F&I training needs a rethink, dealerships are catching on
The F&I office has always been a key part of the dealership experience, but recently, it has become one of the most pressured and misunderstood roles on the floor.
- Industry News
- 5 June 2025
FAW Trucks Southern Africa recently convened its annual Dealer Conference and Awards, uniting its extensive network from across the region for a week dedicated to strategic alignment, collaborative growth and recognising excellence, it states.
This year's event served as the launch pad for the "2025 FAW Trucks SA Playbook", a comprehensive strategy designed to redefine customer experience and market leadership in the commercial vehicle sector. The theme for this year’s conference was Ignite, Accelerate and Drive the 2025 Year.
The core of the conference comprised intensive strategy sessions focused on service enhancements, brand elevation and market penetration. The week culminated in the prestigious Dealer Awards, honouring top-performing FAW Trucks’ partners for their outstanding contributions in 2024.
The prize winners were:
Best performance by Retail Sales Dealer (Large) - FAW Johannesburg South (ELT Group).
Best performance by Retail Sales Dealer (Med - Small) - FAW Middelburg (ETTC Group).
Best performance by Parts and Service Dealer (Large) - FAW Johannesburg South (ELT Group).
Best performance by Parts and Service Dealer (Med - Small) - FAW Middelburg (ETTC Group).
FAW Branch of the year - FAW Isando.
2024 JH6 Range Champion - FAW Johannesburg South (ELT Group).
2024 FAW Independent Dealer of the Year - FAW Johannesburg South (ELT Group).
FAW Special Recognition Award - FAW Lesotho.
FAW Special Recognition Award - FAW Bloemfontein.
A key highlight was the unveiling of FAW Trucks’ 2025 product roadmap, showcasing additions to its diverse range of commercial vehicles. These innovations, spanning from versatile freight carriers to robust, extra-heavy-duty trucks, engineered to meet evolving customer needs while setting new benchmarks for performance and reliability.
“Our dealer network is the cornerstone of our success,” notes Jian Yang (CEO of FAW Trucks Southern Africa). “The 2025 FAW Trucks strategy will be heavily focused on a renewed commitment to empowering our partners with cutting-edge resources and collaborative strategies.
“This includes more intensive training programmes for both sales and after-sales support teams, ensuring they are equipped to deliver exceptional service. We are also prioritising network expansion into key areas to provide greater fleet support across Southern Africa.
“With the introduction of a new range of flagship entrants to the commercial segment and an elevated brand image set to roll out, we are confident that together, we will elevate FAW Trucks to unprecedented levels of customer satisfaction and market influence,” he says.
The F&I office has always been a key part of the dealership experience, but recently, it has become one of the most pressured and misunderstood roles on the floor.
South Africans have now joined other global drivers in experiencing and driving the award-winning, bold, futuristic and versatile new Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid.
Mercedes-AMG’s GT 63 S E PERFORMANCE is the fastest accelerating AMG model, and it is now locally available.
Advertisement
Advertisement
You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do.
Henry Ford
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.