Suzuki 2005 Annual Report Download - page 7

Total overseas automobile production for the fiscal year
ended March 31,2005 increased to approximately 952,000
units, showing growth of 10.3% over the previous year's
figures. Worldwide production, including Japan, increased to
2,010,000 units, 109.8% of the previous year. Sales of
automobiles overseas grew to 1,217,000 units, 110.7% of the
previous year, while total global sales, including Japan,
reached 1,890,000 units for growth to 109.0% of the previous
year.
As for new products, this was a year in which Suzuki came
up with a number of interesting plans. August 2004 saw the
start of production began in Indonesia of the new "APV" multi-
purpose vehicle. This vehicle represents a new challenge for
Suzuki, in that this is the first time, the company has ever
positioned the mother plant outside Japan--in Indonesia--and
attempted to export worldwide from there, primarily to other
Asian countries. From fall 2004 to the middle of 2005, Suzuki
began production of the "Swift" in four countries, Japan,
Hungary, China, and India, as a strategically produced and
marketed vehicle. Developed with the aim of offering an
automobile capable of competing with the small cars of
Europe, along with considerations concerning the particular
and varying requirements in each individual country, it has
attained an extremely high reputation in markets where it is
already being sold for styling and driving performance.
Suzuki's overseas product strategy promises to move surely
and steadily into the future.
The Junior World Rally Championship is one of the
mainstays of Suzuki's motorsports activities. In just Suzuki's
third year of participation (2004), drivers piloting the Ignis
(Super 1600) won the Driver's Title, a goal Suzuki had
determined since first participating in the event. Starting in
2005, the company is placing priority on its "Year of Challenge"
as we strive even harder to develop technology and gain
expertise in our renewed effort to improve our results. Fully
developing the Suzuki Ignis in World Rally Championships,
primarily the Junior World Rally Championships, held in
countries around the world, we will be continuing to make our
challenge in the second half of the season with the introduction
of the new Swift model as a rally car.
In addition to full-scale commercial sales of the "Swift" and
"APV" in 2005, we also plan on further product development of
the new "Grand Vitara" and other vehicles as we concentrate
our best efforts, summed up by our motto: "Let us stop acting
in a self-styled manner and get back to basics."
SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
−6−
Kosai Plant
Passenger car assembling plant
SWIFT GRAND VITARA IGNIS(manufactured at Magyar
Suzuki Corp. for Europe only)
Iwata Plant
S port utility vehicle and commercial vehicle assembling plant
Overseas Markets