By Otsile Kadiege

Suzuki Auto South Africa sold 4 381 vehicles in November, recording a 2% rise over November 2022, and bucking the trend that has seen the overall vehicle market decline by 13.4% in the same month. More importantly perhaps, was the massive jump in dealer sales. Of its total vehicle sales, the Suzuki dealer network sold 3 947 units. This is a new record in South Africa, and it beats the previous record of 3 857 sales, set by Suzuki dealers a mere 30 days ago.

This is the fourth consecutive month of above-average sales for Suzuki Auto SA. It inversely correlates with the overall vehicle market, which has recorded its fourth consecutive month of declining sales.

Top performers include the Suzuki Swift which found 1 117 new homes in November, followed by the Fronx with 547 sales despite the stock challenges of this desirable model. The Fronx was launched in August, and it has quickly become one of the most popular models in the Suzuki line-up. Other very popular models include the Suzuki Ertiga, which had an exceptionally good sales month with 520 units sold. On the commercial vehicle side, the Suzuki Eeco sold 106 units in November.

“South African vehicle market has not recovered after the 2020 pandemic, but Suzuki has grown every month. This signals a change in buying habits from customers who are buying new cars. They are not necessarily staying away, they are buying into brands like Suzuki who can offer better value-for-money motoring and lower monthly fuel bills,” says Henno Havenga, General Manager of Sales and Marketing at Suzuki Auto South Africa.

To emphasise this, Havenga points to its highest ever sales month – July 2022 – when it sold 4 622 vehicles. In that month, the industry sold only 43 593 vehicles, compared to the equally low 45 075 vehicles sold in November this year. Another example is that of dealer sales. Suzuki set two new dealer sales records in the past four months, while the market declined during the same period.

“We look forward to another strong sales month in December, the first month that the Suzuki Jimny five-door range will have a full month of sales,” says Havenga.