With this move, the two new brands in town found themselves at the same premises as the Ford/Mazda dealership with the previous used car part of the dealership also completely revamped to accommodate the new brands. The used cars are now housed under a new, separate canopy structure on the premises.

“We are excited about the two new brands here as part of our bigger multi-franchise dealership,” Phillip Els, Dealer Principal, tells Dealerfloor.

“Our dealership now has Ford on the one side of the building, then the entrance to the service centre and on the other side the showroom floors for Mazda, Kia and Renault. We also had to appoint more staff, and each brand now boasts its own manager. We have a new service manager, overseeing the different service departments of all four brands.”

Phillip says Renault is basically the group’s dealership in Bethal relocating to Secunda with UD Trucks and Nissan still in place doing business in Bethal. “Kia is a new franchise for us but both it and Renault are making their debuts in Secunda.

“Both the new brands will have to make inroads into this community, and we are working hard to increase their footprint here. Owing to their absence, the car parc out there is not huge, but we intend to change that,” he tells us.

He says their area of responsibility for all the brands cover more or less the same region, including towns like Evander, Bethal, Kinross, Kriel and Balfour. With the Secunda and the surrounding towns known for their mining activities and related industries, they also service a large farming community. “Agriculture is an integral part of this area on the Highveld with large mixed farming activities in the region,” Phillip tells Dealerfloor.

“Secunda is expanding with new suburbs developing, and Sasol is playing a vital role in the local economy in terms of job creation and growth. The other industries, especially mining, are also crucial role players in this region. With Ford and the focus on bakkies it is a no brainer that mining and the agricultural sector form an important customer base for us,” Phillip says.

Asked if the addition of two more brands bring challenges, Phillip says definitely so, but with the infrastructure of the dealership and staff in place, they are ready to expand the brands in this part of the country.

• Eastvaal Motors was founded in 1968 and currently has 28 brands in the 12 dealerships and is continuing to expand its footprint, brands and products. It has a very strong presence in the Mpumalanga Highveld region but it also has dealerships elsewhere.