Suzuki Carry

The Suzuki Carry (Japanese: スズキ・キャリイ, Hepburn: Suzuki Kyarī) is a kei truck produced by the Japanese automaker Suzuki. The microvan version was originally called the Carry van until 1982 when the passenger van versions were renamed as the Suzuki Every (Japanese: スズキ・エブリイ, Hepburn: Suzuki Eburī). In Japan, the Carry and Every are kei cars but the Suzuki Every Plus, the bigger version of Every, had a longer bonnet for safety purposes and a larger engine; export market versions and derivatives have been fitted with engines of up to 1.6 liters displacement. They have been sold under myriad different names in several countries, and is the only car to have been offered with Chevrolet as well as Ford badges.

In their home market, the Carry truck and van (and Every van) have traditionally competed with a number of similarly sized vehicles, such as the Kurogane Baby, Honda Acty, Subaru Sambar, Mitsubishi Minicab, and Daihatsu Hijet. Some of these are also competitors in export markets, mainly the Carry and the Hijet.

The first two generations of Carrys were sold with the Suzulight badge rather than the company name Suzuki, emphasizing the company's focus on "Light Cars" (also known as kei jidosha).

The Carry series was born in October 1961 with the FB Suzulight Carry, a pickup truck with the engine underneath the front seat, but with a short bonnet. The layout has been referred to as a "semicabover". The FB Carry underwent some light modifications in October 1963, for the 1964 model year. A glassed FBD Carry Van was added in September 1964. The engine was called the FB, a 359 cc (21.9 cu in) air-cooled, two-stroke two-cylinder with 21 PS (15 kW). This engine remained in use, in three-cylinder form, until late 1987 in the Suzuki Jimny (as the LJ50). Top speed was no more than 76 km/h (47 mph). FB suspension was rigid with leaf springs, front and rear. A panel van (FBC) was also available from July 1962.

In June 1965, the rebodied L20 Suzulight Carry replaced the FB. The ladder-frame chassis was modified, now with independently sprung front wheels (by torsion bars). While output remained 21 hp, the engine benefitted from Suzuki's patented Cylinder Crank Injection lubrication system. The Carry Van was replaced by the new L20V in January 1966, and there was also a dropside pickup (L21). Finally, the L20H, a pickup with a canvas canopy and a rear-facing seat placed in the bed, providing seating for four, was offered. Top speed for the second generation was down to 75 km/h. The Carry Van had a horizontally divided, two-piece tailgate, and sliding rear windows.

Production of this more traditional version continued in parallel with the cabover L30 Carry, ending only with the 1969 introduction of the L40. Output shifted from Toyokawa to Iwata with the opening of the new plant in August 1967.^{[citation needed]}

The new L30 Suzuki Carry (the "Suzulight" label was being retired) is a full cabover design, with the same FB engine mounted horizontally underneath the load area. The starter and generator were combined and mounted directly on the front of the crankshaft. Introduced in February 1966, the L30 was built alongside its more traditional predecessor until they were both replaced by the L40. A canopied L30H, similar to the L20H, but with the seats in the bed facing each other, was available from the start. Also, an L31, with a drop-side bed, was available. Performance and mechanics were very similar to its bonneted sister, but the load area was considerably larger. Maximum load capacity was still 350 kg (770 lb).

A short-lived Carry Van version of the L30 ("L30V") was not introduced until March 1968, but offered four doors and a two-piece tailgate (top and bottom). Bodywork was the same ahead of the B-pillar. Output shifted from Toyokawa to Iwata with the opening of the new plant in August 1967.^{[citation needed]}