From a press release issued by American Suzuki:

Suzuki Honored with Award of Excellence at
Interactive Kiosk Conference

BREA, Calif. (May 13, 2004) – American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC) is proud to announce that ASMC’s innovative Suzuki Sales P.R.O. (Professional Retail Outlet) was awarded “Most Creative/Best Use of New Technology in a Kiosk Application” at the celebrated third annual KioskCom 2004 Interactive Kiosk Excellence Awards, organized by KioskComLLC.

ASMC and Suzuki Sales P.R.O. were honored at the KioskCom 2004 awards ceremony and reception in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 27, 2004. The event is the premier conference and exhibition on interactive self-service technology.

“It is awesome to be recognized by the kiosk community,” said ASMC’s Dealer Network Manager Steve Bortolamedi. “Winning this award just shows how impressive the Suzuki Sales P.R.O. really is. One of the key factors for Suzuki winning the award is return on investment. The cost vs. potential sales increases to the dealer really puts the Suzuki Sales P.R.O. on top.”

According to KioskComLLC, finalists were selected based upon a written application and on-site usability testing done at KioskCom. Said ASMC’s Marketing Manager Rod Lopusnak, “Winning this award confirms the fact that Suzuki is on the right track to improving product knowledge, increasing profitability and enhancing the selling process at the dealer level. It also reaffirms Suzuki as an industry leader.”

Suzuki Sales P.R.O. debuted at the February 2002 Indianapolis Dealer Expo and then was successfully launched to ASMC’s motorcycle and ATV dealers at the 2003 Suzuki dealer meeting. The Suzuki Sales P.R.O. concept was developed in house by Bortolamedi, Lopusnak and ASMC Motorcycle/ATV Division Vice President Mel Harris. The software is produced by EON Reality, Inc. and Matrix Consultants.

“Suzuki Sales P.R.O. is unlike any other retail-oriented technology currently used in the motorcycle and ATV industry and is used by 60 percent of our dealers,” said Harris. “In comparable industries, kiosk systems fail to cover the key selling processes and costs four to five times more than the Suzuki Sales P.R.O. Congratulations to everyone who worked so diligently on this project.”

About American Suzuki
The Motorcycle/ATV Division of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), Brea, Calif., was founded in 1963 by Suzuki Motor Corporation. ASMC markets motorcycles and ATVs via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. ASMC’s parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide automobile manufacturer. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, it has 120 distributors in 191 countries.