Suzuki sales are building as the Japanese car maker heads for its biggest and most important year in Australia, in more than a decade.

In 1998, Suzuki will launch all-new replacements for its ground-breaking Vitara and Sierra four-wheel-drives, models that both revolutionised the recreational four- wheel-drive market in Australia.

Several other new models will also be introduced next year.

Suzuki's sales Australia-wide in November were up 56 percent over October's sales, figures that also represented a 33 percent increase over sales in November
1996.

"Interest in the Suzuki brand is strengthening as the market responds to the quality of our product and the competitiveness of our pricing," Operations Manager for Suzuki Australia, Graeme West, says.

"The new Wagon R+ has quickly gained credibility in the market for its innovation, we have Australia's most affordable new car in the revised Alto, and the run-out of Baleno models offers buyers tremendous value.

"I think we'll see a big finish to the year, giving Suzuki the perfect springboard for what will be a very exciting and very important year for us in 1998."

Suzuki's strong sellers in November were its acclaimed Baleno and the budget- priced Swift (Cino in some markets), the first of the current generation of front drive small cars.

Internationally, Suzuki is on the move too.
Exports out of Japan officially number 646, 371 units, up two percent over the same (April to September) period last year.

And Suzuki sales in many of its 170 markets around the world certainly reflect that, with sales up in America six of the last seven years, Germany experiencing its third straight year of growth, and substantial sales increases (year-to-date) in both Indonesia and Chile.

To cap it off, Suzuki's share of the domestic Japanese market was also up in the April to September period.

Suzuki manufactures a wide range of highly regarded passenger cars, light commercial vehicles and motorcycles in 28 countries around the world.