How Suzuki Auto became SA’s sixth best-selling passenger car brand
Since 2018 Suzuki has bettered its monthly sales figures regularly and the brand's dealer network was expanding at a rapid rate.
Suzuki Auto has just broken its own sales record for the umpteenth time in recent years, selling a whopping 2 397 units in March in SA. According to Naamsa (National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA), the Japanese brand now boasts a passenger vehicle market share of 8.54% and sits at number six, with only VW, Toyota, Ford, Nissan and Hyundai selling more cars in the country month-on-month.
How did Suzuki grow so rapidly in a market which has been under severe economic pressure for the last five years? Let’s take a look:
SA background
Up until 2004, the Suzuki brand was distributed under the Delta Motors (which became General Motors SA) umbrella – along with Opel and Isuzu. However, in 2004 the agreement was terminated, leading to a four-year gap during which Suzuki was unavailable on the SA market. During this time, Suzuki Global (Japan) recognised SA as a great entry point into the African automotive market.
In 2007 they decided to take the opportunity to establish a head office in Johannesburg, and so Suzuki Auto SA (SASA) was officially founded. Suzuki Global set Suzuki Auto SA up as a direct subsidiary (100% ownership), removing the middleman. This brought the Suzuki brand much closer to the end customer – making the cars and replacement parts freely available to consumers.
While other new brands entering the SA market focused their energy on gaining market share as quickly as possible (only to exit the market as quickly as they arrived), Suzuki focused on building solid foundations for the future.
On 1 February, 2008 the brand was re-launched in the country with 12 dealerships, offering only two models to begin with – the Suzuki Swift and the SX4. The first new Suzuki was sold in June 2008, an SX4. By September that year, Suzuki Auto SA increased its dealer network to 15 dealerships and introduced two new models to its range – the Suzuki Jimny and the Grand Vitara.
Rapid growth
Ten years later and Suzuki had sold 100 000 cars since its re-entry, and won the coveted cars.co.za Brand of the Year title twice. 2018 was the year in which Suzuki Auto SA really started gaining momentum in the local market. From there onward, Suzuki bettered its monthly sales figures regularly and the brand’s dealer network was expanding at a rapid rate. In August 2018, Suzuki sold a record 1 179 new vehicles. Exactly a year later, in August 2019, Suzuki reported 1 577 vehicles sold, and a month later celebrated 75 000 vehicles sold in SA since its return.
In August 2020, Suzuki Auto SA moved to new premises in Linbro Business Park in Johannesburg – which is 42% larger – a move necessitated by the brand’s continuous growth, and three months later hit the 100 000 vehicles sold mark.
As it stands, Suzuki Auto SA has 79 dealerships across the country, making aftersales service as easy as just about every other brand on the market. Its line-up, from the initial two models on offer in 2008, is now 12 vehicles strong, with a full range of hatchbacks and SUVs.
