Suzuki makes strides during tough year
published : 3 Feb 2021 at 04:00
newspaper section: Business
writer: Lamonphet Apisitniran
Suzuki Motor Thailand saw its domestic car sales increase by 7% year-on-year in 2020 to 25,528 units as the Japanese automaker adopted a customer-centred approach to help it get through a tough year for the car industry.
The company attributed the result to its marketing and sales strategies which introduced various car models to best suit prospective buyers in each segment of the car market.
"Suzuki has adjusted its strategies to better serve customers during hard times," said Suzuki Motor Thailand president Minoru Amano.
He admitted outbreaks of the pandemic had affected the automotive sector and other key industries in Thailand, but his company remains hopeful it can get through the crisis.
According to the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), overall domestic car sales in Thailand decreased by 21.4% year-on-year to 792,146 units.
Mr Amano said his company will continue to take care of customers by upgrading every aspect of its showrooms and after-sales services including service centres throughout the country.
Suzuki will expand its dealerships to cover 140 locations across Thailand by March 2022.
It has also launched the New Suzuki Swift, the company's latest premium sports eco-car, in the hope it will be attractive to Thai consumers.
Wallop Treererkngam, Suzuki's executive director for sales and marketing, said the company hopes to sell 12,000 units of the new Swift, with prices starting from 557,000 baht.
The firm is targetting overall domestic car sales of 30,000 units in 2021.
"We also aim to become a leading manufacturer of eco-cars in Thailand," Mr Wallop said.
