Suzulight, the vehicle that lit the way for Suzuki

Suzuki currently produces more than three million vehicles a year, and its current model range remains faithful to the spirit with which Michio Suzuki designed its first model in 1954, the Suzulight, with which the manufacturer began its reputation in the production of small vehicles, a recognition that endures today with the current Ignis, Swift and Baleno ranges.

Suzuki Motor Corporation was founded in 1954, when Michio Suzuki presented the design of his first car, which he developed in collaboration with his son-in-law, Shunzo, who was the head of the engineering team, a small group of young men barely 20 years old. To develop that first car, Michio sent Shunzo to research the production methods of vehicles made by other prestigious manufacturers in Europe, thanks to which he acquired the knowledge needed to begin production of his first model.

Shunzo Suzuki took ideas from various European manufacturers but relied mainly on the Austin 7, a very popular model of the time with an extremely reasonable cost, to develop the first Suzuki. Thus the Suzulight was born, a small compact vehicle weighing a little under 500 kg, easy to both drive and maintain, and one of its virtues was being economically accessible.

The Suzulight measured 2,990 mm in length, 1,295 mm in width and 1,400 mm in height. It was fitted with a 360 cc two-stroke twin-cylinder engine that produced 16 CV of maximum power, and its chassis featured independent suspension with coil springs and rack-and-pinion steering.

Everything was a challenge for the Suzulight. Even as a prototype, Michio and Shunzo Suzuki subjected it to harsh tests, among which the journey of some 300 kilometres through the mountainous Hakone region, between Hamamatsu and Tokyo, proved especially memorable, as it became a real challenge, since at that time there were no paved roads in the area. On its arrival in Tokyo, very late and in the dead of night, the Suzulight completed its journey, at the end of which the president of Yanase and representatives of the government office in charge of automotive affairs were waiting, having patiently awaited its arrival to greet the team and personally test the vehicle.

Despite the delay in testing the vehicle, it impressed the authorities so much that they immediately granted Suzuki approval to begin production. In October 1955 the first two units rolled off the assembly line and were delivered. The first owners of the Suzulight were two doctors, who used the car for their daily rounds of visits.

Initially, Suzuki began producing 3-4 units a month of this model, although soon, in 1956, production reached 30 units per month. The history of Suzuki as a manufacturer of small models had begun, and the success of the Suzulight lit the path the brand would follow in the years ahead. In 1957, Shunzo Suzuki became the second president of Suzuki Motor Co, Limited, under whose leadership the brand grew considerably.

Today, there is hardly any evidence of original Suzulight models, of which only the locations of two units are known, one of which is in the Suzuki Plaza Museum in the city of Hamamatsu, Japan.

64 years later, Suzuki continues to surprise the industry with its small and very lightweight vehicles. The innovative spirit of Shunzo Suzuki, who recognised the benefits that lightness brings to moving vehicles, remains alive in the brand’s new models, such as the new Swift Sport that Suzuki will launch on the market in June 2018 with a weight of just 970 kg.