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SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION 7
Suzuki’s world strategic models are also playing
an active role in motorsport. Taking advantage of
our experience in the Junior (World) Rally Champi-
onship, we announced in 2006 that the SX4 (a car
with outstanding chassis potential) would partici-
pate in the WRC. After test-running the SX4 WRC
car in 2007, we made our full-season WRC debut
in 2008. We finished in the points in the first and
second races and continue to gain experience
and refine the SX4 WRC car in pursuit of even bet-
ter results.
In line with the Suzuki goal of offering products
that promote active lifestyles, we are using our
“Way of Life!” slogan to communicate our over-
seas corporate philosophy. After fiscal 2008, we
will continue to put our best efforts into providing
the markets with products that are based on our
brand philosophy.
Iwata Plant
Sport utility vehicle and commercial vehicle assembling plant
Kosai Plant
Passenger car assembling plant
Year in Review
Overseas Markets
Global sales outside Japan grew to a record-high
1,732 thousand units (113% compared with the
previous year). Production outside Japan also
reached a record high, totalling 1,418 thousand
units (118% compared with the previous year).
Sales in the Americas totalled 180 thousand units
(111% compared with the previous year). Sales in
Europe reached a record-high 344 thousand units
(112% compared with the previous year), prompt-
ing Magyar Suzuki in Hungary to increase produc-
tion to 247 thousand units (136% compared with
the previous year) and establish production ca-
pacity of 300 thousand units per year.
Maruti Suzuki India increased production to 777
thousand units (117% compared with the previous
year) and saw its annual sales increase to 712
thousand units, outselling Suzuki in Japan. With
cumulative exports exceeding 500 thousand units,
Maruti Suzuki India has an increasingly important
position in Suzuki’s world strategy. Meanwhile,
Suzuki expanded its vehicle lineup in China by es-
tablishing a new company (Suzuki China), which
imports and sells Japan-made vehicles to aug-
ment the models made in China by joint-venture
companies. Also, Suzuki decided to build factories
in Russia and Thailand.
Amid high international acclaim for the Swift and
other world strategic models that reflect a focus on
sportiness, Suzuki began the second phase of its
world strategy—a phase focused on family com-
fort and user-friendliness. The initial second-phase
model, the Splash, which offers a kind of comfort
that reflects Suzuki’s role as the originator of the
mini-MPV category, went on sale in Europe. Suzuki
showed its design ideas for its next world strategic
model in the form of a concept car called the Con-
cept A-Star, which reflects a focus on environmen-
tal compatibility and user-friendliness, at the Delhi
Auto Expo in January 2008.