The Eastvaal Motor Group has added Kia and Renault to its existing portfolio in Secunda and revamped its Ford and Mazda dealership as part of the process.
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.
Chery South Africa says it is accelerating its growth in the local car-rental industry, with its national passenger vehicle market share reaching 6.2% in the past month. As interest in Chery’s range of vehicles continues to grow for consumers and fleet operators, the brand is seeing increasing interest from rental car companies nationwide.
Ulterio Motiv will exhibit a total of three vehicles at this year’s Hankook Land Cruiser Festival. Held annually, the Land Cruiser Festival caters not only to Toyota Land Cruiser enthusiasts, but also to various companies that supply products, upgrades and equipment for these vehicles.
Following the launch of the family-orientated Ford Territory last year, Ford SA is set to raise the bar for its compact sport utility vehicle (SUV) with a decent value-for-money proposition with the imminent release of the Territory Dark Edition.
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If you are not taking care of your customer, your competitor will.
Bob Hooey
Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) recently hosted its annual National Dealer of the Year Awards. The pivotal event marked 45 years of market leadership – a celebration of dedication and resilience of a successful partnership with the Toyota dealer network.
Renault South Africa recently held its annual Dealer of the Year Awards, acknowledging great performance to the brand within the 80-strong Renault Dealer network.
South Africa’s top-performing Finance & Insurance (F&I) professionals in the automotive retail sector were honoured at the prestigious 2025 Lightstone Auto Star Reacher F&I Awards held this past weekend.
