Dec 02, 2021 Suzuki Auto South Africa, Henno Havenga, Naamsa, the automotive industry business council
Healthy dealers = healthy sales for Suzuki
For Suzuki Auto South Africa, sales of over 3 000 units are becoming a regular occurrence and November was no different.
Naamsa, the automotive industry business council, noted on Wednesday that Suzuki sold no less than 3 082 units in November. This is a hair’s breadth away from its overall record of 3 134 units sold in September this year. The sales performance places Suzuki firmly in third place, behind Toyota and Volkswagen. It also gives the brand a 7,4% share of the total South African market, which, according to Naamsa, sold a combined 41 588 units in November.
More importantly, Suzuki had a 10,72% share of the passenger vehicle market. Both their overall share and their passenger market share are Suzuki’s highest on record.
Hidden within the massive sales figures are two other major milestones. The first is a new dealer sales record of 2 097 Suzuki vehicles sold in November. This is a new overall sales record for the dealer channel and the second month in a row that the dealer network has sold more than 2 000 Suzuki cars, SUVs and commercial vehicles to customers.
The second figure is equally significant, as it shows the health of the overall network and the ever-increasing demand for Suzuki vehicles. According to the sales statistics, 17 Suzuki dealers each sold more than 50 units in one month. What’s more, is that these top-selling dealers are geographically spread across South Africa. “As the vehicle manufacturer, we are always monitoring dealer sales to gauge the health of the dealer network and of the Suzuki brand among private buyers,” says Henno Havenga, Manager for Auto Dealer Sales at Suzuki Auto.
“While it is very heartening to see that the dealer network is our strongest and most important channel, it is perhaps even more encouraging to see that the figures aren’t made up of just one or two well-performing dealers or dealer groups, but a wide cross section of our network.” Suzuki is in the process of inaugurating three more dealers, which will push its dealer count to 78. “Our national and regional footprint is improving steadily. We are at a point where most Suzuki owners are only a few minutes from a dealer. This gives us even more time to focus on further improving customer service,” says Havenga.
Returning to the Naamsa sales figures, it is clear that South Africans love the Suzuki brand, not only a single model. The Suzuki S-Presso was the top-seller in November with 926 sales, followed by the Swift with 859 sales. The Vitara Brezza, donor vehicle of the popular Toyota Urban Cruiser, found 310 new homes. The Suzuki Jimny, now available in higher numbers thanks to a new sourcing destination, recorded 254 sales.
“2021, despite its challenges and disruptions, has been Suzuki’s best year yet and our dealer network has outperformed every sales target we set. This bodes well for the future, as it shows that our dealer network is stable and healthy and that it can support customers, regardless of the external circumstances,” says Havenga.
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