A belief system of integrity and making a positive difference in people’s lives, is the driving force behind the King Cars Group, with used-car dealerships in Cape Town and Gqeberha.
At the helm of King Cars is Pierre Potgieter (main photo), shareholder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the group’s three dealerships in Cape Town, two dealerships in Gqeberha with another one opening its doors soon in the Eastern Cape city.
Chatting to Pierre quickly reveals his strong passion for the blessings they receive creating a culture of solid values and fortune. “King Cars was founded in 1995 by my business partner, Jacques du Plessis, and the name King Cars refers to our Creator,” he tells Dealerfloor. (Jacques is the youngest brother of former Springbok rugby players, Carel, Michael and Willie du Plessis.)
“To focus on generating money only, is not our aim. The way we conduct business is testament to what we believe, and the results speak for themselves. It is not a cliché to says our customers become our friends. Our repeat business is close to 75% and that in itself tells a story of our commitment to service excellence and the way we conduct business,” says Pierre.
“Our commitment in making a difference in our personal and our communities’ lives is well-known and forms a large part of our business success. We serve a broad spectrum of schools in our community, organisations and institutions with assistance and involvement in various ways.
“When it comes to the vehicles we sell, we want to make sure that all our customers are satisfied and more importantly, remain satisfied. We hold our own regulated FSP licence, which ensures our customers get sound financial advice as well as fair treatment when it comes to vehicle finance and dealings with the financial institutions.
“We also have our own mechanical warranties via the cell-captive system in conjunction with a large warranty administrator and insurance underwriter. This puts the emphasis on us to ensure a vehicle is in tip top condition when it’s delivered,” he tells Dealerfloor.
Asked about his career in the automotive industry, Pierre, an accountant by trade, says the vehicle industry has always been his passion.
His career started at SARS in 1987 as a graduate from Stellenbosch University in audit and company tax. He continued his studies, specialised in income tax and in 1992 joined the motor industry on the accounting and thereafter on the retail side. Here he served in various senior capacities at dealerships extending his skill set across the spectrum.
He first met Jacques in 2013, and in 2014 he joined him as a business partner. It is a relationship he says he treasures as they share the same values.
“There is much more to selling and buying a vehicle for that matter than just a good price and mileage. The true value is in supporting and enriching our customers’ lives through trustworthy transactions with a first-class service,” Pierre concludes.
Workers at nine Volkswagen car and component plants across Germany went on strike for several hours on Monday, IG Metall union said, bringing assembly lines to a halt as labour and management clashed over the future of the carmaker's German operations.
Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) announced a partially upgraded model of the Supra (3-litre) and the special-edition Supra "A90 Final Edition". The special-edition model is slated for global release with a limited run of 300 units.
Brand O&J—the Chery Group division comprising the OMODA and JAECOO marques—entered the South African market in 2023 with the launch of the OMODA C5. Since then, the line-up has grown with the addition of the J7 and, more recently, the C9.
Advertisement
Advertisement
If you are not taking care of your customer, your competitor will.
Bob Hooey
The BB Group – one of the largest independently owned vehicle retailers in South Africa – is the proud owner of the last Nissan NP200s to be built in South Africa.
As we all know, the profit of a motor dealership comes from several areas and each of them needs to be monitored closely if you want to ensure that your dealership performs well.
Unlike in the past, when dealerships primarily waited for customers to come to them, we now take a more proactive approach, bringing our vehicles directly to places where people gather, allowing them to experience the product first-hand, including offering test drives,” says Gerrie van der Kaay, Dealer Principal at Supergroup Dealerships Jetour Midrand.
