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| Suzuki Italia President Nobuo Fujita |
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Since Nobuo Fujita took over as president of Suzuki Italia in 2003 and Romano Valente became general manager in 2004, the Japanese carmaker has achieved double-digit growth annually, with a total of 43 percent growth over the past four years.
Committed to launch at least one new product every year, Suzuki unveiled its latest model – the compact Splash – in Italy and the rest of Europe this year with resounding success. It got similar accolades for its Swift, Grand Vitara and Sx4 models.
“Our vehicles fit the needs of our local customers, who favor elegance, functionality and overall good performance,” Fujita says.
With 65 percent of sales coming from northern Italy, Fujita and Valente recognize the importance of the region. Two-thirds of its business is found in the automotive sector, while the other third is in motorcycle and marine parts sales.
“We’re No. 1 in Europe for sales volume of both motorcycles and cars,” says Fujita.
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| Splash, the new compact car from Suzuki, is ideal for families and for highly mobile urban dwellers. |
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In line with Suzuki’s “2010 Plan” to increase worldwide sales, Fujita and Valente are confident that the latest models of the Swift and Splash will help drive sales further in Italy and keep them on track.
“The Swift has a three and a half year history in the Italian market and has achieved significant growth, with 16,000 units sold in 2007 alone,” says Fujita.
The Splash is the first model in the second phase of Suzuki’s world strategy whose focus is families.
“The Splash can be described as young, sporty and family-oriented and good for everyday use,” says Valente. The Splash is also known for being environmentally friendly with CO2 emissions of just 120 g/km and fuel consumption of just 5 L/100 km.
The Sx4 has also proven its success in the country after Suzuki came out with a smaller model customized for European customers.
Fujita attributes a huge part of Suzuki’s success to its loyal dealer network across the country.
“We have 95 dealerships in Italy and almost 50 percent are exclusive distributors of Suzuki. I have visited all of the dealers, and I know most of them personally, including some of their families. The human impact is so important here. This is what makes us successful in the market,” Fujita says.
After-sales service is another key component of Suzuki’s strategy.
“All of our technicians are trained thoroughly upon the introduction of a new model. Under our new customer care policy, we hope that buyers have at least five years of ownership. This five-year plan was developed to ensure our customers will remain lifelong loyal customers of Suzuki,” says Valente.
Asked about Suzuki’s biggest priority this year, Fujita simply says, “To go without stopping.”
www.suzuki.it |