Mazda helping women feel more confident on the road
This Women’s Month, Mazda Southern Africa is encouraging women to learn something that could make a real difference: how to change a flat tyre.
- Industry News
- 8 August 2025
In anticipation of the arrival of more fully electric vehicles, the 4Wheels Motor Group in Mahikeng installed its first charging station at its multi-franchise retail operations in the North-West capital city.
Not only a first for the group’s dealerships that include the likes of Hyundai, Nissan, Mitsubishi, FAW, and JAC, but it is also a first for Mahikeng and a first in the wider region in this northern part of the province.
The charging station was installed by GridCars and consists of a 30 kW DC and a 22 kW AC charger.
“We are very excited about this development as most of our brands will, in the foreseeable future, introduce fully electric vehicles into the South African market,” says Uys de Villiers, Sales Manager at 4Wheels Hyundai Mahikeng and the person overseeing its operational side.
“It is also an important point to ‘fill up’ for owners of EVs travelling to and through this region. We were surprised when our first customer who regularly travels through here, popped in to recharge his EV.
“The GridCars app on the phone shows all the charging stations and the distance between them, making life easier for owners of this type of vehicle. We also have an EV at the multi-franchise that we use,” Uys tells Dealerfloor.
He says owing to regular power issues in Mahikeng above the “normal” load-shedding problems, the multi-franchise installed a solar system as back-up. “We have detuned the quick charging option of the charging station to fit in with our solar power delivery and to be able to provide a 24-hour charging option to EV owners.
“A vehicle can be filled from zero to full within three hours and obviously in a shorter space of time depending on the charge level of the battery. You pay with a special card by tapping it at the station. The BMW iX3 we use at the dealerships totals about R250 for a complete full charge providing a range of between 350 km and 400 km,” Uys tells Dealerfloor.
“We believe to be pro-active and anyone with an electric vehicle can use this state-of-the-art facility. Our eye is on the future, and we all know EVs will play a bigger role and volumes will increase exponentially in the future. We are prepared,” Uys says.
This Women’s Month, Mazda Southern Africa is encouraging women to learn something that could make a real difference: how to change a flat tyre.
A long-time admired icon performance model from the USA, which has not been available locally, has arrived in South Africa.
Chery South Africa showcased the latest addition to its Tiggo 7 range; the CSH Plug-in Hybrid’s efficiency on a road trip managed to squeeze 1 290km from a single tank of petrol.
Advertisement
Advertisement
You can't buy happiness but you can buy cars and that's kind of the same thing.
Unknown
South Africa's premium automotive sector has experienced unprecedented consolidation over the last two years, with multiple luxury brands restructuring their dealership networks in response to declining sales, economic pressures, and shifting consumer preferences.
Almost every dealership has them – listings that sit quietly in the background, gathering cobwebs. Despite looking good on paper, some used vehicles attract minimal buyer attention and quietly chip away potential revenue. But what if those slow movers weren’t dead ends, but missed opportunities waiting for the right tweak?
A renewed focus on customer care and the well-being of the employees, is high on the agenda of Jaco du Preez, newly appointed General Manager at Waterberg Toyota in Limpopo.