- Suzuki Auto South Africa punches through 6,000 unit barrier for first time ever
- Japanese carmaker third overall in manufacturer sales
- Total Suzuki Swift sales amount to 1,179 units
Suzuki Auto South Africa and its network of 113 dealers hit it out of the park in October with an incredible new sales record.
According to the official sales report – published by industry body naamsa on the first business day of every month – 6,006 new Suzuki passenger vehicles were sold to customers during October: an average of nearly 194 vehicles sold every day.
This figure represents a new all-time local sales record for the Japanese carmaker, surpassing its previous record of over 5,000 new vehicles sold in January 2024. It also places Suzuki Auto South Africa third overall in the total vehicle sales by manufacturer rankings.
“This is an absolutely phenomenal accomplishment,” says Henno Havenga, General Manager of Sales and Marketing at Suzuki Auto South Africa.
“Given the challenges of the current economic climate, breaking the 6,000-unit barrier is a hardfought milestone that everyone in our South African unit can be immensely proud of achieving. I believe this record is also testament to the products we’re putting out: quality vehicles offering strong performance, low running costs and excellent value for money. It’s also reflective of our dealer network and the positive service it provides.”
Leading the sales charge was the venerable Suzuki Swift with 1,179 units sold – 985 of which were the fourth-generation variant. A recent addition to the dealer network’s showroom floors, this all-new model sees the debut of Suzuki’s advanced new Z12E 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine offering a combined fuel consumption figure as low as 4.4l/100km. It comes standard with best-in-class safety features such as six airbags, ESP, ABS, EBD, BAS and ISOFIX anchor points.
Launched towards the end of 2023, the Suzuki Fronx demonstrated similarly robust performance with 1,109 units finding new homes over the course of October. Priced from R298,900 and powered by a punchy 1.5-litre engine, this crossover SUV marries the brand’s signature exterior styling with cutting-edge features and safety tech.
Last but not least, the Suzuki Baleno racked up impressive numbers with 672 units sold. This stylish B-segment hatchback raises the bar with LED projector headlamps, a 360º view camera, head-up display and nine-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It’s big on space too with seating for five people (the rear bench boasts a trio of three-point ELR seat belts) and a generous 314l boot expandable to 646l.
As an interesting side note, the Suzuki Fronx, Suzuki Swift and Suzuki Baleno are all finalists in the annual Cars.co.za Consumer Awards: South Africa’s most comprehensive and authoritative motoring awards programme that annually recognises the best purchasing propositions in 13 respective segments of the local new-vehicle market.
“At Suzuki Auto South Africa, we are thrilled to see sustained growth in our sales performance – especially when rising living costs have so many consumers tightening their belts. This encouraging result is an excellent way to begin the fourth quarter, and we are confident the launch of the fourth-generation Swift will continue to help drive sales right the way through it. The previous model proved a strong seller for us, so we have high hopes for this exciting new addition to the Suzuki range,” says Havenga.