Designed for the future

The new look at McCloskey Imports was no surprise to Ryosaku “Rick” Suzuki. It’s the 154th Suzuki dealership in the nation that’s been remodeled in exactly the same way.

“This is a great example of the reason we’re so successful,” Suzuki said Thursday, as he arrived at McCloskey Imports for the grand opening of the local dealership’s $1.5 million expansion and redesign.

Suzuki, chairman of American Suzuki Motor Corp. of Brea, Calif., is the grandson of the Japanese automaker’s founder, Osamu Suzuki. He oversees American Suzuki’s three divisions: automotive, motorcycle and marine.

Of the nation’s 531 Suzuki auto dealerships, 335 are being renovated with the new Suzuki Square design. Joe McCloskey Sr. owns the Suzuki and Isuzu dealership at 6710 N. Academy Blvd. McCloskey’s expansion added 8,050 square feet, nearly doubling the size of the building. The new corporate image includes liberal use of the color red — signifying passion for the products — and a “stress-free” showroom.

The Gazette talked to Suzuki about the company’s operations.

Q: American Suzuki has been setting sales records, including March’s 11,030 cars sold nationwide. Last year, new Suzuki sales topped 100,000 for the first time in the company’s 22-year history. And sales of 27,794 vehicles in the first quarter of 2007 surpassed last year’s firstquarter total. To what do you attribute the increased sales?

A: Our products are leading us. Suzuki is liked for its small cars, and there is much demand for cars that are economical in fuel and price. But our larger vehicles also are doing well, the XL7, with available seven-passenger seating, and the Grand Vitara.

Q: What’s your strongest market in the world?

A: Few Americans know we outsell Honda in Japan. We are No. 1 in sales in India. We also are popular in Pakistan and the Caribbean. Our manufacturing plant in Hungary is doing very well.

Q: Is Toyota your biggest competitor?

A: We want to be competitive with every manufacturer, but Japanese and Korean especially.

Q: General Motors Corp. owns 5 percent of Suzuki and shares platforms such as the XL7, which GM sells as the Chevrolet Equinox. Historically, GM has been the world’s topselling automaker, but Toyota surpassed GM for the first quarter of 2007 for the first time. What do you think about that?

A: It’s only the first quarter of the year, and I’m not sure they can sustain that in the future. We don’t see it as such a big deal.

Q: Have financial problems among American automakers affected your company?

A: No. Our company as a whole has been financially very well off because of our strong Asian market and Japanese domestic market.

Q: In the 2006 J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study, Suzuki had 318 problems reported per 100 vehicles. How are you addressing that?

A: We weren’t happy about that, and we’ve been working hard to improve quality situations.

Q: What’s your company’s goal?

A: To reach 200,000 new cars in annual sales, as soon as possible.

Q: What would your grandfather think about his company today?

A: My grandfather originally started as a textile loom business in Japan. He founded Suzuki in 1909 and incorporated it in 1920. He was a self-made man, and he could only imagine the kind of growth we’ve seen. He would be very proud of the company today.