Foggs Automotive & Suzuki

By Ameerah Cetawayo
Gazette reporter

A dealership with more than 30 years of Capital Region roots attracted the personal attention Tuesday of automaker Suzuki's North American president, Kinji "Kevin" Saito.

Saito said he came to 27,000-square-foot lot at Fogg's Automotive & Suzuki to meet with management and see what strategies are working.  We are the partnerships; we always want to have a good communication, good understanding of each other and what is going on," Saito said.

Touring the facility, he noted Fogg's success making a profit and satisfying customers.  "Their way of thinking is very long-term," Saito said. "They are committed, so we are very happy to have them here."  The dealership ranks third nationally for its sales and customer service satisfaction index scores. It has been a Suzuki affiliate since 2006. 

District Sales Manager Scott Goldstone said as a smaller company with 370 dealers in the United States, a hands-on management approach suits American Suzuki Motor Corp.  Owner John Fogg said the dealership employs 50 people, many of whom are longtime employees. Having a stable staff contributes to quality customer service, according to Fogg. "Fifty percent of our business is repeat or referral," Fogg said. "We have people who have purchased literally 20 cars from us."

American Suzuki's goal is to keep customers in a cycle that starts when they buy a car, and continues for service and other needs like towing and collision repair- a "customer for life" philosophy, according to management.  "Customer service is a culture. It isn't a slogan or something that you put out for a month and say its going to be customer service month," Fogg said. "It's something that started with my father 30 years ago. Culture comes from the employees and you have to hire people who naturally think that way."

Fogg said his business will always take the approach of looking down the road at long-term success over short-term profits. American Suzuki's agenda for next year includes strengthening dealer networks and marketing the new 2010 Suzuki Kizashi sports sedan in a big way.

"This is the restarting point of our business in the future," Saito said of the Kizashi, the company's first entry into the all-wheel-drive sport sedan segment.  Calling the market for North American sales "tough," Saito said customers have become value-centric and more cautious amid economic concerns.  American Suzuki's October over-all sales were down 50 percent, going from3,482 to 1,745. Sales for the best-selling five-door SX4 Crossover were down 33 percent, falling to 1,229 from 1,839 last October.

The company continues to stand out with less expensive, smaller cars with more safety features like all wheel drive, Saito said.  "Three or four years ago, when the total size of the U.S. market was 16 or 17 million a year, we aimed at some numbers, but the total economics changed?We have to be patient with the number of the sales, which is not so big, with how to make good business models for the dealers to sustain the business, " Saito said.

Next year, Suzuki will focus on balancing its growth in developed countries with emerging markets like India and Pakistan-places Suzuki built its business from scratch in the early 1980's. "Now we have some harvest time," he said.  The company holds 50 percent of the market in India, where total October 2009 sales rose 32 percent over the year to 85,415 units.

Next year, Fogg's Automotive will place considerable emphasis on online social networking, according to Fogg.  "The thing that we're working on the most is the Internet," he said, extending the customer buying experience by promoting Suzuki brands in social networking sites like Facebook, YouTube and MySpace.

"That is the future," Fogg said.

Sunday, August 10th, 2008. On Sunday, August 10th, Fogg’s Automotive & Suzuki, in conjunction with The Bad Guyz Car Club hosted the 4th Annual Bad Guyz Car Show.  This yearly show is a fun platform to raise awareness and contributions for the Sunnyview Hospital Foundation Hearing & Speech Center.

Over 120 cars registered despite the looming gloomy skies and the crowd of participants and spectators enjoyed the many sights and sounds of the show, all to benefit the great cause. DJ Andy was back this year spinning his lively tunes, delicious foods were available for the hungry crowd, and a wider assortment of vehicles participated! As a real treat this year, everyone was able to enjoy the Kurt Busch ACDelco Pro Stock Display race car and play the Christmas tree interactive timing game, all to the delight of many!

Fogg’s Automotive & Suzuki and the Bad Guyz Car Club would like to extend a warm thank you to everyone that came out to enjoy the show. Congratulations to all of the winners in each category! We hope to see everyone back next year!

VIEW THE AWARD WINNERS!

Thursday, June 12th, 2008. Burnt Hills, NY.  On a beautiful June evening, members from surrounding communities enjoyed the 7th annual Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Community Flag Day Parade. The parade is sponsored by The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Business & Professional Association and is a great source of community pride and awareness of local organizations and businesses. Fogg's Automotive & Suzuki was a proud participant in the parade and several employees and their family members donated their time and shared in the spirit and fun of the parade!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008. Scotia, NY. Fogg's Automotive & Suzuki joined with the Scotia chapter of SADD (students against destructive decisions) and participated in the Scotia Memorial Day Parade.
 

Sunday, May 4th, 2008. Saratoga Springs, NY.  On May 4th, over 50 family, friends and employees of Fogg’s Automotive & Suzuki gathered together in Saratoga Springs, New York to participate in the National Multiple Sclerosis Walk. This annual walk raises awareness and contributions to aid in research and a cure for Multiple Sclerosis. Our team participants all proudly donned a bright orange t-shirt bearing the team name of “Shooters”. Despite the cool wet weather, the 5K walk was a lot of fun and most importantly, team Shooters raised over $27,000!

Shooters and Fogg’s Automotive & Suzuki would like to extend a sincere thank you to each and everyone who supported team Shooters to reach and surpass our goal!