Despite the havoc Covid-19 is wreaking on the domestic economy, Suzuki Auto South Africa (Suzuki SA) set a new sales record in September, retailing 1 787 cars, sports-utility vehicles and commercial vehicles.
In doing so, the local arm of the Japanese small-car maker shattered its previous sales record, set in February, of 1 696 vehicles.
Suzuki SA also jumped in the overall domestic sales rankings to sixth place, with an all-time-high passenger-car market share of 7.46%.
The company achieved its new record in a total new-vehicle sales market that declined by 23.9% in September compared with the same month last year.
Suzuki SA says its new sales record included vehicle rental companies returning to the market to buy 320 Suzukis, with nearly all other units sold by dealers.
“We welcome the return of fleet buyers, as this is an important pillar of the automotive sector,” says Suzuki SA divisional manager André Venter.
“To us, their return business is a thumbs up to the quality of our Suzuki vehicles, because vehicle rental companies cannot afford to have vehicles breaking down, taking too long to repair or to be the source of complaints from users.”
“We are, however, the proudest of the performance of our dealer network,” he adds.
“We realise that dealers are working under tough conditions and that prospective customers are reluctant to part with their money when Covid-19 has created so much uncertainty.
“The fact that the dealer network has set a new record is testimony to its commitment, its relationship with customers and also of our range of vehicles, which has something for every budget and taste.”
The S-Presso and Swift are currently the most popular Suzuki models.
In September, the S-Presso took the crown with 538 units, while the Swift followed closely with 533 new owners.