Mitsubishi Motors has expanded its footprint in Africa with the opening of a new dealership in the capital of Botswana.
The brand was previously represented in that country by a service centre, which has now become a full-fledged sales and service outlet for both new and used Mitsubishi vehicles.
“BB Motors, which is run by the Bhamjee family, approached Mitsubishi Motors South Africa – as the African representative of the brand – towards the end of 2020 for the rights to upgrade its existing Mitsubishi Motors Service Centre to a dealership,” explained Nic Campbell, General Manager of Mitsubishi Motors South Africa (MMSA).
The new facility, known as Mitsubishi Motors Gaborone, is owned and managed by the BB Motors group and includes a showroom for new vehicle sales, as well as a comprehensive workshop.
The Bhamjee family, owners of BB Motors, has been in the motor industry for over 40 years, and Zain Bhamjee will take up the role as Dealer Principal.
“We believe in the importance of an honest relationship with our customers, and it is on this belief that we have built our brand. We will always be open and honest about our products and services,” Bhamjee commented.
The team is extremely excited about the new dealership after gaining valuable experience running the service centre over the past few years. “We are proud to be able to offer all new models – from the Eclipse Cross, ASX and Outlander to the Triton and Pajero Sport to customers in Botswana,” boasted Sales Manager, Nelson Moremedi. “We are confident that we will sell four or more new vehicles a month from the start and will offer a wide range of used Mitsubishi vehicles as well.”
According to Campbell, MMSA does not have a share in the Botswana dealership: “MMSA has 58 dealerships and service centres in Southern Africa and assists with dealerships or service centres in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland. Lesotho is served by the Ladybrand branch. We are also represented in Malawi and Zambia.”
MMSA also operates a Mitsubishi service centre, Mitsubishi Motors Molapo, in Tlokweng Road, Gaborone. This means that Mitsubishi owners and prospective buyers now have access to almost 60 dealers and service centres across Southern Africa.
Falling back on their heritage and the legacy specific models have established over decades seems to be a strategy for European manufacturers to try and neutralise the tsunami of Chinese vehicles, especially full-electric vehicles (EVs), being set loose on Europe’s roads.
South Africa has taken important steps to position itself within the global electric vehicle (EV) industry, but industry stakeholders argue that further policy adjustments are needed if the country is to accelerate adoption and support long-term investment in clean transport infrastructure.
Dealer excellence was recognised at the Mahindra South Africa Dealer Conference Awards Evening, where dealerships were acknowledged for their performance across retail sales, commercial vehicles, customer satisfaction, aftersales and other areas of the business.
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Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
Dealer excellence was recognised at the Mahindra South Africa Dealer Conference Awards Evening, where dealerships were acknowledged for their performance across retail sales, commercial vehicles, customer satisfaction, aftersales and other areas of the business.
To turn the fortunes of a dealership around from one not firing on all its cylinders, so to speak, to one of the top five dealerships in the country and now the top Dealer of the Year, is testimony to what can be achieved with dedicated leadership.
Few can claim a bond with Mazda as deep as the Plitt family's. For more than 60 years, Mazda has been part of the family's story through Mazda Vereeniging, the oldest Mazda dealership in South Africa and a longstanding standalone representative of the brand.
