Changan Suzuki (officially Changan Suzuki Automobile Co., Ltd.) was an automobile manufacturing company headquartered in
Chongqing
Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
and a
joint-venture
A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
between
Chang'an Automobile Group
Chang'an Automobile Co., Ltd. is a Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Jiangbei, Chongqing.Suzuki
is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...
. Chang'an began assembling subcompact commercial Carry ST90 trucks and microbuses under license from Suzuki in early 1980s, and in 1993 the two companies formed Chang'an Suzuki to build licensed versions of the
Suzuki Alto
The is a kei car produced by Suzuki since 1979. The model, currently in its ninth generation, was first introduced in 1979 and has been built in many countries worldwide. The Alto originated as a commercial vehicle derivative of the Fronte, b ...
and
Suzuki Cultus
The Suzuki Cultus is a supermini car produced by the Japanese manufacturer Suzuki from 1983 to 2016. The nameplate is currently used as a rebadged second-generation Suzuki Celerio in Pakistan since 2017. It was first presented at the 25th To ...
. It was defunct in 2018
History
Changan Suzuki was formed in June 1993 with a registered capital of US$190 million. It was the first automobile manufacturing joint venture to be established by a Japanese company in China (although Isuzu,
Mazda
, commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan.
In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one m ...
and
Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
had already established joint-ventures for truck assembly). The first SC7080 Alto, based on the
Suzuki Alto
The is a kei car produced by Suzuki since 1979. The model, currently in its ninth generation, was first introduced in 1979 and has been built in many countries worldwide. The Alto originated as a commercial vehicle derivative of the Fronte, b ...
/ Fronte SB308 which was originally presented in 1986, rolled off the production line in November 1995. The car had already been produced by the Changan mother concern since 1991, and continued to be built by them until 1997.
In 2010, Changan was supposed to merge its Suzuki joint venture with that of
Changhe
Changhe, officially Jiangxi Changhe Automobile Co Ltd, is a Chinese automobile manufacturer based in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, China.Milestone merger reshapes Suzuki chinadaily.com.cn, 2010-03-29 09:26 An effort to sell the entire Suzuki model range at unified dealerships fell through in 2008.Suzuki meets setback in merging its China sales gasgoo.com, November 03, 2008
By the end of 2010 Changan Suzuki had over 1,000 car dealerships across China. In July 2011, it was announced that Changan Suzuki would build a second assembly plant in Chongqing, in a two-phase project. The first phase will involve a total investment of five billion yuan (US$777 million) and expand production capacity of vehicles and engines by 150,000 units each. Construction of the plant began in April 2012.
On 4 September 2018, Suzuki transferred its 50 percent stake in Changan Suzuki to Chang'an Automobile Group, ending 25 years of joint venture. Chang'an would continue to make and sell Suzuki-branded cars in China under a license.
In 2021, Changan Suzuki was renamed to Chongqing Lingyao Automobile.
Suzuki Alto
The is a kei car produced by Suzuki since 1979. The model, currently in its ninth generation, was first introduced in 1979 and has been built in many countries worldwide. The Alto originated as a commercial vehicle derivative of the Fronte, b ...
(1995–2018)
*
Suzuki Swift
The is a supermini car (B-segment) produced by Suzuki. The vehicle is classified as a B-segment marque in the European single market, a segment referred to as a supermini in the British Isles. Prior to this, the "Swift" nameplate had been app ...
Suzuki S-Cross
The Suzuki SX4 is a subcompact car and crossover produced by Japanese automaker Suzuki since 2006. A successor of the Aerio tall hatchback and sedan, the first-generation model was available as a hatchback and sedan, with the former available i ...
(2013–2018)
*
Suzuki Vitara
The Suzuki Vitara is a series of SUVs produced by Suzuki in five generations since 1988. The second, third-generation and 2022 models are known as the Suzuki Grand Vitara, with the fourth generation eschewing the "Grand" prefix. In Japan and a ...
(2015–2018)
* Suzuki Lingyang (1999–2015)
*Suzuki SC7081C Happy Prince (2001–2008)
file:Suzuki Alto CN facelift China 2014-04-30.jpg, Suzuki Alto
file:Suzuki Swift CN China 2015-04-08.jpg, Suzuki Swift
file:Suzuki_SX4_hatch_facelift_IV_China_2016-04-01.jpg, Suzuki SX4 Hatch
file:Suzuki S-Cross 01 China 2014-04-15.jpg, Suzuki S-Cross
file:Suzuki Alivio -- Auto Shanghai -- 2015-04-22.jpg, Suzuki Alivio
file:Suzuki Vitara IV 2 China 2016-03-29.jpg, Suzuki Vitara
File:Chang'an SC 7081C.jpg, Chang'an Suzuki SC7081C Happy Prince (
Suzuki Alto
The is a kei car produced by Suzuki since 1979. The model, currently in its ninth generation, was first introduced in 1979 and has been built in many countries worldwide. The Alto originated as a commercial vehicle derivative of the Fronte, b ...
Suzuki Cultus
The Suzuki Cultus is a supermini car produced by the Japanese manufacturer Suzuki from 1983 to 2016. The nameplate is currently used as a rebadged second-generation Suzuki Celerio in Pakistan since 2017. It was first presented at the 25th To ...
-based)
Sales
Changan Suzuki built a total of 107,337 cars in 2004.
In 2009 sales were up to 150,069 vehicles.