Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corporation has pulled out of next year’s FIA World Rally Championship citing a drop in sales due to the global financial crisis.
The Suzuki decision was released in a statement Monday, 10 days after Honda, another major Japanese car manufacturer, pulled its team out of Formula One.
A statement from Suzuki read: “In responding to the contraction of the automotive sales caused by recent global economic turmoil, Suzuki has been promptly taking possible countermeasures including the reassessment of its global production output.”
The statement continued: “The company, however, foresees the shrinking trend in longer periods of time rather than a short-term phenomenon.
“To secure its own business environment for tomorrow, the organisation reviews every aspect of the operation and decided to focus on the core business functions such as the manufacturing system, environment technologies and development of new-generation powertrains.
As a result, Suzuki concluded to suspend the WRC activities from 2009.”
Suzuki, which started its involvement with international rally competition with the 2002 Junior World Rally Championship, entered two SX4 WRCs in the 2008 World Rally and finished fifth of six teams in the constructors championship. The Suzuki Sport team drivers were 12th and 13th in the standings.
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