Suzuki always ahead !

Suzuki remains at the top of French sales of more than 125 cc, although its market share has fallen by one point and its Bandit suffers from stiff competition. In small displacement, Japanese progressed by 12%. Interview.

With 23,934 large cubes sold in 2005 against 23,893 last year, Suzuki is one of the rare manufacturers to hardly progress: the Bandit, slightly behind the competition, is the victim of the imminent arrival of the GSR ( read).

But the Japanese manufacturer nonetheless remains at the top of French sales of large engines, occasionally regaining leadership in the sports category thanks to its GSX-R 1000, 10th best seller in France. In 125, Suzuki recorded a nice increase of 12% which places it in fourth place. For Moto-Net, Pierre-Laurent Feriti, Suzuki France communications manager, gives his point of view on this fiercely contested 2005…

Moto-Net: What is your assessment of 2005? ?
Pierre-Laurent Feriti, Suzuki France communications manager: Suzuki’s record in 2005 is extremely positive: the GSF650 were very well received by bikers and many models in our range have found their customers..

Moto-Net: Which are your best-selling models and why ?
P.-L. F.: The best-selling models in the range are the GSF650, SV650, GSX-R, DL650 and Burgman 125 and 400. Suzuki has "simply" been able to offer French bikers pending models with their aspirations, which whether they are: sports motorcycles, roadsters, scooters, trails…

Moto-Net: Which ones are less successful and do you know why ?
P.-L. F.: The DR-Z400SM, with 500 units sold this year against a target of 700 sales.

Moto-Net: What was the pleasant surprise of this year ?
P.-L. F.: The good surprise of this year comes from the very good scores of the GSX-R1000. The repressive thing that we have known for a few years has not killed our passion, proof of this is this GSX-R in the top 10 sales in 2005.

Moto-Net: Which was the worst ?
P.-L. F.: The less pleasant surprise is the DR-Z400SM, as I indicated to you above. If it achieved an honest score of 500 units in 2005, it is far from our goal of 700 sales.

Moto-Net: The Burgman 650 Last Year And The Burgman 125 This Year: Why These Out Of Stock Problems ?
P.-L. F.: With different models, different concerns! In 2004, we were too cautious in terms of sales forecasts for Burgman 650. In 2005, it is the production capacities of the factory’s Burgman 125 that are in question..

Moto-Net: Mid-displacement roadsters are the best-selling motorcycles in France: how will the GSR 600 stand out from the competition ?
P.-L. F.: The GSR is the worthy descendant of the GSF600 Bandit of 1995. In 1995, Suzuki released the first roadster powered by a sports engine accessible to the greatest number. The GSR goes further in the concept because it is not satisfied with a sports engine, everything else is to match: aluminum frame, suspensions of a perfect match (adjustable fork of 43 mm, damper adjustable in hydraulic and preloaded), pneumatic mounting of GSX-R, 310 mm front brakes pinched by 4 piston calipers … You just have to try it and appreciate its front axle to be convinced of the validity of the GSR and of what ‘she brings to the category.

Moto-Net: How do you plan to outrun Yamaha next year in the heavy-duty market ?
P.-L. F.: Distancing a colleague is not an end in itself and is therefore not the subject of a particular policy! You have certainly noticed that we do not communicate excessively on sales figures.

Moto-Net: What are your 2006 objectives ?
P.-L. F.: Our 2006 objective is simple: to satisfy our customers !

Moto-Net: How do you plan to get there ?
P.-L. F.: We are initiating many operations to improve this satisfaction, such as promoting the loan of courtesy vehicles…

Moto-Net: Are you satisfied with your network ?
P.-L. F.: The Suzuki network, made up of 225 dealers as of January 1, 2006, 60% of which are exclusive, is passionate and very responsive. It is to him that we owe our excellent 2005 results and I am taking this opportunity to thank the dealers for all their efforts !

Moto-Net: How many of your dealerships own a site and use it wisely ?
P.-L. F.: 80% of our dealers have a website. We are at their disposal to advise them on the use of the web. Internet can be dangerous because it requires a lot of reactivity and follow-up. A dealership often has other day-to-day tasks that can cut into the time spent maintaining their site. This is why we advise them, if they do not have the possibility to update it regularly, to have a "business card" site. Today, dealers understand it and the beginnings of the early 2000s are behind us.

Interview by Matthieu BRETILLE

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