Proving there is life after Covid, Suzuki ended the third quarter notching up its biggest sales ever and moved to sixth overall on the South African rankings.

According to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA (Naamsa), Suzuki retailed 1 787 cars, SUVs, and commercial vehicles in September. In doing so, it shattered its previous sales record set in February (1 696 vehicles) and jumped in the overall sales rankings to sixth with an all-time passenger market share record of 7,46%.

The sales for September, which is traditionally a busy month at the end of a sales quarter, show the industry sold 37 403 vehicles in the month. This is 23,9% down on the same month last year. The hotly contested passenger vehicle market is down by 31,2% to 22 798 vehicles in the same comparison.

Suzuki’s sales record includes purchases by vehicle rental companies of 320 Suzuki models, with nearly all other units sold by dealers.

“We welcome the return of fleet buyers, as this is an important pillar of the automotive sector. To us, their return business is a thumbs up to the quality of our Suzuki vehicles, because vehicle rental companies cannot afford to have vehicles breaking down, taking too long to repair or to be the source of complaints from users,” says André Venter, divisional manager of Suzuki Auto South Africa.

“We are, however, the proudest of the performance of our dealer network. We realise dealers are working under tough conditions and that prospective customers are reluctant to part with their money when COVID-19 has created so much uncertainty.

“The fact the dealer network has set a new record is testimony to its commitment, its relationship with customers and also of our range of vehicles, which has something for every budget and taste,” says Venter.

Naamsa reports that the Suzuki dealer network sold 1 466 vehicles, quite a number more than before and a full 33 cars more than the overall sales in June this year, the first full month after the hard lockdown.

Of these cars, the S-Presso and Swift are vying for the title of South Africa’s favourite Suzuki. This month, the S-Presso took the crown with 538 units, while the Swift followed closely with 533 new owners.

The Jimny, which is fast becoming one of South Africa’s favourite 4×4 vehicles, sold 100 units to celebrate its 50th anniversary.