Suzuki Marine South Africa ended 2020 on a high note. A very high one indeed, as it sold more outboards in 2020 than ever before.
Suzuki Marine sold 960 outboards in 2020. In doing so, it shattered its previous sales record set in 2018 (919 outboards). It reached 40 % market share for the whole market including export. Looking at South Africa only, Suzuki reached an all-time market share record of 50.7% in 4-stroke outboard sales in South Africa. That makes Suzuki the best-selling 4-stroke outboard in South Africa, a coveted number 1 position that Suzuki has held since 2012 (except for 2017 & 2019).
Of these outboards, the DF100B and DF200A are vying for the title of South Africa’s favorite Suzuki outboard. Suzuki has also launched the new DF140BG which is based on the best-selling DF140A and now incorporates drive-by-wire controls and which is expected to be very successful in 2021.
The sales for December, which is traditionally a busy month before the holidays, show that the industry sold 171 outboards in the month. This is 26% down on the same month last year. The hotly contested outboard market is down by 4.5% to 2278 outboards in the same comparison for the whole year 2020.
Suzuki’s sales record includes purchases in the recreational market with new people entering boating lifestyle. We welcome first time boat buyers, as this is an important pillar of the boating sector. The market is very small and we are very excited for new people to explore the lifestyle of boating. We are very thankful that boating has done so well after lockdown as this is an activity that can be safely practiced outside and in isolation with one’s family. During lockdown Suzuki Marine South Africa has therefore made a lot of boating content available on the blog for new boaters to learn the basics of boating.
We are, however, the proudest of the performance of our dealer network. We realize that dealers are working under tough conditions and that prospective customers have a lot of uncertainty with the devastating and unfortunate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fact that the dealer network has set a new record is testimony to its commitment, its relationship with customers and also of our range of outboards, which has something for every budget and taste.
To paraphrase a quote from Brad Sugars, “Success happens one day at a time… Day after day… Consistency wins the race in the end.”
With consistent excellent customer service in mind, we look forward to welcoming more customers to discover the boating lifestyle with Suzuki!
