In 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson was President of the United States, the average price of gasoline in America was 31 cents per gallon and The Sound of Music was the year’s top grossing movie and winner of the Best Picture Academy Award.
It was also the year that Suzuki Marine launched its first outboard motor, a one cylinder, two-stroke portable known as the D55, generating 4.0kW (or approximately 5.5 horsepower). While this first Suzuki outboard was relatively small and basic, its significance to the recreational boating industry cannot be overstated.
Fast forward six decades, and today Suzuki Marine is an outboard power pioneer with an all 4-stroke line up ranging from 2.5 to 350 horsepower, each model engineered to provide boaters with the latest technology and deliver superior performance, fuel efficiency and reliability. Over this time, Suzuki Marine has won an unprecedented nine National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) Innovation Awards for motors ranging from 25 horsepower to the company’s current flagship 350 horsepower V6 outboard with twin contra rotating propellers. Eight of these awards have been for 4-stroke outboards, which is the industry’s largest number of NMMA awards in the engine category.
Here are some key milestones along Suzuki Marine’s 60-year voyage:
1977 — This year marked the beginning of motor production at Suzuki’s Takatsuka plant. Suzuki released its DT5, a
5-horsepower portable outboard with two cylinders instead of the traditional single cylinder for a motor of this size. This allowed the DT5 to provide powerful and smooth propulsion. This water-cooled engine featured a thermostat for efficient cooling and was offered in an electric start model.
1979 — During this year, Suzuki relocated its factory to the Toyokawa Plant, providing greater production capacity as Suzuki expanded its product line up for the world’s boating market.
1987 — Suzuki introduced its DT200 Exante (known as the “talking outboard”), which won the very first NMMA Innovation Award at this year’s IMTEC Show. This 200HP V6 2-stroke outboard featured a range of industry firsts and exclusives and became a popular choice for high-performance boats.
1994 — Suzuki introduce its DF9.9 and DF15, the first Suzuki 4-stroke outboards and the start of what would become an industry leading lineup of all 4-stroke motors.
1997 — Suzuki introduced its DF60 and DF70 fuel-injected 4-stroke outboards, winning the NMMA Innovation Award at the IMTEC Show for their many advanced technologies and new features.
2003 — Suzuki unveiled its DF250 V6, the industry’s first 250 horsepower 4-stroke outboard. This motor also won an NMMA Innovation Award at the Miami International Boat Show. Suzuki’s new V6 4-stroke lineup also included 225 and 200 horsepower models to meet the needs of different types of boats.
2006 — Suzuki broke new ground in 4-stroke power this year, with the launch of its DF300, the industry’s first 300 horsepower V6 4-stroke and the first outboard to feature electronic remote control. This motor was also honored with an NMMA Innovation Award.
2010 — This year marked Suzuki’s first Clean-Up activity, which took place at Lake Sanaru, the place where Suzuki developed its very first outboard (the D55) back in 1965.
2014 — Suzuki introduced the DF200A/DF200AP, powerful in-line 4-cylinder 4-strokes featuring Suzuki Selective Rotation, the world’s first technology to integrate both regular and counter rotations of a propeller. These outboards also featured drive-by-wire electronic throttle and shift systems.
2017 — Suzuki launched its flagship DF350A — the first 350 horsepower 4-stroke outboard and the first outboard of any size to feature the benefits and efficiency of contra-rotating dual propellers in forward and reverse. This breakthrough motor also won the NMMA Innovation Award.
2020 — Suzuki introduces its worldwide CLEAN OCEAN PROJECT initiative, built around the ideas of cleaning up the world, reducing plastic packaging and collecting marine micro plastic waste. CLEAN OCEAN PROJECT has continued to expand in its scope and ambitions over the years.
2021 — Suzuki launched the first drive-by-wire 4-stroke outboards in the 115/140 horsepower class with its in-line 4-cylinder DF115 and DF140 models. These motors were named a 2021 Top Product by Boating Industry Magazine.
2022 — Suzuki brought something the marine industry had never seen — a Micro Plastic Collecting Device that allows the motor’s cooling system to collect micro plastic pollution as the boat is driven through the water. This system was made standard on all new DF115 and DF140 outboards around the world, allowing boaters to be part of the solution to the challenge of micro plastics in our oceans and waterways.
2024 — Suzuki captured the attention of the boating world when Suzuki Marina USA unveiled its Stealth Line outboards at the 2024 Miami International Boat Show. Named a 2024 Top Product by Boating Industry Magazine, Suzuki’s Stealth Line combines legendary Suzuki power and performance with a stunning all matte-black finish and matching Chrome Black graphics for a look that turns heads. The Stealth Line was an instant hit with boaters across the U.S., and Suzuki acted quickly to expand the Stealth lineup to offer eight popular models for a wide range of boats.
Suzuki Marine is celebrating its 60th Anniversary — and the culmination of all the company has achieved over the years — with its Most Valuable Lineup (MVL) for 2025. Suzuki’s Most Valuable Lineup, showcases clean, stylish and luxurious color palettes and graphics that deliver a clear message — these outboards look as impressive as they perform. This new MVL look will first be seen on the Suzuki’s popular V6 lineup, with models ranging from 200 to 350 horsepower covering a variety of fresh and saltwater vessels. It will soon be expanded to other outboards across the line to create a unifying look.
The look may be what sets it apart, but the meaning of Suzuki’s Most Valuable Lineup runs much deeper. As history shows, Suzuki is the industry leader when it comes to true innovation meant not to capture headlines, but to benefit the greatest number of boaters possible. It’s why Suzuki Marine has won Innovation Awards for all types and sizes of motors — including models as small as 25 horsepower. “Suzuki has always believed in delivering the best technology possible for the widest variety of boats — whether you have a small pontoon, an offshore fishing machine or anything in between,” said Brandon Cerka, Suzuki Marine General Manager Sales & Marketing. “It’s this commitment that makes Suzuki’s full roster of motors the Most Valuable Lineup in boating,” added Cerka.
Who knows what the next 60 years will bring? One thing is sure, Suzuki Marine will continue to innovate and break new ground when it comes to giving all boaters the performance, efficiency, and reliability they deserve.
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About Suzuki Marine
Suzuki is a leading manufacturer of 4-stroke outboard motors ranging from the ultra-portable 2.5 horsepower to the flagship DF350 V-6 with contra-rotating dual propellers. Over the years, Suzuki outboards have won nine Innovation Awards from the National Marine Manufacturer’s Association (NMMA) for motors as small as 25 horsepower, demonstrating Suzuki’s commitment to making the best technology available to the widest possible audience. Over the past few years, Suzuki Marine USA opened a U.S. Marine Technical Center in Panama City, Florida and moved to a new corporate headquarters in Tampa, Florida, to be closer to the heart of the U.S. boating industry and boating capital of the country. Through its CLEAN OCEAN PROJECT, regional cleanup and habitat restoration efforts around the world, and company-wide plastic waste reduction efforts, Suzuki has demonstrated a commitment to protecting coastal and marine habitat at home and around the world.
