New Suzuki Swift Sweeping Small Car Market In NZ

New Suzuki Swift Sweeping Small Car Market In New Zealand

The new Suzuki Swift five-door hatchback was the biggest selling compact car in New Zealand in July.

Six months after the chic looking cars’ local debut, it has become the fastest selling Suzuki passenger car ever sold in New Zealand.

Sales for the 1.5 litre Swift reached record levels in July, elevating the model to the number one position with 23 per cent penetration of the compact car market, according to official Motor Industry Association figures.

In the overall model sales list, the Swift ranked fifth behind three large cars and one four-wheel-drive model.

Local sales for the "global model" have topped 800 since the model's introduction in February.

The Swift has taken international markets by storm, helping boost Suzuki's production volumes to a record high in June.

One of the most significant Suzuki vehicles to emerge from the Japanese company in years, the Swift is regarded by critics as a stand-out super-mini with a blend of eye-catching good looks, Japanese quality and European-inspired driving dynamics.

The new Swift has been a key factor in rising Suzuki car sales in New Zealand. For the first seven months of 2005, registrations of new Suzuki passenger cars rose by 60 per cent over the same period last year – the biggest growth ever experienced by the brand.

Total new car sales increased by just 4.2 per cent during the same January-July period.

Although Swift was only launched onto the New Zealand market in February, it is still the second best-selling new car in the super-mini class for the first seven months of 2005, beaten only by the Honda Jazz.

Swift sales year-to-date are ahead of the Toyota Echo, Daihatsu Sirion, Hyundai Getz and Holden Barina.

"Suzuki is on track to achieve record passenger car sales in New Zealand this year," said Tom Peck, General Manager of Marketing for Suzuki New Zealand Ltd.

"The new Swift has been in strong demand and with other product changes upcoming soon, the Suzuki momentum will only increase," he said.

Swift sales have also been running hot in Australia where the model has exceeded its targets every month since it was launched.

Mirroring the New Zealand result, total Suzuki car sales across the Tasman are 63 per cent ahead of the same time last year as a result of high demand for the Swift.

In India the model has attracted a four-month waiting list, while production has yet to start in China.

Suzuki Motor Corporation expects global sales of its cars to jump 16 per cent to 2.189 million units in the current financial year.

The company's new five-year plan through until March 2010 calls for raising global car sales by 700,000 annually.

Already ranked Japan's fourth biggest motor manufacturer and Japan's top mini-vehicle producer, the company is committing bigger investment spending to expand capacity as it aggressively widens overseas production.

The Swift is the first product of Suzuki's innovative programme aimed at strengthening its position as both a leading compact car manufacturer and one of the world's leading motorcycle brands.

Prices for the Swift start from $18,990, and two grades of specification with a choice of either a manual gearbox or automatic transmission are available in New Zealand.

ENDS

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