SUZUKI Australia has lifted its dealership numbers from 88 to 95 in the current financial year and plans further appointments to cover what it terms “crucial open points”.

The company’s general manager, Michael Pachota, said development of the dealer network was being “carefully worked on”.

“The aim is to further enhance our performance with greater awareness geographically, with a high priority on customer satisfaction through convenience to deliver on a total Suzuki experience,” he said.

“Our recent dealer appointments reflect our business strategy with an aim to maximize awareness from a geographical position.

“We found in various regions, due to changes over time, openings in prime market areas may have arisen and were simply never filled.”

Suzuki said its product fitted into the urban lifestyle of the majority of its customers.

“As cities and housing developments continuously expand, so must we keep up with the demand of a growing population by enhancing rather than compromising our existing network opportunities,” he said.

Suzuki Australia has rolled out its Suzuki Showroom Design Guidelines as a subtle corporate identity that Mr Pachota said focused on “a more sophisticated but bright and vibrant image for the brand”.

“More importantly, it provides a comfortable, welcoming space for Suzuki customers,” he said.

Suzuki Australia, which is responsible for all national dealers except Queensland, added 11 dealers in the current financial year. Seven of the new dealers are in cities and four are in regional centres.

Suzuki sales are down 3.5 per cent year to date with a 11.9 per cent drop in May compared to the same month in 2017.

The Suzuki Baleno incurred a 42.5 per cent sales drop while the Swift, Jimny and Grand Vitara were in positive territory.

By Neil Dowling