12 days after the chairman who resolutely refused to bow to China retired, Suzuki Motor completely erased its Chinese imprint

On March 1 this year, 91-year-old Suzuki Osamu, the oldest chairman in the automotive industry and even in a world-renowned commercial brand, proposed retirement. Thus, the era of "small cars" belonging to this stubborn old man also came to an end.

According to Tianyancha information, Chongqing Changan Suzuki Automobile Co., Ltd. has changed its name to Chongqing Lingyao Automobile Co., Ltd. Judging from the company name, Suzuki has completely erased its traces from the Chinese market.

Previously, as early as 2018, due to huge losses, Changan Automobile had taken over 50% of the equity of Suzuki Automobile "Changan Suzuki" for a symbolic price of one yuan.

Suzuki Motor entered the Chinese market in 1993. Its series of small cars including Beidouxing and Swift were once sold well across the country and became the "first car" for many young people.

Although everything has disappeared now, Changan Suzuki once achieved brilliant results and reached its peak in 2011. The annual sales volume of 220,000 units is still at the forefront of the market even today.

However, as the Chinese auto market continued to grow, users' demand for car models also increased, but Suzuki, which was good at manufacturing small cars, did not change its mindset in time. On the contrary, Suzuki Osamu, then chairman of Suzuki Motor, even said that he would "never give in to China", meaning that he would not change his product operation ideas and would still launch small cars that he thought were very suitable for the Chinese market.

The outcome is predictable. When the Chinese automobile market gradually became the world's largest single market, Suzuki Motors, which lacked sufficiently competitive models, continued to decline. When it was on the verge of delisting, its annual sales had shrunk to more than 30,000 units.

Facing the market, such "stubbornness" not only constitutes Suzuki Motor's unique temperament, but also sows the seeds of sorrow. Not only has Suzuki disappeared from the Chinese market, but it has also been wailing in the global market. Data shows that Suzuki Motor's operating income in fiscal 2020 was 160 billion yen, a year-on-year decrease of 25.6%, and its net profit attributable to the parent company was 110 billion yen, a year-on-year decrease of 18.0%.

Suzuki's death knell was sounded by himself.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.