Four Millionth Suzuki Rolls off Production Line in Esztergom

A Vitara, the four millionth car produced at Suzuki’s Esztergom (northern Hungary) plant, rolled off the production line. The company has come a long way in its three-decade history: in 1992, 970 cars were produced in five months; today, 650 cars are produced in one day at the Esztergom plant. In 32 years, a total of seven different models have been produced in Esztergom and today the S-CROSS and Vitara are exported to 123 countries, writes Suzuki.hu.

Esztergom is Suzuki Motor Corporation’s third largest and only European production base after Japan and India. Since the establishment of Magyar Suzuki, Suzuki Motor Corporation has invested more than EUR 2 billion in Hungary, continuously developing its European plant.

From the very beginning, the Esztergom plant has been involved in a full range of manufacturing activities, covering all processes of car production.

For almost 20 years, from the start of production in the summer of 1992, Suzuki models have been built exclusively with Japanese presence and supervision. However, since the Vitara went into production in 2015, the role of Hungarian engineers has become increasingly important, with their active involvement in the development of the prototype and production technology. Since then, feedback from Hungarian experts has also been taken into account at the Japanese center when designing a new model.

Production of the Suzuki Swift started in the summer of 1992, and for almost ten years it was the only model produced in Hungary. It is no coincidence that including its various generations, it is the model with the highest sales to date, ahead of the Vitara and the S-CROSS, which were built in Esztergom.

In 2006, the one millionth (Swift), in 2011, the two millionth (Swift), and in 2017, the three millionth (SX4 S-CROSS) Hungarian Suzuki was produced.

Today, the Esztergom-based manufacturer exports to 123 countries, the five largest being the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, and Poland.

In total, seven models have been produced at the Hungarian Suzuki plant: the three generations of the Swift (1992, 2005, 2010), the Wagon R+ (2000), the Ignis (2003), the SX4 (2006), the Splash (2008), the SX4 S-CROSS (2013), and the Vitara (2015). A total of approximately 2,200 people work in two shifts to produce the cars. In addition to them, around 900 other people work behind the scenes to support the production, delivery, and promotion of the cars.

Since 2019, the Esztergom plant has been producing only hybrid Vitaras and S-CROSSes for the European market.

Series production of the Vitara in Esztergom started with the fourth generation model in 2015. The robust yet dynamic car quickly became a firm favorite with the public: in 2017, it was already the clear leader in the sports utility vehicle (SUV) category and the passenger car segment. Numerous professional and public awards prove that the Esztergom-based model is one of the world’s most popular cars. Since 2015, the most popular color shades in which most Vitaras have been sold domestically have been galactic grey metallic, pearl white, and silky silver metallic.

In the financial year 2022, Magyar Suzuki had total net sales of EUR 2.14 billion, of which EUR 271 million came from domestic sales and EUR 1.87 billion from export sales, hirado.hu reports. Sales in Hungary increased by 2.3 percent and export sales by 26 percent this year. Profit after tax was EUR 22.7 million. According to Datahouse, the Suzuki brand registered 12,167 new cars in Hungary in 2023, giving it an 11.3 percent share of the Hungarian new car market.

Via Suzuki.hu, hirado.hu; Featured image via Facebook/Szijjártó Péter