How many GWM dealerships are there currently in the Hatfield Motor Group and where are they located?

We have five metro dealerships located in Hatfield and Menlyn in Pretoria, and then Midrand, Woodmead and Sandton in the Greater Johannesburg area. The Hatfield Group predominantly focuses on metro dealerships as this is our area of expertise, and our dealers are mostly in the Mega category. We are busy relocating Haval Sandton to their new building, which will be one of our flagship dealers for The Hatfield Motor Group as well as GWM South Africa. We are very excited about this new site and trust that our customers will love it too.

Over what period have you built up a relationship with the Chinese manufacturer and when was your first GWM dealership opened?

When the Hatfield Group purchased the Fury group three years ago, GWM/Haval Woodmead and Midrand made up part of the take-on deal and this was our first exposure to the brand. Since then we have expanded to five dealers on the back of a great relationship with our OEM partners and it’s an exciting business venture in which we see great potential.

How does GWM’s growing success with increased sales, the opening of more dealerships and a number of new products launched recently, manifest in your group?

We have seen great improvements in the business policies of the GWM Group locally, which have laid the foundation for building healthy businesses. The general market is also accepting the products coming into the market more and more readily - the vehicles are affordable, of good quality and offer technology and luxury that the traditional OEMs cannot offer at the same price point… I think people are starting to understand the value proposition and it makes sense to them.

GWM has grown into a brand that consistently features in the top 10 manufacturers in South Africa (and hopefully soon the top five), their success is our success and vice versa, so we have invested in the brand heavily to expand our footprint – our dealers currently sell around 40 new vehicles a month in the five dealers making Hatfield the largest independently owned group partner in the network.

Are there more GWM dealerships in Hatfield’s future and if yes, when and where?

At the moment, we don’t have any new GMW dealerships on the cards, they already have a large national footprint and don’t have any dealership licences available for us in metro areas, but we will always be on the lookout for new opportunities within the network, so who knows, we could be opening a dealer in any of the major metros if the opportunity arises.

Who are you targeting through your GWM dealerships or does it depend on the area where they are located?

The wide range of vehicles available in the GWM stable makes it easy to do business as they cater for customers throughout most of their life journeys.

I don’t think the locations of the dealerships necessarily prescribe who the target market is, I think the brand speaks to everyone looking for quality vehicles at sensible prices that can offer good luxury and technology levels, and they can buy it from a group that has a reputation of high customer service levels and dependability, our slogan is “rated number 1 in service”, which is backed by our dealers’ great Google ratings and numerous customer service awards we have won over the years.

What stands out from your GWM dealerships compared to others?

At the recent GWM awards, our dealers had a great night in terms of the awards we took home, especially in the mega category in which most of our dealers operate. It was especially great to see that all three finalists for top sales performance as well as all three finalists for Dealer Principal of the Year, were from the Hatfield Motor Group.

Our dealers received multiple awards, the standout awards were the CSI award of the Year, Sales Manager of the Year, Dealer Principal of the Year, Mega Dealer of the Year and Group of the Year. This clearly indicates our dedication to the GWM brand.

Why are you excited about GWM?

GWM is starting to become a traditional brand in South Africa. They have been in South Africa for 18 years this year and have never left the country unlike many of their competitors, this in itself really speaks to their investment in and commitment of the brand to SA.

They are very focused on delivering to our customers, ensuring great warranties are honoured with great service and parts supply, and their vehicle price position is really well geared to perform well in our market unlike many traditional manufacturers who have pricing strategies more aligned with European, or the US markets.

They have an excellent vehicle line-up that complements the South African lifestyle; the quality of their vehicles is excellent – and this gives us a lot to be excited about.