Birth Date: 1952Nationlity: JapeneseThough the original company made textile looms from 1901, and planned a compact car in 1937, it wasn't until 1952 that Suzuki produced its first motorised transport - a one bhp engine for a bicycle called the Powerfree. It was the first of a long line of two-wheeled Suzukis that have made it best known for very fast motorbikes.
In 1955 the company unveiled its first car, the Suzulight. But little more developed on the automotive front until 1968 when it bought the production rights to a small 21 bhp 4WD vehicle from the foundering Hope Motor Company. With its own 25 bhp two-cylinder engine and a few other modifications, it was launched in 1970 under the Suzuki brand as the LJ10, or Brute IV. Four years later a third cylinder was added and the car now outputted 33 bhp.
Suzuki's first four-stroke engine, a whopping 797cc and producing 41 bhp, was introduced in 1977, and was a key element in the company's plans to begin worldwide export of its small 4WD, now known as the LJ80.
In 1982, what became best known under the Jimny name, but was coded in-house as the SJ410, had a one-litre engine, 45 bhp and a top speed of 68 mph. A year later, a stretched version became the LWB SJ, and Suzuki was building in Spain to get over quota restrictions in Europe.
By 1983, the engine was replaced by a 1324 cc unit, disc brakes on the front (but not power-operated until 1986), and a new dashboard.
It hit the jackpot in the US in 1986, selling its Samurai in an astounding 47,000 units in its first year.
In 1989 the first Vitara, with a 1.6-litre engine, and enhanced Suzuki's reputation as a builder of serious four-wheel-drives. It was so well received in markets all over the world that a LWB version was introduced in 1991, adding two doors and a 95 bhp version of the 1.6-litre engine.
A Peugeot-sourced 1.9-litre turbodiesel expanded the Vitara's appeal in Europe in 1996 (a Mazda unit was used in Asia and Australia). The Grand Vitara arrived in 1998, and is now the mainstay of sales. A larger SUV is already on sale in the US and Europe, but not yet in Ireland.
In parallel with its mainstay 4WD vehicles, Suzuki has also produced "ordinary" cars that have gained their own particular followings, notably the Swift, powered by a three-cylinder engine and still popular in markets as far apart as India and Canada.
The name is shortly to be transferred to a rebadged GM Daewoo Kalos in some countries, while the Liana hatch and saloons are the current flag-carriers in the small family car market here. The Ignis "urban warrior" is aimed at the city car market.
Since 1986, the company has carried out an aggressive motorsports programme, and last year entered the Junior World Rally Championship with the Ignis Super 1600.
Suzuki has sold a total of 25 million cars and SUVs since that first motorised bicycle.
Best Car: Current Suzuki Grand Vitara (pictured) with the two-litre turbodiesel engine.
Worst Car: The Swift.
Weirdest Car: The wild 985 bhp Pikes Peak Escudo.