Suzuki USA Is Bankrupt - Here's Why

Oh reader, hear ye my confession. I grow impatient and frustrated when I hear people generalizing car sales statistics based on their own personal windshield surveys. Just because your drive from Wichita to Denver revealed an inordinate number of newish Chevrolet Silverados doesn't mean the nation, the whole freakin' United States, is buying more Chevrolet Silverados than ever before. It doesn't mean the Ford F-Series isn't the best-selling vehicle line in America. It doesn't mean the American car-buying populace favours domestics, either.

Seeing more Silverados than normal on the I-70 means, on that day, that you saw more Silverados than normal. But did you keep a firm grip on the count? Are you positively sure there were more than normal?

Windshield surveys have no place in national statistics. But, when it comes to Suzuki, the fact that you haven't seen a new Suzuki in weeks does in fact mean something.

It means there aren't any new Suzukis to be seen.

Suzuki's U.S. operation filed for bankruptcy and sales will soon be suspended. Warranties will apparently be honoured. Deals on current inventory will undoubtedly be tempting. That Kizashi is a looker. I know, because I've seen one. Once, a while back. Parked at a Suzuki dealer.

But let's get serious. Why did Suzuki fail? Perhaps it started with the Samurai's rollover tendencies. But it all boiled down to a product lineup for which consumers had no interest. Just looking at the current Suzuki USA portfolio, we see a midsize car that's too small, doesn't generate enough power, and reaches for higher base prices than the best-selling Camry. 

The Grand Vitara isn't as antiquated as it looks, but in this front-wheel-drive crossover world, the off-road-ready GV appeared to be from another era. 

The SX4 is a twin of a Fiat which Chrysler knows we wouldn't want here. 

You could just buy an Equator at a Nissan dealer, but most truck buyers don't want a Frontier, either. And the Swift... oh, right. We were never offered the current, actually desirable Swift.

If people don't want the cars, they don't buy the cars. And boy did people not buy those cars. This wasn't news to Suzuki. Their own U.S. website still calls the Kizashi, "The auto industry's best-kept secret." 

Suzuki was only responsible for 0.18% of the overall new vehicle market in the first ten months of 2012. That's down from the 0.21% Suzuki achieved in 2011. 

From 2002 to 2010, Suzuki USA market share was as follows: 0.4% in 2002, 0.35% in 2003, 0.44% in 2004, 0.48% in 2005, 0.61% in 2006, 0.63% in 2007, 0.64% in 2008, 0.37% in 2009, and 0.21% in 2010. Over the course of the last decade, Suzuki sales peaked at 101,884 in 2007. 

So far this year, 120 different individual vehicle nameplates sold more frequently than the whole Suzuki brand. Chevrolet has sold nearly as many Volts as Suzuki has Grand Vitaras, SX4s, Kizashis, and Equators. Lexus sells twice as many ES sedans as Suzuki sells Grand Vitaras, SX4s, Kizashis, and Equators. Mercedes-Benz sells three times as many C-Class sedans and coupes as Suzuki sells Grand Vitaras, SX4s, Kizashis, and Equators. You get the picture.

Mourn the loss of Suzuki if you must. Competition is good for the industry, and this is one less brand competing for attention. But if you honestly take your Suzuki affection seriously, the mourning period should have started years ago. American car buyers didn't kill Suzuki with their lack of Suzuki buying. Suzuki killed Suzuki USA by not giving American car buyers what they wanted. And the euthanasia process didn't begin yesterday.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Historic Monthly & Yearly Suzuki Brand Sales Figures
Top 10 Worst-Selling Vehicles In America - October 2012
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - October 2012 & YTD
U.S. Auto Sales Brand Rankings - 2011 Year End
Historic Monthly & Yearly Suzuki Kizashi Sales Figures

October 2012 Top 10 Worst-Selling Vehicles In America

It's not hard to look at these lists of America's worst-selling vehicles and find perfectly worthy and unsurprising examples. 

The Suzuki Equator doesn't sell well because it's a Suzuki, because Suzuki doesn't try to sell Equators, and because you could just buy the real Equator, which is a Nissan Frontier. Again, the Mitsubishi i MiEV doesn't sell well because it's a Mitsubishi, because it is all-electric and thus has the range of a well-trained Labrador Retriever, and because it looks like a crazy concept from a counterculture Japanese auto show.

But then there are cars which are simply punished by numbers. The current Porsche Cayman, for example, is no longer current. Cars.com says Porsche only has 17 Caymans in stock in the United States. (Compare that to Porsche's 559 units of Boxster inventory.) The Land Rover Range Rover is about to be replaced and, year-to-date, isn't selling that badly for an aging, soon-to-be-replaced SUV. Mercedes-Benz's $189,600-$198,400 SLS AMG actually sold significantly more often this October than last but, rather obviously, is not going to sell often at that price point.

If Ferrari and Lamborghini rivals suffered from a proper sales release you'd see they don't sell often, either. And unlike the identical Scion FR-S, the Subaru BRZ unfortunately isn't sold in more heavily-trafficked Toyota showrooms and thus doesn't sell as frequently. But does that mean Subaru USA has been disappointed with the BRZ's 3120 sales in the last six months? Not at all.

Every Vehicle, All 265, Ranked By U.S. October YTD Sales

As will always be the case in the future, historic brand and corporate totals (monthly and yearly going back to 2002) are now available through the dropdown menu at GCBC's Sales Stats page, along with results for more than 260 currently sold vehicles. That's where you'll find out that Mercedes-Benz sold 13,717 SL-Class roadsters in 2002, when Americans bought millions more cars each year. Chevrolet Corvette volume won't be much stronger than that this year, a year in which M-B might not sell 5000 SLs and SLS AMGs combined.

Below you'll find America's worst-selling vehicles ranked three different ways. Find it in yourself not to be too negative. And if you just can't help it, check out the best sellers in order to get some positivity into your life.

Rank	Worst-Selling Car  By Percentage Decline	% Change	October 2012	October 2011
#1	Porsche Cayman	- 96.7%	4	122
#2	Toyota Yaris	- 62.0%	2579	6792
#3	Mazda 6	- 55.9%	1515	3438
#4	Volvo S80	- 53.3%	163	349
#5	Land Rover Range Rover	- 49.3%	403	795
#6	Honda Insight	- 49.0%	251	492
#7	Infiniti EX	- 47.3%	247	492
#8	Acura TSX	- 47.0%	1577	2977
#9	Mercedes-Benz CL-Class	- 46.5%	54	101
#10	Jaguar XF	- 45.1%	278	506

Rank	Worst-Selling Car  By Volume	October 2012	October 2011	% Change
#1	Suzuki Equator	135	203	- 33.5%
#2	Subaru Tribeca	184	266	- 30.8%
#3	Honda CR-Z	244	289	- 15.6%
#4	Honda Insight	251	492	- 49.0%
#5	Suzuki Kizashi	310	480	- 35.4%
#6	Volkswagen Eos	331	564	- 41.3%
#7	Nissan 370Z	383	442	- 13.3%
#8	Subaru BRZ	402	-----	-----
#9	Mazda MX-5 Miata	461	354	+ 20.2%
#10	Nissan Cube	475	198	+ 140%

Rank	Worst-Selling Car  By Volume (All Vehicles)	October 2012	October 2011	% Change
#1	Porsche Cayman	4	122	- 96.7%
#2	Acura RL	21	22	- 4.5%
#3	Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG	28	13	+ 115%
#4	Mitsubishi i MiEV	30	-----	-----
#5	Audi R8	47	69	- 31.9%
#6	Mercedes-Benz CL-Class	54	101	- 46.5%
#7	Nissan GT-R	86	101	- 14.9%
#8	Audi TT	129	194	- 33.5%
#9	Suzuki Equator	135	203	- 33.5%
#10	Mercedes-Benz G-Class	160	80	+ 100%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC 
Vehicle must have been on sale throughout October, must not have been officially cancelled by its manufacturer, and must have been showcased on manufacturer's website in October. No longer deemed eligible: Chevrolet's Caprice PPV, Lexus LFA, Honda FCX.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Worst-Selling Vehicles In America - November 2012
Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In America - September 2012
Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In America - October 2011
Top 30 Best-Selling Vehicles In America - October 2012

Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In Canada - April 2012

Three mainstream sedans from three mainstream automakers reported some of the worst year-over-year sales declines in April 2012. Apart from the relatively high-volume Chevrolet Malibu, Nissan Sentra, and Mazda 6, none of the other big losers sold any more than 43 copies.

The you'll-never-see-one-anywhere-not-even-at-dealers Honda Insight plunged 83% from April 2011's 48 sales. But there are cars, vehicles which are still in production, which sold less frequently than the Insight last month. Lexus didn't sell a single LS600hL in April and only four LS460s. Acura sold three boring RL sedans. Porsche sold three Boxsters - it's hard to sell more than that when there aren't more to sell. There was one basic Boxster sold plus two more in Boxster S trim. There was one paying Lexus LFA customer. (The ANDC estimates that Ferrari sold 19 cars in total; Lamborghini another 11.)

Top 250 Best-Selling Vehicles In Canada
April 2012 YTD - Every Vehicle Ranked

Honda's Insight mixes it up with other unconventionally-powered cars in the second table below, the list which ranks mainstream brand automobiles by total volume. As rare as the Mitsubishi i and Nissan LEAF are on dealer lots in Canada, so too are the number of Canadians willing to purchase or lease an electric car. Chevrolet sold 76 Volts last month, by the way.

In April 2012, these were the 10 worst-selling cars in Canada, factored three different ways. Historical monthly and yearly sales figures for each of these vehicles can be accessed through the dropdown menu at the top right of this page. For positive news, check out the 30 best-selling vehicles in Canada.

Rank	Worst-Selling Car  By Percentage Decline	% Change	April 2012	April 2011
#1	Honda Insight	- 83.3%	8	48
#2	Lexus LS	- 77.8%	4	18
#3	Lexus LFA	- 75.0%	1	4
#4	Mercedes-Benz SL-Class	- 74.2%	8	31
#5	Chevrolet Malibu	- 70.0%	391	1305
#6	Honda Crosstour	- 64.8%	43	122
#7	Nissan Sentra	- 60.9%	629	1608
#8	Honda CR-Z	- 60.0%	40	100
#9	Mazda 6	- 58.8%	129	313
T10	Acura RL	- 57.1%	3	12
T10	Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG	- 57.1%	12	28

Rank	Worst-Selling Car  By Volume	April 2012	April 2011	% Change
#1	Honda Insight	8	48	- 83.3%
#2	Mitsubishi i MiEV	22	-----	-----
T3	Nissan LEAF	26	-----	-----
T3	Nissan Cube	26	17	+ 52.9%
T5	Toyota Avalon	28	54	- 48.1%
T5	Subaru Tribeca	28	39	- 28.2%
T7	Suzuki Kizashi	40	75	- 46.7%
T7	Honda CR-Z	40	100	- 60.0%
#9	Honda Crosstour	43	122	- 64.8%
#10	Nissan Quest	45	87	- 48.3%

Rank	Worst-Selling Car  By Volume (All Vehicles)	April 2012	April 2011	% Change
#1	Lexus LFA	1	4	- 75.0%
T2	Porsche Boxster	3	15	- 80.0%
T2	Acura RL	3	7	- 57.1%
#4	Lexus LS	4	18	- 77.8%
T5	Honda Insight	8	48	- 83.3%
T5	Mercedes-Benz SL-Class	8	31	- 74.2%
#7	Nissan GT-R	9	3	+ 200%
T8	Jaguar XK	11	14	- 21.4%
T8	Hyundai Equus	12	7	+ 71.4%
#10	Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG	12	28	- 57.1%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC 
Vehicle must have been on sale throughout April, must not have been officially cancelled by its manufacturer, and must have been showcased on manufacturer's website.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Worst-Selling Vehicles In Canada - May 2012
Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In Canada - March 2012
Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In Canada - April 2011

Top 30 Best-Selling Vehicles In Canada - April 2012

Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In Canada - January 2012

Not a single Canadian purchased or leased a $64,690 Acura RL in January 2012. Good for us. It's one of the most boring cars on the market, a Bad 8 loser, and a terrible value compared with the $39,490 Acura TL. 97,635 new vehicle acquisitions took place in Canada last month.

Mercedes-Benz is taking their jolly time getting the new B-Class to Canada. They could justifiably say the B-Class isn't a worst seller since it is now basically nonexistent on these shores. The Honda CR-Z was eight times more popular than the B-Class in January 2012. That means Honda sold eight CR-Zs in January. Hyundai sold 470 Velosters. On the subject of the B-Class, keep in mind that in the U.S., where the "real" B-Class isn't even for sale, seven found owners in January.

The surprises in this winter edition of Canada's worst sellers list are led by Suzuki's rejected Kizashi. It's not that the Kizashi has ever been anything but unsuccessful, but sales dropped 62% from last January's abysmal 71 sales. Suzuki's two other models, the SX4 and Grand Vitara, dropped 21% and 16%, respectively. With the Sedona, Kia struggles to play its typical value card in a market where the Dodge Grand Caravan is routinely marketed for thousands less.

At the bottom of this post you'll see numbers for high end cars which aren't intended to be high volume players. And as evidence that percentage change numbers mean only so much, Nissan GT-R sales shot up 400%. To five. From one. Monthly and yearly sales figures for these models and every other nameplate currently on sale can be accessed through the dropdown menu at the top right of this page.

Rank	Worst-Selling Car  By Percentage Decline	% Drop	January 2012	January 2011
#1	Acura RL	- 100%	0	4
#2	Mercedes-Benz B-Class	- 99.6%	1	231
#3	Honda Insight	- 87.5%	3	24
#4	Volvo S80	- 81.5%	5	27
#5	Honda CR-Z	- 81.0%	8	42
#6	Volvo C70	- 75.0%	1	4
#7	Cadillac Escalade EXT	- 72.7%	6	22
#8	Toyota Prius	- 63.2%	35	95
#9	Suzuki Kizashi	- 62.0%	27	71
#10	Porsche Boxster	- 57.1%	3	7

Rank	Worst-Selling Car  By Volume	January 2012	January 2011	% Change
#1	Honda Insight	3	24	- 87.5%
#2	Honda CR-Z	8	42	- 81.0%
T3	Nissan 370Z	11	20	- 45.0%
T3	Chevrolet Volt	11	-----	-----
#5	Mitsubishi i MiEV	12	-----	-----
#6	Volkswagen Eos	16	20	- 20.0%
#7	Mazda MX-5 Miata	20	13	+ 53.8%
#8	Suzuki Kizashi	27	71	- 62.0%
#9	Nissan Cube	29	42	- 31.0%
#10	Nissan LEAF	30	-----	-----

Rank	Worst-Selling Car  By Volume (All Vehicles)	January 2012	January 2011	% Change
#1	Acura RL	0	4	- 100%
T2	Mercedes-Benz B-Class	1	231	- 99.6%
T2	Volvo C70	1	4	- 75.0%
T4	Porsche Boxster	3	7	- 57.1%
T4	Honda Insight	3	24	- 87.5%
#6	Audi R8	4	5	- 20.0%
T7	Volvo S80	5	27	- 81.5%
T7	Nissan GT-R	5	1	+ 400%
T7	Mercedes-Benz SL-Class	5	5	0%
T10	Jaguar XK	6	4	+ 50%
T10	Cadillac Escalade EXT	6	22	- 72.7%

Source: Manufacturers & ANDC 
Vehicle must not have been officially cancelled by its manufacturer and must have been showcased on manufacturer's website in January.

Related From GoodCarBadCar.net
Top 10 Worst-Selling Vehicles In Canada - January 2013
Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In Canada - February 2012
Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In Canada - 2011 Year End
Top 10 Worst-Selling Cars In Canada - December 2011
Top 30 Best-Selling Vehicles In Canada - January 2012
Canada Auto Sales By Brand - January 2012