For the tenth consecutive year, the Audi Group Dealer of the Year award was scooped up by the Hatfield Motor Group at the annual Silver Arrow Awards ceremony held by the manufacturer.
The Audi Franchise Director for the Hatfield Group, Karl Lessle, received the award on behalf of the three Audi dealerships in the group. The dealerships are Audi Centre Braamfontein (medium dealership), Audi Centre Rivonia (mega dealership) and Audi Centre Hatfield (mega dealership).
The criteria for the award include areas such as customer care and retention, profitability and sales success to mentioned but a few.
Dealerfloor spoke to Karl about this outstanding achievement by the Hatfield Group and asked him what the secret to their success is.
“First of all, our staff members are the foundation for our success. I believe in well-trained staff who are happy, committed and have career opportunities in our group. In return, our staff add value to our business rendering the best service possible to our customers. Between the three dealerships, we currently boast a staff complement of around 200 people.
“We put in a huge effort to establish an environment that ensures an extremely low staff turnover. This, in return, creates experts that deliver a first-class customer experience that leads to people coming back to us for business. Take our three Dealer Principals as an example – all three rose through the ranks from different positions and backgrounds in the group to where they are today.
“In short – staff retention ensures customer retention. Therefore our motto is Rated Number One in Service,” Karl tells Dealerfloor.
Karl, who originally comes from a finance and banking background, joined the motor retail business in 2002. In 2005, he joined the Hatfield Group and was tasked to establish the Audi dealership in Hatfield, and since 2011 they have been winning the much sought-after manufacturer’s award.
He concluded that notwithstanding the challenging times with COVID-19 and the now well-known stock shortages of new vehicles worldwide, they manage to keep their head above water and are today excelling in all aspects of the business.
The Hatfield Group is privately owned, and the two shareholders are Brad Kaftel and Joe Mthimunye. The business is also fully BEE2 compliant, and the involvement in disadvantaged communities is of utmost importance to them.
Leapmotor at Stellantis South Africa announced a partnership agreement with boutique car rental company, Drive Electric, to make premium electric mobility more accessible to local driving consumers.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are still expected to dominate the European Union’s (EU) car market from 2035, yet their eventual share could vary considerably depending on the strength of upcoming emissions rules, according to new findings from the transport campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E).
The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) in the United States (US) has renewed its backing for policies aimed at preventing Chinese vehicle manufacturers from establishing a foothold in the US, despite growing expectations that their entry may be inevitable.
Advertisement
Advertisement
I have bad reflexes. I was once run over by a car being pushed by two guys
Woody Allen
Stellantis South Africa announced the opening of the new Bidvest McCarthy Centurion dealership reinforcing its brand house network and expanding access to key automotive brands across the Gauteng Province.
Housed in the upmarket, safe and centrally located Ballito Business Park in Moffat Drive, the location is in the heart of the Ballito retail trading business precinct amongst many already established OEM brands.
Within the vehicle retail sector, there are meaningful career opportunities for young people who are interested in sales, customer engagement, administration and dealership operations.
