Suzuki, Toyota to continue expansion drive
The target will be attempted by the implementation of new dealership and marketing strategies.
The launch of a new model, the Ignis, will spearhead Suzuki's approach. This will be followed in less than two years' time by another, as yet unnamed, new model launch on the Polish market.
According to a January report by the ratings agency Fitch, "European carmakers have started to step up the number of new model launches to win over new buyers," in order to compensate for a stagnating market and "... competitive pressure is likely to arise as Asian manufacturers increase their penetration of the European market."
If Harumichi gets his way, the Ignis will be as big a success here as it has been in Hungary, where its manufacturing base is located. But his dealers will be the key to this success. "It is the dealers who have direct contact with our customers, so we must re-organize our network," says Harumichi. The 'Suzuki' brand is relatively underexposed in Poland, whereas in Japan, Suzuki sales are in fourth place, while in Hungary they are number one.
Suzuki will continue to specialize in four-wheel drive and small cars in Poland, and will begin to control its own marketing, which has been outsourced in recent years. The value of the four-wheel drive will be pitched to potential new dealers who can expect to be buoyed by a coordinated advertising campaign this year.
"Four-wheel drive vehicles can be a tool to express identity," explains Harumichi. "I believe in the future of these vehicles, not because they are practically necessary in Poland, but because of the image that driving such a car can present."
Toyota, which set the standard for dealership-led sales increases in the Polish automotive sector last year, is now growing faster in Poland than anywhere else in Europe. Jacek Pawlak, General Director of Toyota Motor Poland, ranks dealership strategy high on his list of priorities. "[The car magazine] Autio Świat has claimed that Toyota has 'The best network in Poland'," in its assessment of the firm's success in the Polish market. Pawlak says that 2004 will be a difficult year for the motor business although he is resolute that changes in custom charges for cars produced outside the EU will benefit Japanese importers.
"We are proud of Toyota's investments in Poland which are growing year by year," says Pawlak. "It has a positive influence on the image of (Poland's workforce)."
The launch of a new model, the Ignis, will spearhead Suzuki's approach. This will be followed in less than two years' time by another, as yet unnamed, new model launch on the Polish market.
According to a January report by the ratings agency Fitch, "European carmakers have started to step up the number of new model launches to win over new buyers," in order to compensate for a stagnating market and "... competitive pressure is likely to arise as Asian manufacturers increase their penetration of the European market."
If Harumichi gets his way, the Ignis will be as big a success here as it has been in Hungary, where its manufacturing base is located. But his dealers will be the key to this success. "It is the dealers who have direct contact with our customers, so we must re-organize our network," says Harumichi. The 'Suzuki' brand is relatively underexposed in Poland, whereas in Japan, Suzuki sales are in fourth place, while in Hungary they are number one.
Suzuki will continue to specialize in four-wheel drive and small cars in Poland, and will begin to control its own marketing, which has been outsourced in recent years. The value of the four-wheel drive will be pitched to potential new dealers who can expect to be buoyed by a coordinated advertising campaign this year.
"Four-wheel drive vehicles can be a tool to express identity," explains Harumichi. "I believe in the future of these vehicles, not because they are practically necessary in Poland, but because of the image that driving such a car can present."
Toyota, which set the standard for dealership-led sales increases in the Polish automotive sector last year, is now growing faster in Poland than anywhere else in Europe. Jacek Pawlak, General Director of Toyota Motor Poland, ranks dealership strategy high on his list of priorities. "[The car magazine] Autio Świat has claimed that Toyota has 'The best network in Poland'," in its assessment of the firm's success in the Polish market. Pawlak says that 2004 will be a difficult year for the motor business although he is resolute that changes in custom charges for cars produced outside the EU will benefit Japanese importers.
"We are proud of Toyota's investments in Poland which are growing year by year," says Pawlak. "It has a positive influence on the image of (Poland's workforce)."
