It picked these small organisations with the help of friends of the brand who each shared the name of an entrepreneur that could do with some help.

These entrepreneurs and small businesses will have access to the Eeco – rent free – for three months.

“As with many of our other vehicles, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. We want entrepreneurs to drive the Eeco, see how much they can load and lock up in the loading bay and test for themselves how frugal the 1.2 litre four-cylinder petrol engine really is,” says Brendon Carpenter, Brand Marketing Manager of Suzuki Auto South Africa.

The Eeco is fitted with air conditioning, dual front airbags, anti-locking brakes (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), electric stability control (ESP) with traction control (TC) and even ready-to-instal wiring for the fitment of a single-DIN radio. Also included are the dual sliding side doors and a large rear door.

To prove the value and versatility of the Eeco, Suzuki recently embarked on a concept it called #VanLife. With this campaign, the company challenged creative spirits and leisure equipment designers to create a ready-to-live-in camper van inside the Suzuki Eeco.

This campaign saw the effective transformation of a Suzuki Eeco where the designers, with the help of a third-party technical supplier, included as many home comforts as possible. These include seats, a smart bed that can convert into either a bench or a single or three-quarter bed, plenty of storage space with large below-floor drawers and even a basin with washing facilities. The two front seats were left untouched.

The #VanLife Suzuki Eeco also has a large, collapsible veranda that opens to create shade and shelter across the rear and side of the Eeco, allowing for quick deployment and easy to erect.

“For the #VanLife campaign, we were inspired by the social media trend where young and the young-at-heart were converting large panel vans into mobile homes.

“Their novel use of space and unique ways of converting a stark panel van into a homely living space drove us to try the same, but with a panel van that is compact and affordable,” says Brendon.

While the Suzuki Eeco #Vanlife concept travels the country, Suzuki will also showcase its Eeco and Super Carry at Cashbuild stores across the country.

Like Suzuki, Cashbuild has established itself on a solid foundation of offering the best value-for-money building and hardware products for cash-conscious customers and small businesses. Today, Cashbuild is recognised as the largest retailer of building materials and associated products in South Africa.

“We have already started to showcase the Eeco and Super Carry at as many of the 318 Cashbuild stores as possible,” says Brendon.

“We are partnering with our local dealers in each area to invite Cashbuild customers to test our two workhorses and see how they can easily fit into their lives and businesses.”