Suzuki

Suzuki is the automotive division of Suzuki Motor Corporation based in Hamamatsu, Japan. Michio Suzuki founded the company in 1909 producing weaving looms, then explored producing a passenger car in 1937 before the onset of World War II. After the war, Suzuki began developing motorcycles and eventually cars with the introduction of the 1955 Suzulight. The company entered the US market in 1985 with the Samurai and produced vehicles for other manufacturers under contract like the Chevrolet Sprint, a rebadged version of the Suzuki Cultus. American Suzuki Motor Corporation filed for bankruptcy protection in 2012 and announced it would no longer sell new vehicles in the US. Its Canadian operations folded a short time later.