Suzuki wrapped up an extremely busy sales month and financial year with record sales across the board.
The brand sold 3 734 new vehicles for an 11.8% share of the passenger vehicle market in March. This is nearly 12% better than the same month last year, when Suzuki Auto South Africa ranked fourth overall in total vehicle sales.
This most recent financial year is the fifteenth since the company first opened its doors in South Africa in 2008 and it is also the fifteenth year of sales, and the fifteenth year of dealer growth.
The automotive business council, naamsa, reports that Suzuki Auto South Africa closed the month of March in third place overall. This ends the group’s financial year with total sales of 49 863 vehicles, a new all-time record for the Japanese brand.
In contrast, the average sales growth achieved by the industry is -0.6%. The industry sold 31 631 passenger vehicles and 50 157 vehicles overall, with Suzuki remaining one of the most popular brands in the country.
To place Suzuki’s stellar growth in perspective, its total annual sales in the 2018/19 financial were 12 241 units. This means Suzuki has grown by an average of 61.2% a year for the last five years and hit nearly 50 000 units in this past financial year to end March.
“Suzuki Auto has grown by over 300% in the last five years, despite some of the most challenging economic conditions in our country’s recent history. It is testament to the hard work of each of our team members and especially of our dealers,” says Henno Havenga, Manager of Dealer Sales at Suzuki Auto South Africa.
On the subject of dealers, the Suzuki dealer network recorded its best quarter in its history with more customers across more models than ever before. In fact, no fewer than nine dealers each sold more than 100 new vehicles in March.
In this month, the dealer network also welcomed its 95th dealer into the fold, making Suzuki’s network one of the largest in Southern Africa.
The Suzuki Swift again ended the month as Suzuki’s top seller. It dominated its segment with sales of 1 249 units, which also makes it one of the most popular vehicles in the month.
Other Suzuki models that performed well in March include the Baleno (582 units), the Ertiga (497 units), the Jimny (192 units) and the S-Presso (384 units).
“Suzuki starts its new financial year with a clean slate, but with more than enough sales prospects to suggest another record year,” says Havenga.
“There’s a lot of pent-up demand for models such as the Jimny, Baleno and Swift, and we have no fewer than five brand new models planned for this financial year, including the new five-door Jimny 4x4, the new Fronx and the all-new Suzuki Grand Vitara.”
