Tokyo, Japan, Oct 12, 2016―Suzuki Motor Corporation (Suzuki) and Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) have agreed to work together for future automobile.
Osamu Suzuki, Chairman of Suzuki described Toyota as the industry-leader and the most reliable company actively working on various advanced and future technologies.
“I am appreciative that Suzuki is able to start discussions with Toyota to explore ideas on a partnership. I first spoke about this possibility with Toyota’s Honorary Chairman Shoichiro Toyoda, and am very grateful that President Akio Toyoda has also showed an interest. We will proceed with discussions for the future of Suzuki.”
Osamu Suzuki said Suzuki’s current business focuses on minivehicles in Japan, and in India, when it comes to operations outside of Japan.
“Last week, President Akio Toyoda had also expressed interest in the idea of collaboration with Suzuki, and we agreed to discuss on the nature of the collaboration which we could work on together’’, he said. Also Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota, said that based on changes in automobile industry, there is the need to respond to changes in order to survive.
“In addition to the R&D which each company is working on individually, it is very important now to have partners who share the same goal and passion.
“We would like to always keep our doors open for new partnership opportunities, which will contribute to the making of ever-better cars as well as to the development of the automotive industry,” he said.
In addition to efforts to tackle environmental and energy issues, as well as to ensure our customers’ safety and security, we are required to work on the R&D of advanced and future technologies, such as on automated driving.
“However, in these fields, there is a limit to the R&D which each company is conducting individually. We have to be mindful of the management resource, and additionally, be conscious that it is increasingly important to collaborate with other companies on the coordination of infrastructure and the creation of partnerships for the establishment of industrial standards’’, he said.
He said Toyota received an offer from Suzuki regarding collaboration on advanced and future technologies such as information technology.
“Suzuki made a frank proposal to us, and in understanding that Toyota is facing the challenges which I had mentioned earlier, we thought that with the relationship between both companies, there is an opportunity for a business partnership to help solve such challenges. As such, we decided to explore such possibilities together.
“We would like to always keep our doors open for new partnership opportunities, which will contribute to the making of ever-better cars as well as to the development of the automotive industry’’, he said.
He described Suzuki as a great senior who has been leading the industry for a long time.
“In addition, both Suzuki and Toyota had originated from the Enshu area, and share similar histories on the establishment of our respective companies. I feel deep emotional ties about this fact. I sincerely hope that our collaboration will help carve out the way for the future of the automotive industry’’, he said.
