Triton brings the challenge to competitors
The bakkie war has intensified with the local launch of Mitsubishi’s next-generation Triton, an evolution in the iconic bakkie’s 46-year legacy.
- Product News
- 21 November 2024
The Alpine VW dealerships in Pinetown and Hillcrest have won five awards in Volkswagen South Africa’s annual Grand Prix Awards involving 86 winners in 17 categories across South Africa.
At Pinetown, Sagren Naidoo is justifiably proud of his achievement of selling 220 cars in 2020, despite losing a month during hard lockdown and seeing slow trade since.
He told Dealerfloor his dealer principal, Spencer Tait, told him not to give up despite the tough trading conditions, so he decided to “just give it horns”. He admits selling South Africa’s best-selling passenger car post lockdown helped boost his numbers. “People are buying down and they are buying what they trust - which is the Polo.
But while the VWs may be selling themselves, he said it is going the extra mile for his clients that sees him closing the deal against competing dealerships.
“Ninety percent of my sales are referrals because I go all out to find the colour and model clients want. Then our finance department sources the best rates for the client, and then they tell their friends and family,” he said.
He says he does a lot of his marketing on Instagram, which he estimates leads to between two and three sales a month, but it is when walking in a mall and being recognised by the clients’ children that he realises the value of travelling to meet clients to demonstrate their chosen car.
The members of the Hillcrest team, which won four of the awards in Category B of Grand Prix Awards all have deep roots at Alpine VW Pinetown, but dealer principal, Tyrone Tait, said there was constant rivalry between the two branches to excel.
Asked to what he ascribed his dealership’s success, he pointed to the awards lining the shelves and walls and proudly asserted, “Because we are the A team!”
Tait joined the Club of Excellence with his Grand Prix passenger vehicles award, Shane Govender won the service manager award, Dineshin Odayar won the new vehicle sales manager award and Dylan Riley the used car manager award.
Tait said his branch, which is selling about 25 units a month and servicing many more, is growing in tandem with Hillcrest and is looking to move to bigger premises.
This was the second virtual awards ceremony to be streamed owing to limits on gatherings. Steffen Knapp, head of the Volkswagen Passenger Car brand, said VW’s 109-strong dealer network recorded a market share of 19% in 2020 and accounted for over 75% of Volkswagen’s total sales.
“I am proud of our dealers’ contribution and steadfast loyalty in growing the Volkswagen Brand in South Africa,” Knapp said in a statement.
The bakkie war has intensified with the local launch of Mitsubishi’s next-generation Triton, an evolution in the iconic bakkie’s 46-year legacy.
Unlike in the past, when dealerships primarily waited for customers to come to them, we now take a more proactive approach, bringing our vehicles directly to places where people gather, allowing them to experience the product first-hand, including offering test drives,” says Gerrie van der Kaay, Dealer Principal at Supergroup Dealerships Jetour Midrand.
JAC Motors added ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) to its X200 2.8L TDI 1.5-tonne single-cab, enhancing safety for both the crew and cargo. This latest upgrade complements the ABS-equipped X200 1.3-tonne double-cab targeted at organisations with labour-intensive crews.
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Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
Unlike in the past, when dealerships primarily waited for customers to come to them, we now take a more proactive approach, bringing our vehicles directly to places where people gather, allowing them to experience the product first-hand, including offering test drives,” says Gerrie van der Kaay, Dealer Principal at Supergroup Dealerships Jetour Midrand.
One of the latest Chinese automotive brands to establish itself in South Africa, GAC Motor, is benefitting from the expertise of well-known motor groups in the country, like the BB Motor Group.
Stellantis has announced the expansion of its multi-franchise dealer network with the addition of the Fiat and Jeep brands to the existing Westvaal Motor Group dealership in Klerksdorp in North West Province.