Changan Suzuki
| Company type | Joint venture |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive |
| Founded | June 1993 |
| Defunct | 2018 |
| Headquarters | Chongqing , China |
Area served | China |
| Products | Automobiles |
| Parent | Chang'an Automobile Group (after 2018) |
Changan Suzuki Automobile Co., Ltd. was an automotive manufacturer based in Chongqing, China, established as a joint venture between Chang'an Automobile Group and Suzuki. During the early 1980s, Chang'an assembled subcompact commercial vehicles such as the Suzuki Carry ST90 trucks and microbuses under license from Suzuki. The formal joint venture, Changan Suzuki, was founded in June 1993 to produce licensed models including the Suzuki Alto and Suzuki Cultus. The partnership concluded its operations in 2018.
History
Founded in June 1993 with a registered capital of US$190 million, Changan Suzuki was the first Japanese passenger vehicle joint venture in China, following earlier collaborations focused on truck assembly by other Japanese companies. Production of the SC7080 Alto, derived from the 1986 Suzuki Alto/Fronte SB308, commenced in November 1995. This vehicle had been manufactured by Chang'an since 1991 and remained in production until 1997.
In 2010, there were initiatives to consolidate Changan Suzuki with Changhe’s Suzuki joint venture to streamline Suzuki’s sales network within China; however, these plans did not materialize after a similar attempt in 2008 failed. By the end of 2010, Changan Suzuki operated more than 1,000 dealerships across the country. In July 2011, the company revealed intentions to establish a second assembly facility in Chongqing, involving an investment of five billion yuan (approximately US$777 million), aimed at expanding both vehicle and engine production capacity by 150,000 units each. Construction commenced in April 2012.
On 4 September 2018, Suzuki transferred its entire 50% ownership back to Chang'an Automobile Group, thereby terminating the joint venture after a quarter-century. Despite this change, Chang'an continued manufacturing and marketing Suzuki-branded vehicles under license within China.
In 2021, the entity formerly known as Changan Suzuki was rebranded as Chongqing Lingyao Automobile.
Models
- Suzuki Alivio (2014–2018)
- Suzuki Alto (1995–2018)
- Suzuki Swift (2005–2018)
- Suzuki SX4 Hatchback (2007–2018)
- Suzuki SX4 Sedan (2006–2015)
- Suzuki S-Cross (2013–2018)
- Suzuki Vitara (2015–2018)
- Suzuki Lingyang (1999–2015)
- Suzuki SC7081C Happy Prince (2001–2008)
Sales
Vehicle production by Changan Suzuki reached 107,337 units in 2004 and grew to 150,069 units by 2009.