MOTORING NEWS - Suzuki South Africa's head office in Gauteng has had no reason to pay particular attention to news of a downturn in the new vehicle market. The company is celebrating a stellar 19,7% year-to-date increase in sales.
According to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa), Suzuki has welcomed 2 275 new owners to the fold since the start of 2017. This represents a sales increase of 19,7% over the same period last year, in a market that showed a decline of 2,2% for the industry.
"We are delighted with our sales performance over the past four months," says André Venter, divisional manager for sales and marketing at Suzuki South Africa. "In a tough trading environment, customers look for the best value. We believe that our product line-up combined with the service offering by our national dealer network, delivers just that."
Suzuki's growing popularity among private and fleet buyers was recognised earlier this year, when it won the WesBank and Cars.co.za Brand of the Year Award. This award is decided on feedback from owners who are polled nationwide. Suzuki beat five other popular brands to the top spot as South Africa's favourite brand.
In the same awards, the panel of judges chose the Suzuki Vitara and Suzuki Celerio as their top picks in the Compact Family Car and Budget Car categories. In awarding these prizes, the judges picked their own favourites and compared them to feedback from thousands of owners collected in a comprehensive survey.
The Celerio was singled out by CAR Magazine at their annual Top 12 Best Buys Awards, where it beat two other finalists for the hotly contested South Africa's Best Budget Car. Both industry awards identified the Celerio as the best all-round offering for buyers on a tight budget.
"Whether you are looking for a sporty hatch, an affordable 4x4 or the best budget car money can buy, Suzuki has to be on your shopping list. This is especially true in tough times, where we all have to make every cent count," Venter advises.
Suzuki's budget-beating line-up was one of the reasons why CAR Magazine identified Suzuki as their "Company to Watch" for 2017.
"Suzuki is Japan's favourite maker of compact cars and is growing its market share in many countries. The entire range offers great value, good safety features and is well known as reliable, easy-to-repair vehicles," says Venter.
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