8:20 am, April 12, 2023
Suzuki boss Dale Wyatt has doubled down on criticism of agency sales and reaffirmed the brand’s commitment to its growing dealer network.
Wyatt, a long-standing critic of agency models, said retailers remained ‘pillars in their community’ and pledged to continue helping them succeed.
He also insisted he wanted to ‘work with dealers’ and revealed he calls two different retailers every day to see how they are getting on.
Speaking at the launch of the updated Suzuki Swace at Shrigley Hall, Cheshire, he said: ‘Manufacturers undervalue the dealer and I put a huge amount of my energy into dealers.
‘My job is to create an environment that enables [the dealer] to perform. If you’re a dealer and I’m a manufacturer, we’re both going to agree where north is.’
Wyatt’s comments come just weeks after he slammed various agency sales models during a spirited debated at our Car Dealer Live conference in Gaydon.
Appearing on stage alongside MG commercial director Guy Pigounakis and Jonathan Goodman from Polestar UK, he said the approach was ‘not for me’.
‘As [Suzuki is] an established manufacturer, if I’m serious about agency then I need to fire my management team,’ he said.
‘Fire me and hire Daksh Gupta – because I’m not a retailer.
‘I’ve got to change all of my processes. I’ve got a huge investment in IT and a cultural change to oversee, with the punishing implications of taking on all of the stock. It’s not for me.’
Pigounakis went one step further and called the agency a ‘margin grab’ that would fail due to ‘manufacturer arrogance’.
Since then, Car Dealer has revealed that Suzuki’s UK dealer network has grown to 151 in the past 12 months.
The Japanese brand is now targeting two per cent of market share in the UK, with the release of five new models by 2030.
The firm has already pledged £12.4bn of investment up to 2030, alongside £15.5bn in factories, battery plants and renewable energy facilities.
‘When you’re only after two per cent of market share you can stand out from the crowd,’ Wyatt added.
‘We want to stand out for being different and unique and focus on the things that matter.’
