Budget-friendly Eeco makes business buzz

Suzuki Auto South Africa has delivered the budget-friendly delivery vehicle, the Eeco, to a number of pre-selected small businesses. It says it picked these small organisations with the help of friends of the brand who shared the name of an entrepreneur that could do with some help.

Each of these entrepreneurs and small businesses have access to the Eeco, rent free, for three months.

“As with many of our other vehicles, the proof of the pudding is in the eating,” says Brendon Carpenter, brand marketing manager of Suzuki Auto South Africa.. “We want entrepreneurs to drive the Eeco, see how much they can load and lock up in the loading bay and test for themselves how frugal the 1.2 litre four-cylinder petrol engine really is.”

Suzuki launched the Eeco just over 12 months ago with a powerful value proposition: it offers a loading bay that measures 1620mm in length and 1300mm in width, perfect for a standard pallet, at a low price of R212 900.

The Eeco also has a load-carrying capacity of 615kg, so one can safely and legally load a large amount of cargo.

Under the skin, the Suzuki Eeco is fitted with the group’s proven 1.2l K12N petrol engine that delivers 59 kW and 104 Nm to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual transmission. A version of this engine also does duty in the Suzuki Super Carry pickup, which has proven itself over many years in the local market.

One could be forgiven for thinking that the low sales price comes at the expense of specifications, yet the Eeco is fitted with air conditioning, dual front airbags, anti-locking brakes (ABS) with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), electric stability control (ESP) with traction control (TC), and ready-to-install wiring for the fitment of a single-DIN radio.

Dual sliding side doors add to its utility, along with a large rear door that can open wide for easier loading and offloading.

#VanLife

Suzuki recently launched a campaign called #VanLife, challenging leisure equipment designers to create a ready-to-live camper van inside the Suzuki Eeco.

This campaign saw the effective transformation of a Suzuki Eeco where the designers, with the help of a third party technical supplier, included as many homely comforts as possible. This includes seats, a smart bed that can convert into either a bench, or a single or three-quarter bed, plenty of storage space with large below-floor drawers and even a basin with washing facilities. The two front seats were left untouched.

The #VanLife Suzuki Eeco also has a large, collapsible veranda that opens to create shade and shelter across the rear and side of the Eeco, allowing for quick deployment and easy set-up.

“For the #VanLife campaign, we were inspired by the social media trend where young and the young-at-heart were converting large panel vans into mobile homes,” says Carpenter.

“Their novel use of space and unique ways of converting a stark panel van into a homely living space drove us to try the same, but with a panel van that is compact and affordable.”

While the concept of living a #VanLife was the main inspiration, Suzuki Auto South Africa also found inspiration from the van conversion sub-culture in countries such as India and Japan.

In these countries, budget-conscious car-enthusiasts convert a small Suzuki van into anything from a mobile disco to a pitch black Batmobile or an off-road ready overlander on a Jimny platform. 

“In the end, the Eeco #VanLife concept showed that you did not need a seven-figure budget and a heavy-vehicle driver’s licence to enjoy the life of a nomad.

“In much the same way, the Suzuki Swift Sport showed that you didn’t need 1 000 horsepower and an unlimited budget to have fun at the Simola Hillclimb, and the Suzuki Jimny showed that you could conquer Africa and the worst roads it can throw at you, without breaking the bank.”