Suzuki Canada has been running some of the most obnoxious radio ads ever – loud, almost screeching commercials designed to give you an auditory bash on the head. Suzuki is selling the deal.
Surprised? Quite honestly, you could be excused for wondering about Suzuki, period – for wondering if Suzuki had pulled the plug on Canada entirely. Through 1 June, Suzuki had sold just 2,053 cars in Canada. Sales were down 14.1 per cent year-over-year through the end of May, so no one should be surprised to see Suzuki tout big, fat offers in June.
How big? You’ll find incentives worth $4,000 on a $32,995 Kizashi Sport sedan with all-wheel drive and a 180-horsepower four-cylinder motor. Don’t dismiss the Kizashi out of hand, just because it comes from a brand with its roots in minicars and motorcycles. The Kizashi is a very competent four-door. If you test one, you’ll likely be surprised.
It is hard to know if Suzuki is engaged in a last-gasp effort to hang on here in Canada. For goodness’ sake, even Volvo is selling more vehicles in Canada, and doing so with a far-pricier lineup. We do know, according to Automotive News, that Suzuki has slashed marketing, public relations and other costs in North America – their smallest market in the world, by far. With cost-cutting in the rearview mirror, could Suzuki be trying to grow? We all wish Suzuki good luck at that, though it would be better for brand building if the company scrapped those crass radio spots.
Meanwhile, Mercedes-Benz Canada continues to play the discount game to a surprising degree. Take the GL 550 SUV with its $7,500 credit on an $88.900 rig. An all-new GL is coming at the end of the year and to fire up interest in the outgoing version, Merc is putting money in the glovebox.
Ditto for BMW Canada, with its $2,000 incentive on a $68,900 335i Cabriolet hardtop convertible. And if it’s small and affordable you want, a $17,678 Nissan Versa hatchback is moving with not just an employee pricing discount ($400), but also another $2,000 in factory-to-dealer money for which you will need to dicker.
As usual, Deals of the Week obtained pricing information from www.carcostcanada.com, among other sources. Consult your dealer for all the details. In the meantime, here are the numbers.
2012 Mercedes-Benz GL550
- MSRP: $88,900
- Freight, dealer prep, air conditioning tax: $2,095
- Green Levy: $2,000
- Dealer discount (estimated): $4,000
- Factory discount: $7,500 (4MATIC 4ALL credit factory-to-dealer rebate)
- Taxable subtotal: $81,495
- Total price with 13% HST: $92,089.35
- 0.9% financing for 60 months
2012 Suzuki Kizashi Sport
- MSRP: $32,995
- Freight, dealer prep and air conditioning tax: $1,650
- Dealer discount (estimated): $1,000
- Factory discount: $700 (stackable credit factory-to-dealer rebate)
- Factory discount: $2,000 (trading dollars factory-to-dealer rebate)
- Taxable subtotal: $29,645
- Total price with 13% HST: $33,498.85
2012 BMW 335i Cabriolet
- MSRP: $68,900
- Freight, dealer prep, AC tax: $2,095
- Dealer discount (estimated): $2,900
- Factory discount: $2,000 (alternate cash back factory-to-dealer rebate)
- Taxable subtotal: $66,095
- Total price with 13% HST: $74,687.35
2012 Nissan Versa 1.8L hatchback
- MSRP: $17,678
- Freight, dealer prep, AC tax: $1,667
- Dealer discount (estimated): $450
- Factory discount: $2,000 (non-stackable trading dollars factory-to-dealer rebate)
- Factory discount: $400 (Nissan employee pricing factory-to-dealer rebate)
- Taxable subtotal: $16,495
- Total price with 13% HST: $18,639.35
Pricing information source:www.carcostcanada.com. Calculations based on Ontario customers.
Please note that while the information above is accurate at the time of publication, incentives are given at the discretion of individual dealers, and may be changed or discontinued at any time. Dealer discounts are negotiated with the customer on a case-by-case basis.
