American Suzuki files for bankruptcy

[Chris_]

American Suzuki files for bankruptcy

Suzuki’s decision to pull out of the U.S., whose market is dominated by larger models, is a sensible step to focus on its strengths, said Koji Endo, an auto industry analyst and managing director at Advanced Research, an equity research firm in Tokyo. The strong yen also made it difficult to make a profit by manufacturing cars in Japan and shipping them to the U.S., he said.

Still, despite Suzuki’s retreat in North America, the company has made spectacular inroads into emerging markets over the last decade. The low-cost, compact cars sold by Suzuki’s India unit has the top market share in that fast-growing market, and the automaker also has a growing presence in Southeast Asia.

The American Suzuki Motor Corp., the sole distributor of Suzuki vehicles in the U.S., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday with $346 million in debt, the company said. In a statement, Suzuki said that various challenges led to its withdrawal from the U.S. market, including low sales volumes, the limited number of models in its lineup and unfavorable foreign exchange rates.

New York Times

Another feather for Obama's cap.

[zeitgeist]

Years ago a friend and co worker had the Samurai (the first Suzuki officially marketed in the US), we use to kid him unmercifully about it commiting Harakiri with him in it.

[wasp69]

The American Suzuki Motor Corp., the sole distributor of Suzuki vehicles in the U.S., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Monday with $346 million in debt, the company said. In a statement, Suzuki said that various challenges led to its withdrawal from the U.S. market, including low sales volumes, the limited number of models in its lineup and unfavorable foreign exchange rates.

Another company calls it quits in obama's America.

[Kyle Ricky]

The Samurai was a dangerous vehicle. I can remember seeing countless things on tv about how easy it was to roll over.

[zeitgeist]

The Samurai was a dangerous vehicle. I can remember seeing countless things on tv about how easy it was to roll over.

  Yup that's what we use to tell 'em.  It was even more hilarious when he had one of the brakes pinched off because there were no parts available to repair it.  He was a super-lib with an Alfred E. Newman attitude.