Suzuki Bikes

From Shoguns and Samurais to Gixxers and Hayabusas, Suzuki has always had its own fan following ever since it entered the country in the 1980s. Even though Suzuki’s product portfolio isn’t as big as how it is in the global market, the Japanese auto major is quite renowned to make sound products that will last for generations to come. Here’s how Suzuki’s journey in India has turned out so far:

Just like Honda and Yamaha, Suzuki also wanted to gain inroads into the burgeoning Indian two-wheeler industry which was witnessing a number of new products in the 1980s. It was the norm for most of the foreign brands to partner up with local companies and Suzuki joined the bandwagon too. The Japanese brand entered into an agreement focussing on offering technical knowhow to TVS back in 1982. This agreement helped the brand produce two-wheelers designed specifically for the Indian market.

At the time, it was a well-made decision for Suzuki because TVS was showing quite a healthy growth and had just entered the world of motorsports The relationship was pretty symbiotic as Suzuki offered accessible technology and TVS helped it gain inroads into the Indian market. The marriage gave birth to numerous two-stroke pocket rockets in the 90s like the Suzuki Shogun and the Samurai, which were some of the most preferred choices for enthusiasts apart from the legendary Yamaha RX100 at that time. These motorcycles were light, fast and weren’t all that expensive either. Suzuki’s technical assistance deemed to be fruitful too as the Shogun was the first motorcycle in India to be equipped with a catalytic converter. Also, the Suzuki Shaolin was India’s first motorcycle to feature a 5-speed transmission. 

However, newer, more modern competition, lack of competitive four-stroke products (barring the Fiero) and reportedly different business perspectives led Suzuki parting ways with TVS in 2001.

Solo Journey:

In 2006, Suzuki re-entered the Indian two-wheeler market as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Suzuki Japan. In the same year, Suzuki forayed into the 125cc motorcycle segment with the Heat followed by the Zeus. Then in 2008, Suzuki entered the 150cc segment with the GS150R. It was the only bike in its segment to be equipped with a sixth gear and also a gear position indicator. However, none of these motorcycles made a lasting impact in the Indian market.

However, when it came to the scooter business, Suzuki has had quite a successful innings. It launched its first scooter, the Access 125 back in 2007. In a way, the Access 125 did an ‘Activa’ in the 125cc segment, raking in huge volumes year after year. Its conservative design, plush ride quality and fuel-efficient, reliable engine made it one of the most sought-after scooters in its segment. Even today, it is the best-selling 125cc scooter in the Indian market. 

Suzuki also dabbled in the quarter-litre premium segment with the launch of the Inazuma in 2014. It was the first completely knocked down (CKD) bike in India. The motorcycle had one of the creamiest engines of the time, and was perfect for highway touring. However, its styling was very conservative and the high price tag of Rs 3.1 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) made it prohibitively expensive. A few months later, Suzuki even slashed the price by a massive Rs 1 lakh and even that did not make any impact on its sales.

While it struggled in the premium segment, Suzuki’s fortunes changed in the 150cc naked segment thanks to the launch of the Gixxer in 2014. It was the first Suzuki bike whose engine and chassis were developed specifically for India, so the Japanese brand took its own sweet time to come up with a proper streetfighter but the wait was well worth it. The Gixxer looked muscular yet elegant and packed well-engineered powertrain and underpinnings, which made the motorcycle the best in its segment and was often considered as the benchmark. The Gixxer’s launch was then followed by the introduction of the faired variant, the Gixxer SF, which was for a very long time the most affordable full faired motorcycle available in India.

Suzuki also had a few products in the big bike segment like the Intruder M1800R, GSX-R1000R, GSX-S1000 and GSX-S1000F. But nothing was as widely popular as the Hayabusa, which was immortalised in the Bollywood movie “Dhoom” back in 2004. The motorcycle was so popular that Suzuki finally decided to assemble it in India in 2016, reducing the price by a massive Rs 2 lakh. Even today, it is one of the most value-for-money superbikes in the country with a stonking price of just Rs 13.74 lakh (ex-showroom)! Suzuki further expanded its CKD portfolio with a second model, the GSX-S750. This naked motorcycle marked Suzuki’s entry into the middleweight streetfighter segment. It was then followed by the V-Strom 650, which is one of the most potent off-road-friendly middleweight ADVs in India.

Recent developments & future plans:

After the Inazuma, Suzuki re-entered the quarter-litre segment with the all-new Gixxer SF 250 a couple of months ago. At the same time, the Japanese brand also updated the Gixxer SF with its 2019 iteration. Recently, Suzuki also gave the Gixxer a much-needed overhaul in the form of the 2019 Gixxer. It was pretty evident that Suzuki would introduce a naked variant based on the Gixxer SF 250 and the recently leaked brochure scans confirm its arrival too. Also, in a bid to exploit the premium end of the 125cc scooter segment, the brand launched the Burgman Street last year, which has been raking in decent numbers but isn’t anywhere close to the Access’ popularity. We also expect Suzuki to update the Access 125 and launch a larger capacity scooter in the near future as well. A bigger-engined Intruder 250 is also on the cards.

Amidst rising concerns of depleting fossil fuels, the Indian government has been pushing towards electric mobility in the recent past. Suzuki already has an electric vehicle project under development but it remains to be seen whether the first product will be a motorcycle or a scooter. Expect Suzuki to showcase a couple of concepts at the Auto Expo. Exciting times, indeed!