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The group and its dealers delivered 4 891 vehicles to South African customers for a 35% increase in its sales performance compared to April last year. While this is not a new sales record, it was enough to catapult Suzuki into second place in the overall vehicle rankings in April.
“New vehicle sales remain under pressure,” says Henno Havenga, General Manager for Sales and Marketing at Suzuki Auto South Africa. “Customers are definitely feeling the squeeze of high interest rates, high fuel prices and the rising cost of living, and they are holding back on buying durable goods like cars and pick-ups.
“Our experience shows that those who do purchase a new car are looking for the best possible price and lowest running cost, and that has definitely favoured Suzuki Auto’s refreshed range of vehicles.”
Havenga’s insights into current market trends are borne out by the official vehicle sales statistics for April, as provided by naamsa, the automotive industry business council.
According to naamsa, the total sales in April increased by 2.2% compared to the same month last year. A total of 38 172 vehicles were sold in April, with the passenger vehicle segment accounting for the lion’s share at 25 972 vehicles.
Despite the increase in April, the cumulative sales for the year-to-date is still lagging behind 2023. For the four months to end-April the industry sold 168 970 vehicles, compared to 175 928 vehicles for the same period last year.
Image: Naresh Maharaj
For Suzuki Auto South Africa, this period and particularly the last financial year from April 2022 to March 2023 was the busiest in its decade-and-a-half existence.
The group refreshed a number of models and introduced several highly popular additions to its line-up, including the Eeco panel van, the Grand Vitara, the XL6 family MPV, the Fronx and the five-door Jimny. This has ensured that it is perfectly positioned to serve cost-conscious customers from across the vehicle spectrum in 2024.
Multiple awards in Dubai
Suzuki Auto South Africa’s consistently strong sales performance was the talk of the town in the recent Suzuki Distributor Conference held in Dubai last week.
The local affiliate of the global Suzuki group received no fewer than six awards at the conference, with five of them as the overall winner in their category.
The awards included the Highest Aftersales Network Expansion in the last fiscal year, the Highest Volume sales in Africa, the Best SUV Launch for the launch of the Jimny, Fronx and Grand Vitara, the Highest Sales Network Expansion and the Best Suzuki Quality System Implementation. It was also the runner up in the category for the best sales of parts and accessories in the past financial year.
Image: Supplied
“To us, our sales performance in South Africa is the most important award we can receive. Each sale represents a thumbs up from a customer who decided to approve our product range, our value offering and our aftersales support.
“With our product line-up now well established, we will spend most of our effort on further improving on this value offering and on growing our footprint, which now stands at 105 dealers across South Africa.”
