The folks over at Suzuki Motor USA are definitely in a celebratory mood, as they’ve just built their 500,000th ATV. Headquartered in Rome, Georgia, Suzuki Manufacturing of America Corporation (SMAC) has been producing ATVs in the good old US of A since 2002.
For 22 years, the SMAC facility has been serving the US and Canadian markets, as well as 25 other countries around the world, making ATVs much more accessible to a wider audience. Prior to setting up shop in the US, ATVs for the North American market were sourced all the way from Japan.
Masami Haga, President of SMO and SMAC, explained just how important the North American market is for the global powersports industry. “North America represents the largest ATV market in the world, and it’s important that these products are built here by skilled American workers.” Of course, it’s important to note that SMO works with multiple US-based suppliers in providing parts and components for Suzuki’s ATVs.
Suzuki’s 500,000th ATV is none other than the KingQuad 750 AXi, the brand’s flagship model, and one that’s extremely popular among enthusiasts. In fact, Suzuki credits its KingQuad range as the “inventor of the four-wheel ATV.” And indeed, with 20 years of continuous production under its belt, it’s easy to see just how popular Suzuki’s KingQuad has become.
Looking even further into the past, Suzuki pioneered its first four-wheeled ATV all the way back in 1982 with the LT125. Fast forward to the present day, and Suzuki’s ATV lineup consists of a wide selection of four-wheelers—from kid-specific models to 400cc to 750cc KingQuads.
Even better still, Suzuki has a network of over 700 dealers, making its ATVs and powersports vehicles accessible pretty much to anyone.
As for the 500,000th ATV produced, Suzuki doesn’t intend on selling it, but rather, putting it up on display at its headquarters as a testament to the team's dedication to engineering excellence.
Suzuki’s production milestone is living proof that the powersports industry is alive and well. Anyone who tells you that off-roading is dying clearly doesn’t know what’s going on and needs to get out more.
The fact is that it isn’t just Suzuki that’s been enjoying lots of success lately. We’ve been seeing innovations from players like Polaris and Segway Powersports pave the way for the future of powersports.
