López Frade Calls for Consumer-Centric Approach in Energy Transition

Juan López Frade, President of Suzuki Ibérica, calls for "placing the consumer back at the center of the energy transition." The executive made this statement during Suzuki's traditional Christmas luncheon with the media. López Frade emphasized that all stakeholders involved in decarbonization, "from the government to electric companies, including manufacturers, distributors, dealerships, and charging point providers, must work collectively to instill confidence in consumers and offer them viable solutions for their real lives."

He also provided an analysis of the automotive market in our country for 2025 and, as is customary in these meetings with the media, shared the forecasts he holds for the coming year, both for the sector and for his brand.

According to the President of Suzuki, the market will close 2024 with 1,028,000 units, with an alarmingly low share of pure electric vehicles, which will be around 6% "if everything remains the same," he notes. To boost this transition towards electric vehicles, López Frade insists that "an effective MOVES Plan is needed," pointing out that "the current one is inefficient." With these prospects, he predicts that next year will see a repeat of one million registered units in Spain.

Suzuki's forecasts for our country in 2025 are 5,900 units, due to the decline of important models for the brand, such as the Jimny. In Spain, López Frade highlights, however, that they will close 2024 with 6,900 units sold, 13% more than last year. "It's a good result, the fruit of the work done in previous months," he states.

This decline in Suzuki's sales is attributed to the initiation of a range renewal, which will result in modest outcomes over the next two years. As part of the renewal, the first model will be the 'e VITARA,' the brand's first electric vehicle, which will begin production in April and reach the Spanish market from next September.

Among the brand's milestones in 2024, the arrival of the new Swift and the update of the Vitara and S-Cross have been highlighted. The "Litres x Kilos" event, a benchmark for solidarity aid and promotion of eco-friendly driving, was also highlighted. "Since we started this initiative, we have celebrated nine editions and managed to donate nearly 35 tons of food to the Madrid Food Bank," López Frade noted.