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Three new Safari versions of Suzuki’s Vitara, Grand Vitara and Jimmy SUV models have been added to the New Zealand market lineup.

Suzuki has taken the number one position for new motor vehicle sales to private buyers in the New Zealand market.

A distinctive new SR version of the best-selling Suzuki 5-door hatchback has been introduced to the New Zealand market. The SR builds on the strong features of the Swift which continues to consolidate its leading position in local sales charts.

Suzuki passenger cars and compact SUV models have taken another independent customer satisfaction award while the brand’s strong selling Swift continues to attract even more demand.

The Suzuki Swift is a top finalist in a prestigious World Car Award just as it hits the number one spot on the New Zealand market.

Husband and wife duo Scott and Emma Billman have taken over the Suzuki dealership in Queenstown and parts and service centre in Cromwell. They purchased the business last year from Winger Motors which had been operating in the region for just over three years.

With the South Otago region experiencing strong growth Jared McPhee recently added Suzuki sales and service to his dealership in Balclutha. Jared has a thorough knowledge of the local community and rural customers having worked previously as a mechanic and farm machinery dealer.

He Whānau Manaaki o Tararua Free Kindergarten Association Inc is a registered charity that manages 85 kindergartens with around 700 teachers. When renewing their fleet recently, they chose Suzuki Swift and S-Cross from Mexted Motors in Wellington. We spoke to CFO Brendon Fyfe-Gits about their decision making process: “When I started in 2010 the association already owned some older Swifts,” says Brendon, “13 more were purchased in 2013, another one in 2014, and two more in 2016. So we’ve been with Suzuki and Swift through a couple of model changes”. While the association was happy with their Swifts and the service from Mexted Motors, the decision was made to look across all brands and do a fair comparison. “It was organised by our CEO and deputy CEO and was quite a thorough process” says Brendon. “We wanted to make a robust decision not just driven by price or an individual opinion. We had a range of staff do test-drives with a load of gear… everything down to wheel size was considered. Staying with Suzuki certainly wasn’t a foregone conclusion or a decision that was taken lightly.”

When it comes to NZ motorsport and the history of the GTi the man to talk to is Grant Aitken. With over thirty years of high performance driving experience Grant has competed at every race circuit in New Zealand as well as Calder, Oran Park, and Bathurst in Australia. He’s rallied in New Zealand, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Myanmar and Laos. Driving a Suzuki Vitara, Grant placed 1st overall in the Rally of Asia in both 1998 and 1999, and third in 2000 and 2001. He was awarded the Ron Frost Award for services to Motorsport in 2007 for creating and running the Silverstone Race to the Sky for ten years. Most importantly for this article, Grant used to drive a Suzuki GTi competitively – and still has one in his garage.

Christchurch triathlete Andrea Hewitt is one of New Zealand’s most successful sporting personalities. She represented New Zealand at the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, the ITU World Championships, and the World Triathlon Series, winning too many medals to mention. At the end of the 2017 season Andrea ranked 5th in the world and was recently selected for NZ’s 2018 Commonwealth Games team.