Suzuki built four-stroke outboards for Evinrude in the late 1990s through early 2000s.

Specifically:

  • Around 1997–2001, Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC), which owned Evinrude at the time, partnered with Suzuki to offer rebadged Suzuki four-stroke engines under the Evinrude brand.
  • These Evinrude-branded four-strokes were essentially Suzuki DF-series outboards with Evinrude decals and paint, covering models from small portables up to mid-range HP sizes.
  • This arrangement ended after OMC went bankrupt in late 2000 and was acquired by Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) in 2001. BRP focused on Evinrude’s two-stroke E-TEC line and dropped the Suzuki-built four-strokes.

Timeline: When Suzuki supplied four-stroke outboards to Evinrude

  • Suzuki introduced its first four-stroke outboard engines (DF9.9 and DF15) around 1994, and began releasing larger models like the DF60 in 1997 Volocars+8Wikipedia+8Wikipedia+8.
  • From approximately 1997 through 2001, Suzuki-built four-stroke outboards—including 8 hp, 9.9 hp, 15 hp, up to as high as 70 hp—were rebadged and sold by Outboard Marine Corporation (under both Evinrude and Johnson brands) The Hull Truth+4Boating Forum – iboats Boating Forums+4Wikipedia+4.
  • Conversations from boating forums confirm: “In about 1997 the Suzi DF70 was sold as an Evinrude and later a Johnson… OMC built 8, 9.9 and 15 hp 4 strokes that were sold as either Johnsons or Evinrudes.” Sport Fishing+9Boating Forum – iboats Boating Forums+9Crowley Marine+9
    “Evinrude never made a 4 stroke outboard – the only 4 stroke Evinrudes were rebadged Suzuki’s. But that relationship ceased many, many years ago…” Suzuki Outboard Forum
  • The rebadging program ended when OMC went bankrupt in 2000, and BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products) acquired it in 2001, then phased out Suzuki-built four-strokes in favor of promoting their two-stroke E‑TEC engines outdoorhub.com+15The Hull Truth+15Wikipedia+15.

📋 Summary Table

PeriodEnginesSold as
~1997–2001Suzuki-built four-strokes (8–70 hp models)Evinrude and Johnson
Post-2001BRP-produced engines (primarily E‑TEC two-strokes)Evinrude (eventually discontinued)

✅ Bottom Line

Suzuki manufactured four-stroke outboard engines for the Evinrude brand starting around 1997, continuing through the 2001 model year. After that, BRP phased out the Suzuki-built machines, and Evinrude’s four-stroke line (if you can call it that) disappeared. BRP ultimately discontinued the Evinrude name entirely in 2020 wavetowave.com+15Wikipedia+15Facebook+15.