Suzuki cuts S-Cross pricing – again

UPDATED
01/04/2014SUZUKI Australia has cut the drive-away price of its three-month-old S-Cross small crossover by $1000 in a bid to stimulate sales that presently sit well below its ambitious internal targets.

It is the second time the car-maker has cut the price since the car’s launch in December, after it announced a subsidised drive-away campaign starting in January.

The Nissan Dualis rival now kicks off from $22,990 drive-away for the GL front-drive version with a manual gearbox, or $25,490 drive-away with a CVT automatic. The mid-range GLX with CVT and front-wheel-drive is $29,990 drive-away.

The new pricing structure is the same as the car’s launch list pricing, but now Suzuki covers all on-road charges such as dealer delivery and stamp duty, effectively saving the buyer thousands.

However, the price cuts are not universal: the flagship GLX AWD Prestige is now $36,990 drive-away, having risen compared to the $35,990 drive-away figure charged throughout the January campaign.

Likewise, the GLX AWD has risen $1000 from the January campaign price to $34,990 drive-away. At launch, the car was priced at $32,990 before on-road costs.

At the launch last December, Suzuki Australia projected around 80 per cent of all sales to be of front-drive versions – something that is reflective of the wider market that includes the Nissan Dualis, Mitsubishi ASX and Hyundai ix35.

Suzuki Australia sold 185 S-Cross models in January-February this year, giving it a modest 1.6 per cent segment share despite a sizeable launch promotion.

This compares to the ix35 (2987), Subaru XV (1591), Nissan Dualis (1447, down 44 per cent) and Mitsubishi ASX (1051).

It is also little more than half that of its smaller SX4 stable-mate (343), a car the S-Cross is nominally replacing, but which is still being sold concurrently until stock runs out.

This monthly average of 92 units also sits well behind its stated target of 500 sales per month, which it made public at the media launch last December.

All S-Cross variants are powered by the same 86kW at 6000rpm and 156Nm at 4400rpm 1.6-litre atmo petrol engine, matched to a five-speed manual gearbox or CVT. A European Fiat-sourced manual-only turbo-diesel with more than twice the torque (86kW and 320Nm) is on the horizon.

“Value for money has always been a cornerstone for Suzuki and the S-Cross now represents an outstanding investment,” said Suzuki Australia Automobiles general manager Tony Devers.

“We built the S-Cross with Australian consumers in mind, delivering on the key requirements of fuel economy and interior space. The new S-Cross is class leading for both.

“Now, with drive away pricing, it means the S-Cross is clearly a class leader in value for money."Suzuki S-Cross pricing
S-Cross GL manual - $22,990 drive-away
S-Cross GL CVT (a) - 25,490 drive-away
S-Cross GLX CVT (a) - $29,990 drive-away
S-Cross GLX AWD (a) - $34,990 drive-away
S-Cross GLX AWD Prestige (a) - $36,990 drive-away