The success story of Suzuki in South Africa continues as the month of August comes to a close. Thanks to its accessible product line-up, the brand confirms that a record month of sales has been achieved which places it in the top five ranking manufacturers in the country.
Naamsa, the automotive industry business council, reported that Suzuki hit an all-time new high with total sales of 2 470 vehicles in August. Importantly, 74,2 per cent of the sales within the last three quarters were to private individuals and small businesses through the Suzuki dealer network. The balance of sales was sold to rental companies that are updating their corporate and rental fleets.
During August, the Suzuki S-Presso was the top performer, selling 754 new units. It was followed closely by the Swift with 602 units and the Vitara Brezza, which found 466 new homes in the same month. With these numbers, the Japanese brand has become the fifth best-selling manufacturer in the country, behind Toyota, Volkswagen, Nissan and Hyundai.
Henno Havenga, manager for auto dealer sales at Suzuki Auto, says: “The record number belies the very hard work done by our dealer network, which has had to endure strict lockdown protocols, delays in vehicle shipments and an overwhelming demand from customers.
“We would like to thank all dealers for their tireless work to deliver vehicles to customers on our waiting list and to keep those yet to receive their Suzukis informed and happy.
“Since our last record month, there have been a few unfortunate disruptions, including vehicle shipments. The record sales are a testament to the entire network’s hard work and to the support from our loyal customers, and we hope to maintain this momentum in the coming months,”
This is the third record month for Suzuki in 2021 and it follows a year in which the company set new benchmarks, despite the severe lockdown disruptions and a general slowdown of international shipments. The first record for the year was hit in February, when the company sold 2 142 vehicles, and it was soon followed by another record in March, when Suzuki hit sales of 2 397 vehicles.
