Suzuki dealers across South Africa are celebrating the brand’s most successful quarter in its history.
Suzuki Auto recently compiled its results for the first quarter of 2023 (January to April), with a total number of 16 020 Suzuki vehicles sold for the period. This gives the brand a market share of over 13% of the South African passenger vehicle market for the same period.
“Our dealers are by far the most important part of our sales network. They not only represent most of the vehicle sales for Suzuki, but they are also the first and often the only contact point between Suzuki and its customers,” says Henno Havenga, Manager of Dealer Sales at Suzuki Auto South Africa.
Vehicle manufacturers like Suzuki do not own its own dealers, but rather partner with businesses and entrepreneurs. These businesses open a showroom to Suzuki standards and then sell vehicles to people in their area.
To support this model, the Suzuki Head Office and regional support teams will assist dealers to maintain the highest level of customer service. They will also help with any problems that may arise.
Suzuki Auto also delivers service and repair parts to dealers on a daily basis to ensure that they maintain the vehicles entrusted to their care to the highest standards.
Lastly, Suzuki Auto takes care of the larger bulk sales to rental companies and larger vehicle fleets in the public and private sector.
“We have said it often in the past, but it is worth repeating – a vehicle brand’s dealer sales are a barometer of its brand health. Each sale by a dealer represents a South African buyer who chose Suzuki. That is why we monitor our dealer sales so closely and why we are so proud of our network, whilst we maintain strong focus on effectively servicing our corporate customers” says Havenga.
In April, the Suzuki dealer network was responsible for 99% of all Suzuki vehicle sales. Suzuki sold 3 620 vehicles in total, with its dealers contributing 3 605 of these sales.
With this stellar achievement, Suzuki dealers once again rank amongst the best in the South African Motor Industry. The Suzuki dealer network has consistently achieved a podium position for more than 12 months, fortifying Suzuki’s positioning as one of South Africa’s favourite automotive brands.
At the same time, the vehicle sales statistics show that Suzuki dealers sold 1 215 Suzuki Swift models in April. This means more customers walked onto a Suzuki dealer showroom and chose the Suzuki Swift than any other passenger vehicle on the market.
“The popularity of the Suzuki Swift, and the success of the Suzuki dealer network, show that the Suzuki brand is healthy and growing. We do not take this for granted and we invest most of our time and money to ensure that we and our dealer partners keep customers happy, while also welcoming more customers into the fold,” says Havenga.
The newest Suzuki dealers to join the network are Suzuki Mossel Bay, Suzuki Edenvale, and Suzuki Brits. These dealerships recently opened their doors to serve their fast-growing towns and regions. Suzuki Auto South Africa now has 97 dealers.
