April 22, 2008  From Auto News

April 22--Suzuki Motor Corp. is expecting a hefty 36 percent increase in China sales this year, helped by the stepped up streamlining of its sales local networks. 
     
Suzuki aims to sell a 220,000 cars in 2008, Tadashi Kondo, vice chairman and president of Chongqing Changan Suzuki Automobile Co., said Sunday at the Beijing motor show. 
     
The goal compares with just a 1 percent increase to 161,066 domestically made cars last year. 
     
Kondo said the Suzuki will weed out around 60 underperforming dealers from its network of 300 in China this year. That is up from 20 dealers cut loose last year. 
     
It will bring in new dealers to boost the overall number back up to 300, Kondo said. 
     
Suzuki, which has local joint ventures through Chongqing Changan and Jiangxi Changhe Suzuki Automobile Co., has been trying to improve its low-end image here by increasing dealer service.

Editor: Haijing Qu