Suzuki breaks through the 2 000-unit barrier

New sales record for the brand in South Africa, 714 units of the Suzuki Swift  sold in a single month. Suzuki now firmly in 6th place in overall sales rankings.

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In June 2008, Suzuki Auto South Africa started selling vehicles in South Africa. That month, it sold 230 units and in its first year it recorded overall sales of 2 819 units.

In October 2020, the company sold 2 032 vehicles in one month, officially breaking through the 2 000-unit barrier, setting a new overall sales record and firmly established itself as a top 6 vehicle brand in South Africa.

No fewer than 1 408 of these passenger and light commercial vehicles were sold by Suzuki dealers, with 621 units sold to fleet buyers. The total dealer sales are within striking distance of the overall dealer sales record of 1 466 units sold in September.

The sales success was made public by Naamsa, who reported the overall vehicle sales for October and for the year to date. Naamsa reports that the overall industry remains well below its 2019 year-to-date figure (450 258 sales in 2019 compared with 303 997 in 2020) and that all but a few highly popular brands are struggling to return to their pre-lockdown performance.

Naamsa recorded 731 sales of the Suzuki Swift, a stellar performance for the compact hatch, and 426 sales of the S-Presso. Following in third and fourth are the Suzuki Celerio with 147 sales and the Ertiga, which recorded 127 units sold last month.

The Swift remains a global bestseller, thanks to its compact design and engaging driving dynamics. The S-Presso, in turn, could not have come at a better time. It offers a unique combination of SUV-styling and practicality at entry-level prices. With these two models in particular, Suzuki is welcoming record numbers of new buyers into the family.

“It is important to note that Suzuki’s growth was not achieved overnight. Over the past 12 years, we have steadily invested in our corporate capacity, our product range, our local parts storage and distribution network and of course our dealer network,” says André Venter, divisional manager for sales and marketing at Suzuki Auto South Africa.

“By laying the foundations and working hard to introduce the right products into the South African market, we have been able to grow our market share steadily and consistently.”

Venter notes that Suzuki will soon open its 70th dealer, with several additional dealers under consideration for various towns and outlying areas in South Africa.

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