SUZUKI KEEPS IMPRESSIVE RESALE VALUES

Suzuki Auto South Africa’s range of passenger cars and SUVs continue to perform impressively when it comes to value retention at resale.

According to an analysis of data published in the TransUnion Auto Information Solutions’ authoritative Auto Dealers Guide, Suzuki passenger cars and SUVs achieve among the highest resale values, relative to their original retail prices, in their segments.
 

The resale data reflects actual trade values as a percentage of new vehicle list prices over the past 12 months. The values are determined by dealer returns sent to TransUnion on a monthly basis.

The latest data, calculated up to December 2010, underscores how well Suzuki vehicles are performing in their relevant segments as far as resale value is concerned.

For instance, the marque’s trio of Grand Vitara models – the Grand Vitara 2.4, Grand Vitara 2.4 AT and the Grand Vitara 3.2 V6 AT – outpaced all their major rivals in average resale value terms.

 At the end of December 2010, the average resale value of a Suzuki Grand Vitara 2.4 stood at 77.2% of the original retail price, with the automatic transmission version achieving the same, identical average. The Grand Vitara 3.2 V6 AT model achieved an average resale value of 76.8%.

The values place the three Grand Vitara variants at the top of their segment, ahead of Honda CR-V 2.4 i-VTEC RVi (76.7%), the Toyota Fortuner 4.0 V6 4x4 (75.6%) and the Toyota RAV4  2.0 GX (74.3%).

The giant-killing Suzuki Jimny mini-SUV continued its impressive ability to retain value, with an average resale value of 77.8% – well ahead of the Daihatsu Terios 4x4 on 71.2%, and the two-wheel drive version of the Terios at 70.9%.

The SX4 lifestyle hatchback was another of Suzuki’s star performers in value retention terms. The automatic-transmission SX4 2.0 AT achieved an average resale value of 74.85%, placing it at the top of its segment.

Its manual-transmission stablemate’s average resale value of 72.51% was good enough for third place, with Toyota’s Auris 180 RS taking second place with 74.17%.

However, the two Suzukis trounced several other key segment players in value retention terms, including the Nissan Qashqai 1.6 Visia (72.19%), the Toyota Auris 180 RX (72.03%) and the Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC EXi (72.0%).

Suzuki’s most affordable car, the budget-beating Alto, is also proving its mettle in value retention terms. The Alto 1.0 GL and its more luxurious 1.0 GLS sibling recorded resale values of 74.2 and 74.1% respectively, placing them second and third in their sector.

While the Hyundai i10 1.1 GLS was the best performer in resale value terms, its average resale value of 74.5% means it only just pipped the two Suzukis to the post.

However, the Alto duo finished well ahead of its nearest rivals: the Kia Picanto 1.1 posted a value of 71.9%, followed by the Citroën C1 1.0i Play (70.1%) and the Chevrolet Spark LS and LT hatchbacks on 69.6 and 69.2% respectively.

The Swift subcompact continued to perform well in average resale values, despite the fact that the trendy hatchback is due to be replaced with an all-new model this year, which impacted negatively on its resale value.

The three Swift derivatives – 1.5 GL, 1.5 GL Auto and 1.5 GLS – still managed resale values of 75.5%, 73.6% and 73.1% respectively, earning them fourth, sixth and seventh places in their segment.

Heading up the segment in resale value terms was Honda’s Jazz 1.4i LX and LX AT hatchbacks, with identical scores of 79.0%, followed by the Ford Fiesta 1.4i Trend 5-Door on 77.5%.

“When we analysed the value retention of our vehicles six months ago, we were pleasantly surprised that many of our models were segment leaders in resale value terms,” says Kazuyuki Yamashita, managing director of Suzuki Auto SA.

“That trend continues to be reflected in the latest average resale values, and underscores the underlying strength and attraction of the Suzuki brand in SA,” he concluded.

STORY BY SUZUKI