Suzuki rejigs S-Cross to test market
Suzuki New Zealand is confident a facelifted S-Cross will play an important role in a push by the brand to return to a 5 per cent market share this year.
When the crossover vehicle was first launched in 2014 it did well, achieving 800 sales in its first full year on the Kiwi market. But then a combination of conservative styling, and equally conservative performance via its CVT automatic transmission, meant sales began to slowly slide and last year this slide accelerated following the arrival of the new Vitara SUV.
Vitara, which is built on the same platform as the S-Cross, dominated Suzuki’s SUV/ crossover sales and achieved 1481 registrations last year, which represented 28 per cent of Suzuki NZ’s total volume.
Not that last year’s S-Cross sales volume particularly worried the company, because it was phasing out the current model before introducing a facelifted 2017 variant. And anyway, in a year that saw New Zealand’s total new vehicle sales volume rise by 9.5 per cent to a record 147,000 units, Suzuki sales rose 18 per cent to 5311 vehicles - the secondhighest result in Suzuki NZ’s history.
The plan now is to build on all of that, and move the Suzuki market share upwards from the current 4 per cent to a new 5 per cent. It has every chance of achieving that aim too, because 2017 is seeing the arrival of several new and updated models.
These include a new Ignis mini-SUV that has just been officially launched, the facelifted S-Cross which is also now on the market, and an all-new Swift hatch which will arrive during the second half of the year and will almost certainly continue to dominate the light segment.
Vitara is expected to continue to sell well, the freshly-launched Baleno hatch is expected to achieve around 650 sales, and even the little Jimny will almost certainly continue to perform last year’s sales were up 33 per cent, which was quite remarkable for a model that was introduced way back in 1999.
"We look set to have a flyer for this year," said Suzuki New Zealand’s general manager of automobiles Gary Collins at a media event near Auckland, called to introduce both the new Ignis and the facelifted S-Cross.
"Given the SUV market has surpassed traditional passenger vehicle sales for the first time, the introduction of two variants in the SUV space is very timely.
"Based on the growth of the ute market we would also like to be adding one of those to the range but that remains firmly on the wish list."
The changes that have been made to the S-Cross include introduction of a "taller" front end with a more prominent chrome and black grille and new-design headlights, and replacement of the CVT transmission with a standard six-speed automatic.
Collins described the changes as embracing the S-Cross’ SUV heritage, rather than dulling it down to look more like a conventional passenger vehicle.
Suzuki NZ has used the launched of the facelifted S-Cross to alter the model’s lineup. The entry GLX model has been dropped, and the range now starts with a 88kW/156Nm 1.6-litre Limited model, retailing for $29,990 for a front-driven version and $33,990 with the AllGrip allwheel drive.
The flagship model is a $33,990 Prestige, which is available with 2WD only and powered by a 1.4-litre Boosterjet turbo engine which develops 103kW and 220Nm - the torque available from 1500rpm through to 4000rpm.
The Limited model has some slight variations in specification from the model it replaces, and it includes dual-zone air conditioning, push-button start, cruise control with speed limiter, a leather steeering wheel, satellite navigation, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, reversing camera, and electric windows.
Meanwhile the Prestige adds leather seats, LED projector headlights, automatic wipers, rear parking sensors, rear ptrivacy glass, silver roof rails, and 17-inch polished alloy wheels.
Suzuki New Zealand expects the facelifted S-Cross range to achieve sales of more than 600 units this year, said Gary Collins.
"It’s a model that typically appeals to a slightly older age group than Vitara, so we see the models complementing each other well - Vitara being the sportier and more personalisable model, while the S-Cross is the more luxurious model with styling and interior appointments to reflect this."