Record-Breaking Suzuki Does It Again in 2007 in NZ

Click to enlarge

Suzuki is once again the most improved new car brand in New Zealand when it comes to motor vehicle sales.

For the second successive year, Suzuki has captured record sales, according to latest figures issued by the Motor Industry Association.

Official statistics reveal Suzuki sold a record 4,221 new cars in 2007, resulting in the highest ever market penetration of 5.45 percent.

This volume represented a 36.5 percent increase over the 3,092 sales recorded in 2006 when Suzuki achieved 3.23 percent of the local market. In contrast, total new car sales in New Zealand rose less than one percent during the same period.

Suzuki also more than doubled the sales volume of its commercial vehicles last year.

In total motor vehicle sales, Suzuki took 4.35 percent of the industry volume, another record for the make.

Suzuki’s combined new car and commercial vehicle sales were up 39.6 percent compared to 2006, while total industry sales improved by just 2.5 percent.

The march on the local market by Suzuki Motor Corporation in 2007 was led by the highly acclaimed Swift five-door hatchback that was New Zealand’s most popular super mini for the third successive year.

With sales of 2,506, the accomplished Swift posted its best-ever year with a 19.3 percent improvement on 2006.

Sales of new Swifts in December 2007 were good enough to place the model third overall in the best selling list, behind only the Toyota Corolla and Holden Commodore.

The Swift finished fourth overall in the top 15 model ranking for all new cars in 2007, up from sixth position in 2006. At the same time, the Swift cemented its number one supermini position, finishing comfortably clear of its nearest rival.

Most popular version of the Swift was the 1.5-litre Ltd automatic which accounted for 42 percent of total volume for the model.

New Zealand’s most popular hot hatch, the 1.6-litre Swift Sport, in its first full year of sales took 20 percent of all Swift sales for the year.

“More than 500 new Swift Sports were retailed, a remarkably high figure for a specialist, high performance model,” said Tom Peck, General Manager of Marketing for Suzuki New Zealand.

Another Suzuki success story was the newly introduced SX4 five-door hatchback which achieved 933 sales, or 37 percent of Suzuki’s total new car volume.

Demand for the versatile global car was strong enough to make the SX4 the second largest selling Suzuki model. The Ltd with automatic transmission was the biggest selling SX4, which is available in either all-wheel drive or front wheel drive forms.

The versatile APV Van has been a great success with business operators appreciating the models economy and ease of use. Sales of APV Van over doubled in 2007 as awareness grew for the model.

Most popular versions of the third-generation Grand Vitara were the 2.0-litre four-cylinder JLX automatic and 2.7-litre V6 automatic versions. They each posted almost equal sales last year.

Rounding out a solid year for Suzuki was the evergreen 1.3-litre Jimny, one of the most economical four-wheel-drive cars available. Sales of new Jimny’s increased by 86.8 percent over 2006 following renewed interest in the model.

ENDS

© Scoop Media