So says Adelene le Roux, Dealer Principal, at Morgan Group’s Nissan, Mitsubishi and now also Suzuki multi-franchise in Mashishing (previously Lydenburg) in the northern part of Mpumalanga.

She says they recently celebrated the official opening of the dealership and are now eagerly waiting for the much-anticipated new Suzuki Swift that is on its way to the dealership. “The Suzuki brand has an excellent track record in South Africa and is already popular in our region, she tells Dealerfloor.

Adelene says the new Suzuki dealership forms part of the existing multi-franchise with its Nissan and Mitsubishi dealerships. “We revamped the set-up around our used car division to accommodate a showroom for Suzuki.

“We have also appointed a new parts salesperson for Suzuki, and our current technical staff have done all the necessary training on the brand. Our sales team is also up to date with the new addition to our business,” she says.

Adelene tells Dealerfloor that with the demise of the popular “cash cow” on the Nissan side, the NP200 bakkie, the Suzuki Eeco panel van and Super Carry bakkie are ready to step in and handle virtually all the tasks that made the NP200 so popular as a commercial vehicle.

She says that business conditions in Mashishing are tough like in most other, similar environments in the country. “Our area consists of a large agricultural sector (citrus, mixed and game farming), and we have platinum and chrome mines in the area.

“Notwithstanding that, we have a lot to be thankful for and with the addition of Suzuki, business is sure to blossom. Suzuki is a volume brand with a strong value-for-money approach and a favourable entry price that will boost our business. Currently, the Suzuki Fronx and the Ertiga are among the most popular models so far,” she says.

In the meantime Adelene says they are looking forward to the official Suzuki Swift launch and to introduce this top seller in the Japanese brand portfolio to the local customers in the region. She says from the Suzuki side, they will cover an area all the way to places like Graskop, Sabie, Pelgrim’s Rest, eMakhazeni (previously Belfast) and Dullstroom.