So says Johan Grobler (photo), newly appointed Dealer Principal at the Thorp Motor Group’s Table View operations with a workshop for all its brands and two brand showrooms for Suzuki and GWM (and its various name plates) at the original dealership. He also takes charge at the above-mentioned showrooms at the Table View Mall, a short distance from the dealership itself.

“On the GWM side, the manufacturer distinguishes its product line-up with separate stage-type areas in the dealership or showroom under the GWM banner. This is to emphasise each brand’s own identity. Next door to it, in the mall, we have our other brands as mentioned, each with its own entrance and dedicated sales staff,” Johan tells Dealerfloor.

Asked about the benefit of having showrooms in a mall, Johan says the number of people visiting the mall is excellent exposure for what they have on offer. “Our new models of all the different brands we represent are exciting and popular with visitors, who we might not otherwise see at the dealership itself.”

Johan says they have to adhere to the mall’s trading hours, so the staff in the showrooms work shifts as the shops in the mall close only at seven o’clock at night from Monday to Sunday.

About the Thorp experience, Johan says they also include a 10-year/1-million-kilometre warranty, non-transferable, in addition to the normal factory warranty for each product they sell at no extra cost. “The benefit for customers speaks for itself and for us, on condition that we service the vehicle, so we ensure customer retention by building a relationship with them.

“At Thorp, our customer service is of the utmost importance. This is why our staff training, their happiness and well-being are crucial because it all leads to first-class customers care. It is also not only the original training that matters, but the constant updating of knowledge through training.

“In the workshop it is a completely different game than decades ago with electronics becoming the overriding way modern vehicles function. We in fact have to be on top of our game in all departments of a dealership. Customers want an honest approach, trustworthy people, expert advice and trained specialists working on their vehicle,” he tells Dealerfloor.

• The Thorp Motor Group, based in Plumstead and Table View in the southern suburbs of Cape Town, have dealerships for Isuzu, Subaru, Suzuki, GWM (Haval), Chery and Omoda.