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American Suzuki Motor Corp. Strengthens Its U.S. Commitment

11 December 1998

American Suzuki Motor Corp. Strengthens Its U.S. Commitment With the Appointment of New President; Rick Suzuki Named ASMC President

    BREA, Calif.--(AutomotiveWire)--Dec. 10, 1998--American Suzuki Motor Corp. (ASMC) Thursday announced the appointment of Rick Suzuki to the position of president of ASMC.
    Formerly vice president of CAMI Automotive Inc., Suzuki will be responsible for strategically directing the overall operations of all American Suzuki divisions, including automotive, motorcycle and marine.
    Suzuki began his career with Suzuki Motor Corp. in Japan in 1974. He joined Suzuki Canada Inc. in 1987 where he was responsible for overseeing operations for all three divisions of the Canadian subsidiary. During his tenure as president, Suzuki was responsible for launching the automotive division's startup operations in Canada. In 1991, Suzuki joined CAMI Automotive. As vice president, Suzuki was personally responsible for the development of Suzuki Motor Corp.'s joint venture with General Motors of Canada, CAMI Automotive Inc.
    Manabu Nakamura, who has served as president of ASMC since March, 1998, was recently promoted to general manager of overseas motorcycle marketing division for North and South American markets. Nakamura will return to Suzuki Motor Corp.'s headquarters in Japan later this month.
    According to Nakamura, "Rick Suzuki developed a wealth of experience and knowledge of the North American automotive industry during his 10 years with Suzuki Canada Inc. and 7 years with CAMI Automotive Inc. Mr. Suzuki's experience and strong strategic planning abilities will strengthen ASMC's commitment to achieving its growth target of 100,000 units over the next few years."
    In August, ASMC launched its most significant product to date -- the V-6 Grand Vitara. This new product introduction, supported by an expanding dealer network and an extensive advertising campaign designed to strengthen the brand image, puts ASMC in an excellent position to reach its growth target.
    The Automotive Division of American Suzuki Motor Corp. (ASMC), Brea, was founded in 1985 by Suzuki Motor Corp. ASMC markets automobiles in the United States through a network of nearly 300 automotive dealerships in 49 states.
    ASMC's parent company, Suzuki Motor Corp. (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1920, SMC has 134 distributors in 175 countries.