Photo: Suzuki Media
Suzuki has become somewhat of an enigma in automotive manufacturing these days. While mass-market automakers like Ford, Chevrolet, Honda, Hyundai, and practically every other one, have jumped head-long into the electric vehicle market, Suzuki has yet to make the leap beyond electrified models.
Maybe spending billions of dollars retooling factories does not fit their business model or maybe they are content with their mild-hybrid, hybrid and PHEV offerings and diversification in motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle (ATV), and marine engine manufacturing to even care. It could be the company is waiting to see if the EV market is a viable one moving forward. It may turn out to be good business as the industry is plump with supply chain and parts shortages.
Whatever the reason for its late-to-the-dance posture, the company that has always relied on its bailiwick of manufacturing motorcycles, does have plans to move into the all-electric vehicle market after all. In fact, it was widely reported around mid-2022 the company had plans to bring an all-electric vehicle to the market by 2025.
In what seems to support those plans, the company announced today the formalization of a joint development agreement with Ontario, Canada-based Inmotive Inc. The agreement, while lacking detail, calls for the development of a two-speed EV transmission to be used in a future Suzuki vehicle.
For its part, Inmotive Inc., run by CEO Paul Bottero, is an environmentally conscious organization that developed and trademarked the Ingear two-speed transmission designed to increase the performance of EV powertrains. Back in 2020, Inmotive reported that the Ingear transmission is the most efficient two-speed transmission for electric vehicles.
"This next-generation transmission offers an entirely new way of looking at multi-speed transmissions for electric vehicles and extends significant benefits to a wide range of other market segments as well," said Bottero, at the time "It is the first two-speed transmission of its kind to be effectively ready for global market adoption."
Suzuki, the world's 11th largest automaker, believes the two-speed transmission technology will extend the range of EVs with its lightweight, compact and efficient characteristics. Furthermore, a smaller electric powertrain equates to lower overall costs and the joint development agreement takes some burden off Suzuki and saves R&D time in the process.
Suzuki does not currently have a market presence for vehicles in the States, but it does have a handful of electrified models available in other parts of the world. The Suzuki Across has been around since the year 2020 and is limited in scope to the European market. The Across is essentially a rebranded Toyota RAV4 with a different body design atop a RAV4 frame, et al. In fact, the hybrid Across is assembled at the same Japanese factory where RAV4 models are made.
Whatever the reason for its late-to-the-dance posture, the company that has always relied on its bailiwick of manufacturing motorcycles, does have plans to move into the all-electric vehicle market after all. In fact, it was widely reported around mid-2022 the company had plans to bring an all-electric vehicle to the market by 2025.
In what seems to support those plans, the company announced today the formalization of a joint development agreement with Ontario, Canada-based Inmotive Inc. The agreement, while lacking detail, calls for the development of a two-speed EV transmission to be used in a future Suzuki vehicle.
For its part, Inmotive Inc., run by CEO Paul Bottero, is an environmentally conscious organization that developed and trademarked the Ingear two-speed transmission designed to increase the performance of EV powertrains. Back in 2020, Inmotive reported that the Ingear transmission is the most efficient two-speed transmission for electric vehicles.
"This next-generation transmission offers an entirely new way of looking at multi-speed transmissions for electric vehicles and extends significant benefits to a wide range of other market segments as well," said Bottero, at the time "It is the first two-speed transmission of its kind to be effectively ready for global market adoption."
Suzuki, the world's 11th largest automaker, believes the two-speed transmission technology will extend the range of EVs with its lightweight, compact and efficient characteristics. Furthermore, a smaller electric powertrain equates to lower overall costs and the joint development agreement takes some burden off Suzuki and saves R&D time in the process.
Suzuki does not currently have a market presence for vehicles in the States, but it does have a handful of electrified models available in other parts of the world. The Suzuki Across has been around since the year 2020 and is limited in scope to the European market. The Across is essentially a rebranded Toyota RAV4 with a different body design atop a RAV4 frame, et al. In fact, the hybrid Across is assembled at the same Japanese factory where RAV4 models are made.
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