Suzuki's 10 year tech roadmap is based on this Japanese philosophy

Suzuki Motor Corporation (Suzuki) has announced its technology strategy for the next decade. As per the company statement issued on July 17, the Japanese automaker will realise a “technology that minimises energy consumption” from manufacturing to recycling, and aim for a carbon-neutral world while providing the joy of transportation to people all over the world. Suzuki, which manufactures mini-mini passenger cars, mini-commercial vehicles, compact passenger cars, automobile engines, two-wheelers and motors, has outlined a five-pronged tech strategy, as detailed under.

Lightweighting

Suzuki, which is known for its expertise in manufacturing compact and light passenger vehicles, plans to further evolve its Heartect lightweight and safety platform which underpins a number of Suzuki models since 2014. The Heartect platform has rigid structural elements that ensure occupant protection while designated crumple zones ensure impact energy is dissipated and absorbed, ensuring all occupants remain safe.

Under the company’s ‘Sho-Sho-Kei-Tan-Bi’ (smaller, fewer, lighter, shorter, neater) philosophy, it is moving towards building lighter, safer, and right-sized vehicles that are fuel efficient, and consume less energy both during manufacturing and usage. According to Toshihiro Suzuki, President, Suzuki Motor Corporation, the company aims to minimise the energy consumed, as well as reduce CO2 emissions to the utmost. “From manufacturing to recycling, we aim for technology that minimises resource and environmental risks,” he stated in a presentation while explaining the company’s carbonneutrality roadmap.

In a comparative study, Suzuki further revealed how the Japanese automaker’s cars are at least 200-300kg lighter, on an average, than other manufacturers’ combined average in its major global markets, including Japan, India, and Europe. This ensures that the company already saves around 20% energy needed in manufacturing, and around 6% when its vehicles are driven on the roads.

Suzuki’s Heartect platform has also been rigorously tested and validated for the frontal offset crash, side impact crash and passenger protection under various conditions, which makes it an important part of a car's safety. The platform underpins several Maruti Suzuki passenger vehicles, including the latest-generation Swift, Baleno, Dzire, and Wagon R models currently sold in India.

In fact, at Autocar Professional’s annual Vehicle Lightweighting webinar held earlier this year in May, CV Raman, Executive Committee Member and former CTO of Maruti Suzuki India, said, “Since the launch of the Swift in 2005, we have changed the powertrain and platform of the brand twice to date. With the new Heartect platform underpinnings, the fourth-generation model is the lightest yet.” The company has slashed a significant 100 kg from the familyoriented hatchback over the four generations of its lifecycle. 

Lightweighting in vehicles not only helps reduce CO2 emissions during use but also reduces the resources and CO2 emissions in production, thus contributing to resource conservation and CO2 reduction. Suzuki says it continues to undertake measures that will reduce weight, improve safety, and enhance the driving performance of its vehicles. It aims to further reduce the average weight of its vehicles by 100 kg over the next 10 years and continue to evolve the safety and lightweighting attributes of its Heartect platform.

Lean-battery BEVs and HEVs

In early 2023, Suzuki outlined an ambitious growth strategy which includes a GBP 3 billion investment in battery development, the introduction of five new electric cars from 2024 onwards, and a pledge to achieve carbon neutrality in Europe by 2050.

In its latest tech update specific to Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), Suzuki said that it aims “to provide our customers with the most energy-efficient electric vehicles based on the renewable energy ratio and usage conditions in each country and region. Suzuki will be developing EVs that minimise energy consumption by combining components (like the e-axle) that embody the ‘Sho-ShoKei-Tan-Bi’ philosophy of building a small and efficient electric unit, and a small and light battery.”

Over the next decade, the company forecasts the ratio between hybrids and EV sales to rise to 70:30 in Japan; and EVs to rise to an overwhelming share in Europe and a one-third in India, primarily owing to the differences in power generation mix and energy infrastructure. While the ratio of non-fossil-fuel power generation in Europe is estimated to touch 82% by 2035, it is pegged to remain much lower at 59% and 50% in Japan and India, respectively.

As it aims to minimise overall energy consumption, Suzuki estimates that as non-fossilfuel-based power becomes more widespread, EVs will emerge as the ideal solution for minimising energy. However, it is only when the adoption rate touches 75% that EVs become the best choice for energy conservation, while hybrids still prove to be more beneficial in regions where the EV adoption rate is slow. “We believe that a multi-pathway approach to technology, including EVs, hybrids, and ICEs, using carbon-neutral fuels, is necessary depending upon the timing and region,” stated Katsuhiro Kato, CTO, Suzuki Motor Corporation, in his presentation.

High-efficiency ICE/CNF (Carbon Neutral Fuel) technology

In 2023, Suzuki developed a high-efficiency engine – the three-cylinder Z12E unit – introduced globally in the fourth-generation Swift. The engine pursues improved combustion, which is the core of internal combustion engines, and achieves a maximum thermal efficiency of 40% — a long-heralded goal of Suzuki engineers.

The new ICE powertrain adopts friction-reduction measures such as deploying an electric water pump, a pendulum-type belt tensioner, and achieving equal rigidity for the piston skirt.

Moreover, the engine also enhances efficiency by a combination of fast combustion and a high compression ratio, which is achieved by having an intermediatelocking VVT or variable-valve-timing system, tournament EGR, and a long-stroke construction. The company says it will extend this high-efficiency engine worldwide and strive to minimise energy consumption by using carbon-neutral fuel and next-generation hybrid vehicles.

SDV right

To maximise gains in the megatrend of software defined vehicles (SDVs), Suzuki will be developing what it calls 'SDV right,' an approach that adopts a software update strategy that considers the user's perspective, reuses and utilises existing software. All of this would enable an affordable system that creates value for vehicles by embodying Suzuki's core philosophy of minimisation of energy consumption. According to the company, this translates into ease of software updates for users, with the best mix of wired and wireless over-the-air (OTA) updates.

Suzuki aims to ensure that software updates are not excessive, but user friendly, thereby, making its customers feel that the updates are 'just right.' Regarding advanced driver assistance systems or ADAS offerings, the company says that it is crucial to develop systems that are well-suited to the road and driving conditions of each country to reliably support safe driving. For instance, in India, a key market for Suzuki, the unique traffic and congestion conditions make it difficult to simply apply solutions meant for Japan.

Therefore, "leveraging Suzuki's 40 years of experience in India, we plan to develop and offer ADAS that performs well even in the congested streets of Indian cities. We aim for 'just right' solutions," Kato highlighted.

Easy recyclability and disassembly design

The company is looking at the entire vehicle lifecycle from a sustainability perspective. It aims to achieve minimal energy consumption with the circular economy which is to save the total use of resources by designing products that can also be easily disassembled with recycling and reuse in mind. 

This contrasts with the conventional economic system which is called a linear economy, wherein the flow of raw material extraction, product manufacturing, utilisation, and disposal is unidirectional. As per the company, this has so far caused mass consumption of energy, resource depletion and environmental destruction. "While refining technologies that minimise energy consumption, we are also working on a circular economy that considers the entire lifecycle. We will promote the activities towards realising a circular economy," stated Kato.

In January 2023, Suzuki had announced its future growth 2030 strategy aimed at realisation of a carbonneutral society and the economic growth of emerging markets such as ASEAN and Africa, with its main business regions, Japan, India, and Europe, as the core. India, which is Suzuki's largest global market, has been earmarked to see the launch of six BEVs by FY2030. To provide a full range of products and services, Suzuki will provide not only battery EVs but also carbon neutral internal combustion engine vehicles that use CNG, biogas, and ethanol mixed fuels.

This feature was first published in Autocar Professional's August 1, 2024 issue.