Suzulight was the brand used for kei cars built by the Suzuki Motor Corporation from 1955 to 1969. They were Suzuki's first entry into automotive manufacturing, having previously only produced motorcycles. The Suzulight sedans and light vans all had transversely mounted engines and front-wheel drive. The Suzulight Carry trucks and vans were the first to use the Carry label, still around today.
Suzulight SF series
Introduced in April 1955, "SF" stood for "Suzuki Four-wheel car". Work had begun in January 1954, with a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive and rear-engined design also considered. The first Suzuki was closely based on the Lloyd 400, chosen after Suzuki also having considered the Citroλn 2CV and Renault 4CV. The Suzulight SF shared the Lloyd's transversely mounted, front-wheel drive layout and the two-cylinder, two-stroke engine was a narrow-bored copy of the Lloyd's, using the same 66.0 mm (2.60 in) stroke. It had drum brakes all around, was 2,990 mm (117.7 in) long, 1,295 mm (51.0 in) wide and 1,400 mm (55.1 in) tall, with a 2,000 mm (78.7 in) wheelbase and a 1,050 mm (41.3 in) front and rear wheel track. Because of the smaller bore of 58.9 mm (2.32 in) and resulting 359.66 cc (21.9 cu in) swept volume, it met the Japanese Keijidosha ("light car") legislation. Its design was by the company's founder Michio Suzuki. When introduced, the SF also had double wishbone coil-sprung suspension front and rear, with rack-and-pinion steering, features which were far ahead of their time. Just like the Lloyd which inspired it, the Suzulight featured a chassis consisting of a central tube with the suspension attached to each end of the tube.
The introduction of the Suzulight SF series also dovetailed nicely with the "People's Car Program" recently announced by Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), which established a goal for the Japanese auto industry of producing "a four-seater with a top speed of 100 km/h, priced at ₯150,000," in order to speed up motorization of the country.
When it first went on sale, in October 1955, three body styles were listed as being on offer:
- Suzulight SS (sedan) ₯420,000 (only 43 Suzulight SS were built)
- Suzulight SL (light van) ₯390,000
- Suzulight SP (pickup) ₯370,000
A fourth bodystyle, the roomier SD Delivery Van, was added in November 1955. The pickup was the first ever bonneted Kei truck, although only 30-50 of these were built. In April 1956, the engine bore was increased to 59 mm (2.3 in), making for a 360.88 cc (22.0 cu in) displacement. Power was up by two PS, to 18 (13 kW). Since the Suzulight's modern suspension was unable to cope with the bad Japanese roads of the time, the wishbones and coil springs were replaced with leaf springs on all corners at the same time, while the SS sedan version was withdrawn. In November Suzuki took advantage of the fact that Japanese tire manufacturers, who had hitherto not made any tires smaller than 16 inches, had begun making 14-inch tires. While the wheel wells remained rather large for a three-meter car, making for inefficient space utilization, the Suzulight's appearance became considerably more harmonious with smaller wheels.
Small-scale series production began in October 1955, with 3-4 cars being built per month. By February 1956, however, monthly production had jumped to about 30 cars. In January 1958, after sluggish sales and to take advantage of economies of scale, the range was whittled down to a single model. A fifteen percent sales tax on passenger cars had recently been introduced, making the SS a hard sell, and the pickup's limited payload and sales conspired against it. The "SL" Light Van remained; its owner could also easily install a proper rear seat to circumvent the taxation rule. With two seats plus an auxiliary seat, a 200 kg (441 lb) payload, and a standard two-tone paintjob, it was also referred to as the "Suzulight SF Light Van" in period brochures. Although looking a lot like a modern hatchback in design, this was considerably more utilitarian in nature. Production ended in July 1959 with the introduction of the Suzulight TL Light Van. Production of the commercial use Suzulight SF series were 101 in 1956, followed by 385 examples in 1957, 454 in 1958. 1,115 Suzukis intended for commercial use were built in 1959, but the lion's share of that year's production consisted of the succeeding TL series.
Source: Wikipedia
Reply With Quote