Suzuki in a state of growth

To the end of March, the Australian new car market was up 8.7 per cent while Queensland was up 10.5 per cent.

However, Suzuki sales in Queensland were up 18.24 per cent.

It follows record growth over the past five years for Suzuki Auto Co which imports vehicles for Queensland and is a separate company from Suzuki Australia which handles imports for the rest of the nation.

Suzuki Auto Co general manager Keith Carroll said Queensland was the strongest performing state, selling 42 per cent of all Suzukis in Australia.

“The strength of the product line-up and its relevance to the Queensland market is eagerly being matched by the commitment of the dealer network to the consumer,” he said.

Carroll said growth had been across the product range with 16.5 per cent sales increase in the Swift small car, 9.6 per cent growth in Grand Vitara sports utility vehicle, 70 per cent growth in the APV (All-Purpose Van) and 4 per cent for Jimny all-wheel drive.

He predicted further growth this year with more model variants becoming available.

A base model of the SX4 all-wheel-drive small car will be available in June with about a $1500 discount on the $24,390 vehicle.

It will be stripped down to two airbags, no fog lights, steel wheels, and no keyless entry.

A 2-litre two-wheel-drive SX4 sedan and hatch will arrive at the end of the year.

The sedan will replace the Liana. However, Carroll said that with demand for the Liana still high and supply limited, there would be no discounting of the $18,990 drive-away runout model.

Carroll said Suzuki would start importing frugal diesel-powered cars in about 18 months, probably starting with the Grand Vitara and SX4.

“We would have liked diesel in the SX4 from day one,” he said.

“It would be good to have a passenger car diesel at the same time as a four-wheel drive.”

Carroll said it would be a 2 or 2.3-litre diesel engine and the cars would have a higher level of trim.

“We have to show that you get a little bit more wow for your dollar,” he said.

Supply continued to be the limiting factor on sales growth.

However, Carroll said Suzuki was building new plants in Japan, Hungary and India increasing production by 33 per cent.