NAMIBIA – Nictus Holdings Limited subsidiary, AUAS Motors, has announced that it will be a franchisee of the Suzuki brand, adding to its existing family of the Isuzu and Opel brands in the country.
According to Gerhard Vermeulen, Auas Motors’ chief executive officer, Suzuki lovers should expect showrooms to be stocked with the brand not later than 1 September this year.
Vermeulen said in a statement he was pleased to add the Suzuki franchise to their growing family, making Auas Motors a distributor of this exceptional brand.
“This is a big responsibility for us, and we will work hard to retain the Suzuki family’s trust. Vehicle sales will commence at the existing Auas Motors premises by no later than 1 September 2020 to serve both existing and new clients better,” he said.
The Suzuki franchise will continue operating at Swakopmund, with parts and services available from 1 August at the Auas Motors Windhoek branch.
According to the company, the next move would be to offer all Auas Motors outlets countrywide the Suzuki brand in the long run.
Philippus Tromp, Auas chairman and Nictus managing director, described the addition to the Nictus family as a great opportunity for a Namibian-owned company.
He said the Suzuki model range caters for a broad spectrum of customers in the Namibian market, considering pricing, specifications and quality. It is a valued offering that is difficult to compete with in these challenging times.
Auas Motors, according to the Namibian, has six dealerships at major towns throughout the country.
Car dealers have been banking on promotional incentives, cheap fuel, low inflation and bottoming interest rates to stimulate new vehicle sales in the coming months. Demand is low, and Simonis Storm Securities (SS) had earlier said customers were expected to buy more – especially considering the various incentives.
The motor vehicle market has not been performing well for a while. In June, Namibia registered 767 new vehicles sold, an increase compared to the 471 units sold in April, according to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers South Africa (Naamsa).
Despite this, the demand for new cars is still depressed. The analysts recently said they do not foresee any significant increase in new vehicle sales for the rest of the year.
A reduced appetite for borrowing, business closures, the loss of income and reduced spending power, uncertain economic conditions and disheartened consumers, and decreased business and investor confidence will keep vehicle sales depressed, the analysts said.
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