Suzuki’s South African division broke through the 50,000-sales-per-year barrier for the very first time in its history.
Received this week, the Japanese brand’s audited sales figures for the 2023/2024 financial period show that it sold a total of 51,969 new cars in our market between April 2023 and March 2024.
“We missed the 50,000 mark with the narrowest of margins in the last financial year, when we sold 49,576 vehicles,” said Henno Havenga, the General Manager of Sales and Marketing at Suzuki Auto South Africa.
“So it was with great joy that we were informed of our sales figure for the most recent financial year.”
A big year for Suzuki South Africa
The news that it eclipsed 50,000 sales was but the cherry on top of a very big 2023 for Suzuki South Africa.
The brand kicked off the financial year with the launch of its new flagship model in April, the Grand Vitara, which also marked the introduction of the first electrified Suzuki to local roads.
In the same month, it brought the Eeco to South African showrooms, too, aimed at satisfying the demands of its commercial clients.
In August, the six-seater XL6 and new Fronx crossover landed in dealerships, and in November, the larger Jimny 5-door joined its 3-door sibling on the shelves.
During this period, Suzuki’s local subsidiary also carved numerous memorable moments into its bedposts.
In July 2023, it welcomed its 200,000th South African customer, a feat that was 15 years in the making.
Come September, the brand hosted the inaugural Suzuki Safari Town Festival in the town of Clarens, Free State, and in the process set a new world record for the “most vehicles to switch on their lights simultaneously” at a total of 787 cars – which was verified by none other than the Guinness World Records.
The festival also played host to one of the largest Suzuki Jimny gatherings to date with over 800 Jimny, SJ, Samurai, and LJ owners getting together.
Suzuki then ventured into 2024 with a bang, breaking its all-time monthly sales record with a new peak of 5,235 units in January.
Just one month later, in February 2024, the automaker’s domestic dealer network captured another record-breaking statistic with 4,488 vehicles sold to individual buyers and small businesses.
Continuing its hot streak in March, Suzuki was triumphant in the entry-level hatch, budget hatch, and entry-level crossover categories of the 2024 Cars.co.za Consumer Awards competition.
In a declining market, Suzuki managed to rapidly grow its sales and market share over the last 12 months and its venerable Swift is regularly listed as one of the nation’s top 10 favourite cars to purchase.
The Japanese brand is now nipping at the heels of Germany’s VW, which for many years has been South Africa’s second-best-selling car manufacturer.
“People are feeling the pinch of high interest rates and the underlying increase in the cost of living,” said Havenga.
“As Suzuki, we are working hard to offer a solution with attractive and reliable new vehicles that are both affordable to purchase and maintain. These value-for-money offerings have proven popular with South Africans and have contributed to Suzuki’s continued success, despite the negative market conditions.”
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