At Boot Düsseldorf we met Paolo Ilariuzzi, division manager
Moto e Marine
of Suzuki Italia. With him we take stock of the boating season, which began in Genoa 2022 trying to understand how this 2023 will evolve.
Interview with Paolo Ilariuzzi of Suzuki Italy
It is the first boat show in 2023. What is the feeling there?
Düsseldorf is a turning point. In Genoa we have seen further growth in demand for outboards, across almost all ranges. This is important to us and pairs with the countermeasures taken to increase production capacity aimed at meeting demand. Then winter, after the fall salons is a period of relative calm. It is pleasing, however, that now that we are back to boating, there are immediately so many exhibitors and a large number of visitors.
Accomplice to the pandemic, boating has experienced great growth. Is the positive trend continuing?
I have to make a judgment based on dealer feedback. For us, from 150 horsepower and up, the demand is always very high, so we are talking for mid-range engines. In the mid-range, a mirror of the Italian market, we notice, instead, more of a settling. It is not a downturn, but a return to what we can call “standard” volumes. So let’s say the trend continues.
The huge demand had side effects such as increased lead times, which affected everyone a little bit. How are you doing now?
We said before that houses are making sure to produce more and more to accommodate the demand that is therefore always strong. Now customers and dealers have planned, there is more order, and so the time also becomes shorter than in the last two years.
The new top of the range, on the other hand, have improved even more…
Yes, there was also an upward expansion. We are talking about the 350A and 300B in a new version. These two engines,
Suzuki DF350A
e
Suzuki DF300B
since their launch have demonstrated all of Japan’s technological excellence and have been very well liked, especially for their unique technical solutions in the market. The plus was undoubtedly the counter-rotating double propeller that translates all the power developed by the thermal unit into thrust, right from low rpm.
Now, despite this, Suzuki’s engineers have gone further with the new 350- and 300-horsepower Suzuki DF350AMD and DF300BMD . They optimized the engines again by going to refine the foot ogive from the double propeller to make them even more perfomante. An electro-hydraulic wheelhouse was then added in the engine stand, which makes the engine installation cleaner and also makes the transom look better. At the market level it was appreciated, and we are glad because our flagship had to have all the best caretteristics.
When will the new (even more powerful) Suzuki outboard arrive instead?
Clearly, the market is going in that direction, not only in the US, but also in Europe. Suzuki, so it is working in that direction, but it takes time and I cannot, therefore, unveil a date for now. The fact is that working to have an“ultimate” engine on the market, that is, the best in its class. That is why the development time is definitely longer. The direction, however, is that. In the meantime, we are not stopping and we are also working to optimize even those models that are already in the range from 40 horsepower to the top of the range.
NAVIGATE INFORMED!
To stay up-to-date on all the boating news, selected by our editorial staff, sign up for the Motor Boats newsletter! Just click the link below, accept the Privacy Policy, and click the “Subscribe Me” button. You will then receive the best powerboat news on your email, twice a week! It’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time, no obligation! CLICK HERE.
