American Suzuki Caught in Downward Spiral

Suzuki Motor Corp.'s U.S. operations are shrinking rapidly, and the company is doing little to halt the decline, Automotive News reports.

Suzuki's American sales fell to 26,600 vehicles last year from 101,900 units in 2007. In the first quarter of this year, the brand's sales dipped 2% to 6,600 vehicles as the overall market grew 13%.

Steve Younan, Suzuki's U.S. marketing and product planning chief, left in January and will not be replaced. The company's dealer base has shrunk for six straight years, according to AN. It says more than 60% of Suzuki's 246 remaining dealers sell five or fewer vehicles per month.

Unidentified sources tell the newspaper that the company's American unit is focused on cost cutting to achieve short-term profitability. AN says Suzuki hasn't aired national television commercials since 2009 and suspended its social media activity two months ago.

Suzuki skipped this season's Los Angeles and Detroit auto shows. The company participated in the more recent Chicago and New York auto shows. But it didn't use them to display the refreshed versions of the SX4 subcompact and Grand Vitara SUV due later this year the first updates to its four-model lineup in more than two years.