One Suzuki big ride

Suzuki Philippines, Inc. (SPH) continues with its year-long celebration for its golden anniversary in the country with its Suzuki Matsuri Village recently held at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City this weekend.

The event was a way for SPH to have the public experience the Japanese brand’s rich long heritage, invaluable innovations and its deep meaningful sense of community.

The venue was the perfect avenue to celebrate the brand’s ‘festive’ event as the SM Mall of Asia garners an average foot traffic of 200,000 visitors daily.

“It’s a vibrant celebration that brings people together. This is one way of celebrating the 50th anniversary of Suzuki,” said SPH managing director, Norminio “Boying” Mojica.

According to him, this is a chance for people to see and feel the different models of Suzuki–from motorcycles and automobiles to marine products.

“This is also a way to connect people to the Suzuki spirit, from the past, present and future,” he added.

“It’s a show of unity, a testament that Suzuki is a trusted brand and one unique way of showcasing it.”

Per Mojica, the word “Matsuri” in Japanese means “festival”, a cultural celebration that brings people and lets them share experiences together.

Highlighted at the booth were Suzuki’s various models from its motorcycle division like the Raider and other bikes, like backbones and other underbones; automobile division, such as the Suzuki Jimny and Ertiga; and several products from its marine division.

All-new Fronx Hybrid preview

Another highlight of the Matsuri Festival was the preview of the all-new Suzuki Fronx, a hybrid subcompact SUV.

The name, “Fronx” derives from “Frontier” and “Next,” and perfectly suits its entry into the competitive segment, which caters to the likes of the Toyota Raize and Kia Sonet.

Designed first to meet India’s sub-4-meter overall length tax bracket, the Fronx measures in at 3,995 mm in length, 1,765 mm in width and 2,520 mm wheelbase, while standing at 1,550 mm in height.

It’s sleek and sporty both inside and out.

Under its hood, it is powered by a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine (K15C), boosted by an Integrated Starter Generator (ISG) and a 12-volt lithium-ion battery system. Mated to a six-speed automatic tranny, it produces about 103 horsepower and 137 N-m of torque. It’s called “the Smart Hybrid Vehicle by Suzuki” being part of the brand’s mild hybrid system division.

It’s been launched in India and is slated to be available in other parts of Asia before being introduced locally within the year.

Suzuki Big Ride

On other hand, other than four-wheelers, the two-wheeled realm of the brand had its own “Big” thing going last weekend with its “Suzuki Big Ride.”

“We’ve gathered more than 1,300 riders,” SPH motorcycle communications group head Edelyn Yanilla said.

This is part of their commitment to road safety as per Yanilla.

“Last year, we did this as a campaign for motorcycle safety, and it started as the ‘Raider Big Ride’. Now, one Suzuki na (it is now One Suzuki), so we are including all other Motorcycle models,” she added.

“Not only does the One Suzuki Big Ride celebrate SPH’s 50th anniversary, but it also creates a loud statement to advocate road safety.”

It is said to be the biggest convoy of Suzuki motorcycles they have gathered, so far.

The “show of force” is part of their three-part leg of the activity, with the first one being held last May 1 in Bohol for their Visayas Leg.

As part of their Luzon leg, meantime, the convoy, coming from the Suzuki 3S dealership at 10th Avenue in Caloocan traversed Monumento, EDSA and SM MOA Global before arriving at its concert grounds.

Suzuki through the years and beyond

“Suzuki has been part of the lives of millions of Filipinos for five decades. From motorcycles to automobiles, to marine products, our vehicles have become life companions—on and beyond the road,” Suzuki Philippines president, Koichiro Hirao, said.

To get a better picture of how long the journey has been for the brand, it was in the 1950s when Rufino D. Antonio and Associates, Inc. first brought the Suzuki motorcycles to our shores.

In July of 1975, a joint venture was built between Suzuki Motor Co., Ltd. Japan and the Rufino group, creating the Antonio Suzuki Corporation, thus, establishing the groundwork for the brand’s half-century anniversary this year. It was only in 1985 that the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of its mother company in Japan wherein the company name was changed to Suzuki Philippines, Incorporated.

By the late 80s, from motorcycles, the company then ventured to cars, starting with the iconic Samurai 4WD with 1.3L engine and the Super Carry.

Eventually, through the years, SPH brought in the Vitara, Jimny, Alto, Swift, Celerio, APV, Ertiga, S-Presso and XL7 – which all of which Filipinos have fallen in love with because of their compact designs, efficiency and reliability.

In 2012, the company built its 126,000-sqm facility in Laguna to accommodate its manufacturing and expansion programs in the country.

Four years later, SPH then made a bold move of bringing its outboard engine in the country making it the Philippines’ only integrated motorcycle, automobile and outboard motor company.

One of the executives who have been with the company the longest is SPH’s Mojica, who has been with them since 2002.

“The company has gone through a lot of challenges, from the Asian crisis, the pandemic, so on and so forth,” he shared during an exclusive interview with Inquirer Motoring.

He then imparted the advantages of an integrated automotive company.

“We specifically have the motorcycles, which largely are for the masses and then the cars when you want to upgrade.”

He further explains that it balances the business.

“Just like any other company, it has its ups and downs. But we work together. We hurdle all the difficulties together, enduring the toughest times.”

For him, what’s important is that they sustain the business in the Philippines.

“We focus on our three core values–sustainability, innovation and customer-centricity”

From here, Mojica said, is where they work on their plans for the future. And for now, the direction for their head office is carbon neutrality.

He even mentioned that the all-new Suzuki Vitara and the motorcycle, Access, which were recently launched in India, will also make their way to our local shores soon.

Suzuki is within the top five automotive brands in the Philippines across all divisions, with over 4,200 network outlets nationwide.

“This success is not just due to our quality products, but also to the strong relationships we’ve built with our dealer network and media friends.”

“The direction moving forward is that of infrastructure mobility closely connected to the customer. With all these, we are aiming for another 50 years for the company,” he then concluded.