By Otsile Kadiege

Suzuki Auto South Africa reported on Thursday last week that it had sold 4 164 new vehicles in August, with a total of 3 563 (86%) of those vehicles sold through the dealer channel. This is a new record for Suzuki dealers.

As before, the Suzuki Swift remains the most popular Suzuki passenger vehicle across all sales channels. In August, Suzuki handed over the keys to 1 369 new owners of Swift models. Following in second place was the Vitara Brezza (679 units), and then the Baleno, which found 476 new homes. The S-Presso and Celerio sold 483 and 144 units respectively.

The automotive industry body, naamsa, also reported that Suzuki strengthened its position as the third-placed best-selling brand in the country, with a growing gap of over 1 000 vehicles to the fourth-placed vehicle brand. Naamsa adds, Suzuki commands 8.78% of the total vehicle market and an impressive 13.1% of the passenger vehicle market. In overall sales numbers, this means that Suzuki sold over 30 000 new vehicles in the first eight months of this year.

Suzuki Auto South Africa was the first place, outside of India, to showcase the new Suzuki Grand Vitara to the public. The Grand Vitara took centre stage on the Suzuki stand at the Festival of Motoring. Suzuki also welcomed a record number of visitors to its display and driving event at the Festival of Motoring. According to the organisers, a total of 1 807 people queued up to drive or be driven in a Suzuki at one of the many experiences at the Festival.