Suzuki 2001 Annual Report Download - page 12

Kenny Roberts Jr. with RGV- ΓΓ
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announced the construction of an ATV plant (corporate name: Suzuki
Manufacturing of America Corporation [SMAC] in Rome, Georgia,
U.S.A.) The construction of the plant started this past March. In
Europe in early February 2001, we increased the capital of Magyar
Suzuki Corporation, Suzuki's automobile production base in Hungary,
from 19, 800 million forints (approx. 7,500 million yen) to 81,800
million forints (approx. 31,000 million yen). In South America, we
made a capital contribution of approx. 3,600 thousand U.S. dollars to
General Motors Colmotores S.A., a production and distribution
subsidiary of General Motors Corporation in Colombia, thus
strengthening the strategic alliance between Suzuki and General
Motors Corporation in South America.
Motorsports Topics
Suzuki participates in numerous motorcycle and automobile races
that fascinate motorsports fans worldwide, and has won a great
number of titles. We also make sure that the technological knowhows
gained from racing activities are fed back to our development work to
help us create better products. In automobile racing, the Suzuki Grand
Vitara was entered in the 3rd Queenstown Gold Rush International
Auto Hillclimb held in Queenstown, New Zealand in April 2000. The
Grand Vitara, showing its dynamic slides through turns and
overwhelming quickness, clocked in at 8 minutes 40.916 seconds and
won a 3-year-consecutive overall victory. In the All Japan Dirt Trial
Championship, Suzuki entered in three classes: A1, C1 and D, and
became the series champion for the 2000 season in all three classes.
In motorcycle racing, on October 7, 2000, in round 14 of the World
Road Racing Grand Prix held at Nelson Piquet circuit outside Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, Kenny Roberts Jr. became the newest world
champion. For Suzuki, it was its sixth winning of the world
championship since Kevin Schwantz last won it in 1993; for Roberts
Jr., it was his first winning of the title. Roberts Jr's father, Kenny
Roberts Senior won the championship in the three consecutive years
from 1978 to 1980 -- thus, Roberts Jr. and Roberts Sr. became the first
father-and-son world champions in the history of World Road Racing
Grand Prix.
Environment Topics
Suzuki is also actively involved in addressing environmental
concerns. As a general maker of transportation equipment including
automobiles, motorcycles and outboard motors, Suzuki, in addition to
its continued efforts towards improving fuel efficiency by making
better engines and lighter vehicles and efforts directed at reducing
noise and other environmental factors, is also conducting ongoing
research on various new methods of addressing environmental
concerns, including the development of vehicles that run on electricity
and natural gas. Furthermore, systems and arrangements that have
lower environmental impact are promptly incorporated in each of the
various processes that compose our business: production, product and
component distribution, sales and servicing. Suzuki also actively
carries out recycling of resources by making efforts to recycle factory
waste, in addition to reducing the volume of such waste.
Specific examples of such efforts during the fiscal year 2000
include: CAMI Automotive Inc. in Canada (in June 2000) and the
Toyokawa Plant (in December 2000) both received an ISO 14001
10 ●SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
Ground-breaking ceremony at Suzuki Manufacturing
of America Corporation
The Gazelle released by Changan Suzuki, China