Suzuki car sales zoom into third place

In August Suzuki Auto SA set a new sales record, only to break it again in September.

In a market held back by global vehicle shortages and lockdown restrictions, the budget-focused Japanese brand sold 3,134 new vehicles last month, beating the previous record by more than 600 units and for the first time elevating Suzuki to a top three position in overall vehicle sales.

Toyota retained its market leadership with 10,936 units sold in September, ahead of Volkswagen (7,029), Suzuki (3,134), Hyundai (2,930), Renault (2,520), Nissan (2,330), Kia (2,230), Ford (2,021), Haval (1,990) and Isuzu (1,924) rounding out the top 10.

In becoming SA’s third most popular new car brand last month, Suzuki achieved a 7.2% market share, the company’s highest to date. Its growth reflects a buy-down trend with consumers seeking more affordable cars.

“We are ecstatic about the national sales results,” said Henno Havenga, manager for auto dealer sales at Suzuki Auto.

“Virtually every vehicle we were able to deliver to a dealer found a new owner, and dealers report many more customers queueing for their Suzuki passenger vehicle, SUV or Super Carry commercial vehicle.”

This is the first time Suzuki has broken through the 3,000-unit mark in one month. To put it in perspective, Suzuki set a new record of 1,577 units in July 2019 and broke through the 2,000-unit barrier in October 2020 with a record of 2,032 units.

Suzuki’s sales have continued increasing at a fast rate, despite the effects of a global pandemic and local sales disruptions.

The brand’s top performer was the Swift hatch which sold 935 units last month, followed by 504 units recorded by the S-Presso budget hatchback, SA’s most affordable car. Next up were the Vitara Brezza compact SUV (455), the seven-seater Ertiga (387) and the Jimny compact off-roader (255).