The brothers took home the silverware at the recent Suzuki Dealer of the Year Awards as the best rural dealer, and they will soon open a second Suzuki floor in Malmesbury, about 100 km from their home base in Vredenburg.

“We are proud of and honoured by the award. It is the first time that we have managed to win this award,” says Ernest Hugo, Dealer Principal and co-owner of Suzuki Vredenburg. “We have worked hard across all spectrums of the business to meet or exceed the required criteria, and the hard work has definitely paid off. Keeping our customers happy and working with dedicated staff are the foundations of our success.

Ernest tells Dealerfloor the new dealership for Malmesbury will be ready for business in September. His brother and co-owner of their business, Wynand, will be the new Dealer Principal. Wynand is currently the Sales Manager at Suzuki Vredenburg.

The two brothers are operating under the Hugo & Hugo holding company name. This unique company name originated with from their father and grandfather’s business, which started many decades ago in 1974 with the Toyota dealership in town.

“Our family has always been in the motor trade. In 2011, my father sold the Toyota dealership, and we kept on trading in used vehicles until 2015. It was then that our paths crossed with Suzuki, and we have never looked back,” says Ernest.

Ernest says they are still trading today from the same premises where his father and grandfather started their business, although the facilities underwent a number of changes over the years. “Our location is good, and everyone knows where the original Hugo & Hugo was.

“The used vehicle market is still very important to us, and we are also looking at an opportunity to set up a used car dealership in one of the surrounding towns soon and expanding our existing one at the current dealership.”

Ernest says they sell most of their new and used vehicles to customers in their area, which includes surrounding towns such as Saldanha, Velddrif, Paternoster, Langebaan and other adjacent towns in the Northern Cape. “In our area here on the West Coast, the economic drivers are mainly the fishing industry and people relocating from Gauteng, either retiring or working from home.

“The flow of stock seems to be getting better and at least we are able to supply stock of our best sellers like the Suzuki Swift and Suzuki Vitara Brezza to customers. Suzuki’s reputation for reliability, good warranty and service plans, competitive prices and economic fuel consumption contributes to the brand’s popularity on the West Coast,” he tells Dealerfloor.