The birth of Polaroid camera / Suzuki withdraws from the North American four-wheel business / The fifth generation Honda Life, which became the last life, debuts! 【What day is it today? November 6]

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■ Polaroid Camera Appears at National Camera Exhibition

On November 6, 1948 (Showa 23), the instant camera "Polaroid 95 type" was exhibited at the National Camera Exhibition. The Polaroid camera was invented by the American inventor Edwin Herbert Land. The camera weighs 2.4 kg, but the world is surprised at the completely new camera that produces black-and-white photographs in just one minute after pressing the shutter. When it was released on the 26th of the same month, it was sold out on the first day in no time. By the way, it seems that Rand invented Polaroid because of his daughter, "Why can't you see the pictures right away?" It is a famous story that Edison, the inventor, bothered his teacher by saying "Why? Why?" When he was a child. To create something new, you need a soft head like a child who is not bound by common sense.

What happened today in the automobile world?

On this day in 2012 (Heisei 24), Suzuki announced that it would withdraw from the four-wheeled vehicle sales business in North America. With the yen appreciating and the dollar depreciating after the Lehman shock, we decided that the US business, which relies on exports, would not be able to generate profits. Suzuki's expansion into North America began in 1985 with the support of GM. The "Jimny" was sold under the name of "Samurai" and started to make a good start. After that, the SUV "XL7", the pickup truck "Equator" and the medium-sized sedan "Kizashi" were introduced, but sales dropped sharply due to the 2008 Lehman shock. .. It seems that there was a big handicap for Suzuki, whose mainstay is small cars, only for Americans who like large cars. It seems that withdrawal from North America was inevitable in order to focus on the Asian region where we are good at.

On this day in 2008 (Heisei 20), the 5th generation, the last generation of Honda "Life", made its debut. The first Life was released in 1971, and although it was a hit, it was discontinued in 1974. After a 23-year blank, the second-generation life was revived as a height wagon in 1997, and continued with the third and fourth generations.

And the 5th generation that appeared was based on the concept of "Daily Smile Technology" and aimed to be a partner that all users can spend with a smile every day. We paid particular attention to good visibility, comfort, ease of driving, and safety. Specifically, it was packed with women-friendly equipment such as the expansion of the triangular window, the lowering of the lower end of the rear glass, the equipment of audio with a back monitor, the improvement of cushioning of the seat, and the smart parking assis.

In addition to the simple standard equipment, we have prepared different front masks for the elegant "Pastel" and the sporty "Diva" to expand the user base. The powertrain is a combination of NA (no supercharging) of a 660cc straight-three SOHC engine and its turbo specifications and 4-speed AT. FF and 4WD are available as drive systems.

The 5th generation Life continued to sell steadily, but the baton was handed over to the N-WGN, which debuted in 2014, and production was discontinued. Life was characterized by the gentle equipment and cute style that women like.

Anniversary of what every day is. Well then, See you tomorrow!

(Mr. Soran)