AUTOS: Dealing with Low Turnover

• Share

It has not been a pleasant summer for Suzuki Samurai dealers. After Consumer Reports branded the sporty vehicle as "not acceptable" because it was prone to roll over while turning sharply at speeds slow as 40 m.p.h., customers shunned Suzuki showrooms. U.S. sales of the Samurai fell from 6,074 in May to 2,199 in June. But the Japanese company, which insists that its own tests show the Samurai is safe, was determined to recover. First Suzuki offered a nationwide rebate of $2,000 off the Samurai's base price of about $8,000. Then nine Suzuki dealers in Ohio added an unusual offer: customers who buy a Samurai from them by next July will receive a free one-year, $1 million accident insurance policy. The incentives seem to be paying off. Samurai sales for July rose by nearly 200%, to 6,327 vehicles.