after leaving Earth First! (which he co-founded) in 1990. The conservation biologists Michael Soulé and Reed Noss were also directly involved.

Climate change activism[link]

At the 2007 Global Day of Action event in Vancouver, B.C.. The sign in the background refers to the Greater Vancouver Gateway Program.

In recent years, Suzuki has been a forceful spokesperson on global climate change, not always without controversy. In February 2008, he urged McGill University students to speak out against politicians who fail to act on climate change, stating "What I would challenge you to do is to put a lot of effort into trying to see whether there's a legal way of throwing our so-called leaders into jail because what they're doing is a criminal act."^[8][9]

Suzuki is unequivocal that climate change is a very real and pressing problem and that an "overwhelming majority of scientists" now agree that human activity is responsible. The David Suzuki Foundation website has a clear statement of this:

The debate is over about whether or not climate change is real. Irrefutable evidence from around the world - including extreme weather events, record temperatures, retreating glaciers, and rising sea levels - all point to the fact climate change is happening now and at rates much faster than previously thought.

The overwhelming majority of scientists who study climate change agree that human activity is responsible for changing the climate. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is one of the largest bodies of international scientists ever assembled to study a scientific issue, involving more than 2,500 scientists from more than 130 countries. The IPCC has concluded that most of the warming observed during the past 50 years is attributable to human activities. Its findings have been publicly endorsed by the National Academies of Science of all G-8 nations, as well as those of China, India and Brazil.^[10]

Suzuki says that despite this growing consensus, many in the public and the media seemed doubtful about the science for many years. The reason for the confusion about climate change, in Suzuki's view, was due to a well-organized campaign of disinformation about the science involved. "A very small number of critics" denies that climate change exists and that humans are the cause. These climate change “skeptics” or "deniers," Suzuki claims, tend not to be climate scientists and do not publish in peer-reviewed scientific journals but rather target the media, the general public, and policy makers. Their goal: "delaying action on climate change." According to Suzuki, the skeptics have received significant funding from coal and oil companies, including ExxonMobil. They are linked to "industry-funded lobby groups," such as the Information Council on the Environment (ICE),^[11] whose aim is to "reposition global warming as theory (not fact)."^[10]

Carbon footprint[link]

Suzuki himself laments that in traveling constantly to spread his message of climate responsibility, he has ended up "over his [carbon] limit by hundreds of tonnes." He has stopped vacationing overseas and taken to "clustering" his speaking engagements together to reduce his carbon footprint. He would prefer, he says, to appear solely by video conference.^[12]

Publications[link]

Suzuki signing a copy of his works

Suzuki is the author of 52 books (fifteen for children), including David Suzuki: The Autobiography, Tree: A Life Story, The Sacred Balance, Genethics, Wisdom of the Elders, Inventing the Future, and the best-selling Looking At series of children’s science books. This is a partial list of publications^[13] by Suzuki:

• Sciencescape - The Nature of Canada (1986) - with Hans Blohm and Marjorie Harris
• Pebbles to Computers: The Thread (1986) - with Hans Blohm and Stafford Beer
• Metamorphosis: Stages in a life (1987)
• Genethics: The Clash between the New Genetics and Human Values (1990)
• It's a Matter of Survival (1991) ISBN 0-674-46970-4
• [Time to Change] (1994)
• The Japan We Never Knew:A Journey of Discovery (1997) with Keibo Oiwa
• More Good News (2003)^[14]
• David Suzuki: The Autobiography (2006)
• The Sacred Balance (2007)
• David Suzuki's Green Guide (2008) with David Boyd
• The Big Picture: Reflections on Science, Humanity, and a Quickly Changing Planet (2009) with David Taylor
• The Legacy: An Elder's vision for a sustainable future (2010) foreword by Margaret Atwood
• Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Movie (2010) 93 minute documentary DVD (210616DV)^[15][16][17]

Awards and honours[link]

Suzuki receives the Right Livelihood Award from Jakob von Uexkull

Suzuki is the recipient of the Order of Canada, first as an Officer (1976), then upgraded to Companion status in (2006),^[18] the Order of British Columbia (1995),^[19] UNESCO’s Kalinga Prize for science (1986)^[20] and a long list of Canadian and international honours.

In 2004, Suzuki was nominated as one of the top ten "Greatest Canadians" by viewers of the CBC. In the final vote he ranked fifth.^[21] Suzuki said that his own vote was for Tommy Douglas who was the eventual winner.

In 2006, Suzuki was the recipient of the Bradford Washburn Award presented at the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts.^[22]

In 2007, Suzuki was honoured by Global Exchange, with the International Human Rights Award.

In 2009 Suzuki was awarded the Honorary Right Livelihood Award.^[23]

Honorary degrees[link]

Suzuki has received numerous honorary degrees from universities around the world.^[24]

• University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown (LL.D) in 1974
• University of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario (D.Sc) in 1979
• Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia (D.Sc) in 1979
• Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario (LL.D) in 1981^[25]
• University of Calgary in Calgary, Alberta (LL.D) in 1986
• Governors State University in University Park, Illinois (DHL) in 1986
• Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario (D.Sc) in 1986
• McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario (D.Sc) in 1987
• Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario (LL.D) in 1987
• Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario (D.Sc) in 1987
• Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts, (D.Sc) in 1988
• Griffith University in Queensland, Australia (D.Sc) in 1997
• Open University, Milton Keynes, UK DDL in 1998
• Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, (D.Sc) in 1999
• Unity College in Unity, Maine, (Doctor of Environmental Science) in 2000
• Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia DDL in 2001
• York University in Toronto, Ontario (D.Sc) in 2005
• UQAM in Montreal, Quebec (D.Sc) in 2005
• Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia (D.Sc) in 2006
• Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario (Doctor of Communication) in 2007
• University of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec (D.Sc) in 2007
• University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario (D.Sc) in 2007
• Lambton College in Sarnia, Ontario (Diploma in Alternative Energy Engineering Technology) in 2008^[26]
• Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, Newfoundland (D.Sc) in 2009
• Université Sainte-Anne in Church Point, Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia (Honorary Doctorate) in 2010 ^[27]
• Université Laval in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada (Doctor of Communication) in 2011

See also[link]

	Environment portal
	Global Warming portal

• Conservation biology
• Environmentalism
• Soft energy path
• David Suzuki Foundation

Footnotes[link]

Notations[link]

• John C. Phillipson. "David Takayoshi Suzuki" in The Canadian Encyclopedia: Year 2000 Edition, James Marsh, ed. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1999. p. 2277. ISBN 0-7710-2099-6
• David Suzuki. Metamorphosis. Toronto: Stoddart, 1991. ISBN 0-7737-5509-8

Further reading[link]

• Suzuki, David (2007), David Suzuki: The Autobiography, Greystone Books, ISBN 9781553652816, http://books.google.ca/books?id=UrUIUZ9Fkg8C&lpg=PP1&dq=David%20Suzuki&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true 
• Suzuki, David; David R. Boyd (2008), David Suzuki's Green Guide, Greystone Books, ISBN 9781553652939, http://books.google.ca/books?id=FgGcvxC0YpkC&lpg=PP1&dq=David%20Suzuki&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true 
• Gazlay, Suzy (2009), David Suzuki: Doing Battle with Climate Change, Crabtree, ISBN 9780778746652, http://books.google.ca/books?id=uEu7DeEBE1sC&lpg=PP1&dq=David%20Suzuki&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=true 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: David Suzuki

• Order of Canada citation
• The David Suzuki Foundation
• Nature of Things official website
• video: "David Suzuki - "Force of Nature", Dec. 14, 2010, with Allan Gregg, 28 minutes,
• Right Livelihood Award
• David Suzuki at the Internet Movie Database

v t e Canada–Japan relations Japan People Mickey Curtis Glen Ennis Aaron Keller Ron Korb Herbert Marler R.W. Mayhew Monkey Majik Herbert Norman Maria Ozawa Richard Rochefort Barry Steers Mervin Tran Mel Wakabayashi Jai West Issues Japanese war crimes Places Canadian Academy Embassy of Canada, Tokyo List of Canadian ambassadors to Japan Events Canada WET Canada Japanese Canadians Ken Adachi Nobu and Mio Adilman Dennis Akayama David Akutagawa Severn Cullis-Suzuki Hiromi Goto Arthur S. Hara Kanao Inouye Mary Ito Robert Ito Hiro Kanagawa Martin Kariya Paul Kariya Steve Kariya Sarah Kawahara Andrew Kishino Roy Kiyooka Joy Kogawa (Obasan) Bruce Kuwabara Jon Matsumoto Nina Matsumoto Art Miki Roy Miki Masajiro Miyazaki Kenzo Mori Raymond Moriyama Issey Nakajima-Farran Paris Nakajima-Farran Kazuo Nakamura George Nozuka Justin Nozuka Philip Nozuka Bev Oda Kristy Odamura Midi Onodera John Kimura Parker Michelle Sagara Kerri Sakamoto Devin Setoguchi Tetsuro Shigematsu Aki Shimazaki Rick Shiomi Yellow Fever Thomas Shoyama Jeff Chiba Stearns Jennifer Spence Jamie Storr Vicky Sunohara David Suzuki Mutsumi Takahashi Takao Tanabe Miyuki Tanobe David Tsubouchi Masami Tsuruoka Irene Uchida Juhn Atsushi Wada Terry Watada Michelle Sagara West Ayaka Wilson Naomi Yamamoto Christine Yoshikawa Kimiko Zakreski Japanese in Canada Manzō Nagano Utako Wakamatsu Other people HIMEKA Jillian Michaels John Powles Bruce Ross Issues Japanese Canadian internment Reference re Persons of Japanese Race Events Powell Street Festival Places Embassy of Japan, Ottawa Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre Japantown, Vancouver Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Temples of Canada Kuroki, Saskatchewan Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre Nitobe Memorial Garden Organisations Hitachi Canadian Industries Kokoro Dance National Association of Japanese Canadians Japan Canada Oil Sands Limited Sony Canada Works Minoru: Memory of Exile Obasan Skim Yellow Fever Other Ahadada Books Hiroshima Japanese Canadian Pacific Fleet

Simon Crafar
Nationality	New Zealand
Born	15 January 1969 Waiouru
Motorcycle racing career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1993, 1998-1999 First race 1993 250cc Spanish Grand Prix Last race 1999 500cc British Grand Prix First win 1998 500cc British Grand Prix Last win 1998 500cc British Grand Prix Team(s) Suzuki, Yamaha Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 32 1 3 1 2 162

Simon Crafar^[1] (born 15 January 1969 in Waiouru) is a former Grand Prix and WSBK motorcycle road racer from New Zealand.

His racing career started in 1981 aboard a Suzuki TM75 in a local Junior Motocross Championship before eventually moving onto road racing in 1985. He won Malaysia's Superbike championship in 1991. In 1993 he was racing for Harris in the 500cc World Championship before joining the Suzuki factory racing team in the 250 class for the latter part of the season. He did not enjoy this, feeling that he is too large for the bikes.^[2]

World Superbike[link]

For 1994 he joined countryman Aaron Slight on a semi-works Rumi Honda RC45 in the Superbike World Championship. After coming 5th overall in 1994, he started the 1995 season with Rumi Honda before replacing Doug Polen as the second factory rider alongside Aaron Slight, although they raced under different liveries. The bike gradually became more competitive, and Simon was strong in later part of 1995, coming 2nd in race 1 at Assen. He then spent 2 years with the Kawasaki racing team, scoring only one podium during the 1996 season finishing in 7th position. In 1997 he took two 2nd places and five 3rd places in addition to one Pole position and fastest lap to again finish 5th overall. In total he scored 10 podiums - four 2nds and six 3rds but, no wins in the series.^[3]

He returned to World Superbike for 2000 as a substitute rider for Aaron Slight for two rounds. In 2002 he raced in British Superbike for the Virgin Mobile Yamaha team, coming 8th overall with two 3rd place finishes. He retired from motorcycle racing at the end of the 2002 season to spend more time with his wife and children and continues to live in Andorra to this date.

500 GP[link]

He rode a WCM Yamaha YZR500 in the 500cc world championship for 1998, winning at Donington Park (the last win for Dunlop in a dry race and the only non Honda win during the 1998 season and at Donington Park in 6 years) and finishing 7th in the standings, scoring two further podiums - one 2nd and one 3rd during the season with two fastest race laps - Donington Park and Phillip Island. He remained with the team for the early part of 1999, scoring points on 5 occasions. The WCM team changed to Michelin between seasons and Crafar found he could not replicate the same level of success as he had the previous year on Dunlop tyres and they parted company midway through the 1999 season. Crafar also took 10th on a one off ride on an MuZ at Donington Park during the same year. In total he has contested 32 500cc races, taking 3 podium finishes.^[4]

Extreme Enduro[link]

Following his retirement from road racing, Crafar continued to enjoy Extreme Enduro competing in the Red Bull Romaniacs competition held in Romania winning the Expert Class during 2007. During 2008 and 2009 Crafar worked with the organisers of the Red Bull Romaniacs competition assisting in the design and mapping of the course sections. During 2009 he was involved in a serious accident with a car whilst planning for the 2009 event that resulted in a broken back. Thankfully Simon underwent a successful operation to insert a metal plate and screws into his back that has resulted in a near perfect recovery.^[5]

On Circuit Instruction[link]

Since 2006 Crafar has been involved in on-circuit rider instruction for both track day riders and professional racers and has personally taught over 600 people on a one-to-one basis in a little over six years. Utilising his experience from competing and racing in World Championships throughout a 13 year career, Crafar uses simple, logical techniques that are very effective in allowing riders to improve their lap times in a safe and controlled manner. It was this approach to instruction that lead the organisers of the European Junior Cup^[6] a race series held at the WSBK championship rounds across Europe for 14-19 year old riders) to approach Crafar to become the mentor and series instructor to the young racers aged 14-19 for the 2011 Championship, a position he still holds for the 2012 Championship.^[7] Simon is still heavily involved in one-to-one rider instruction throughout Europe with riders being able to book his services through his personal website www.simoncrafar.com

Motovudu Dark Art of Performance[link]

During the latter part of 2011 Simon Crafar launched Motovudu - Dark Art of Performance^[8], a book and DVD series that is an instructional guide to riding faster on-circuit. Filmed at the Moto GP circuit Motorland Aragon in Northern Spain, both the book and the film draw from Crafar's previous experiences, both racing and instructional and is designed to teach any rider how they can ride fast and stay away from unnecessary risks. Currently available in English, during 2012 both French and Spanish versions will be available.

References[link]

Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro Suzuki in his pre-swing pose at Shea Stadium in New York City.
Seattle Mariners — No. 51
Right fielder
Born: (1973-10-22) October 22, 1973 (age 38) Toyoyama, Aichi, Japan
Bats: Left	Throws: Right
Professional debut
NPB: July 11, 1992 for the Orix BlueWave
MLB: April 2, 2001 for the Seattle Mariners
NPB statistics
Batting average	.353
Home runs	118
Runs batted in	529
Hits	1,278
Runs	658
Stolen bases	199
MLB statistics (through May 23, 2012)
Batting average	.325
Home runs	96
Runs batted in	621
Hits	2,481
Runs	1,149
Stolen bases	429
Teams
Orix BlueWave (1992–2000) (NPB) Seattle Mariners (2001–present)
Career highlights and awards
NPB 7× NPB All-Star (1994–2000) 3× PL MVP (1994–1996) 7× Golden Glove Award (1994–2000) 7× Best Nine Award (1994–2000) 3× Matsutaro Shoriki Award (1994–1995, 2004) 3× Japan Professional Sports Grand Prize (1994–1995, 2001) 7× PL Batting Champion (1994–2000) 5× PL Safe Hit Champion (1994–1998) 5× PL On-base Champion (1994–1996, 1999–2000) 1995 PL Stolen Base Champion 1995 PL RBI Champion Japan Series Champion (1996) MLB 10× All-Star (2001–2010) 10× Gold Glove Award (2001–2010) 3× Silver Slugger Award (2001, 2007, 2009) 2× AL Batting Champion (2001, 2004) 2001 AL MVP 2001 AL Rookie of the Year 2001 AL Stolen Base Champion 2005 Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award 2007 All-Star Game MVP Single-season MLB record with 262 hits (2004) AL Record Consecutive Stolen Bases (45)

Ichiro Suzuki (鈴木 一朗, Suzuki Ichirō^?), usually known simply as Ichiro (イチロー, Ichirō^?) (born October 22, 1973) is a Japanese Major League Baseball right fielder for the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro has established a number of batting records, including the sport's single-season record for hits with 262. He had ten consecutive 200-hit seasons, the longest streak by any player, surpassing Wee Willie Keeler's streak of eight.^[1]

Ichiro moved to the United States in 2001 after playing nine years for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan's Pacific League. Posted by Orix after the 2000 season, Ichiro became Seattle's right fielder. The first Japanese-born everyday position player in the major leagues,^[2] Ichiro led the AL in batting average and stolen bases en route to being named Rookie of the Year and MVP.

Ichiro is the first MLB player to enter the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame (The Golden Players Club). He has been voted onto ten All-Star teams by the fans, winning the 2007 All-Star MVP Award for a three-hit performance that included the event's first-ever inside-the-park home run. Ichiro won a Gold Glove award in each of his first ten years in the major leagues, and has had seven hitting streaks of 20 or more games, with a high of 27.

Ichiro's agent Tony Attanasio described his client's status: "When you mail Ichiro something from the States, you only have to use that name on the address and he gets it [in Japan]. He's that big."^[3]