Receiving this accolade is an acknowledgement of the hard work over the last five years in establishing this dealership.
It is a dealership that rules the roost in this prime farming and strategic region of the Free State, close to Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
So says a proud Willem Roberts, Dealer Principal at Mortimer Toyota Frankfort and part of MMG, after receiving the important Most Improved Performance Group Member Award at the 2021 MSX/NADA Business of the Year (BOTY) ceremony.
“To be considered for this award, the dealership is evaluated and results that cover a variety of aspects are compared to those of the previous financial year. Our success leading up to this award did not happen overnight.
“It took time to establish a substantial car parc and that led to our After Sales Department running full steam, close to a 100% capacity. Even with low stock levels, we move heaven and earth to assist clients and can draw on the assistance of all the dealerships in MMG group. The group also bought Bidvest Car Rental, which is now called Bluu Car Rental, and it is an important provider of quality used stock.
“Before 2017, Toyota did not have a presence in Frankfort, and the ‘bakkie-business’ here was dominated by another brand which chose to leave during that year.
“That business was run by me and my partner, Emile Cronjé. We struck a deal with Ryan and Rudi Seele, the owners of the Mortimer Motor Group. They also owned the Toyota dealership in Reitz.
“We became part of MMG, and the Reitz dealership was moved to Frankfort into the same premises that housed our previous business. Emile is now the Manager at our After Sales Department at Mortimer Toyota,” Willem tells us.
He says before they became part of MMG and Toyota, they won two Rural Dealer of the Year Awards and the aim is to achieve this again. “Winning this award from Nada and MSX is an important pathway to achieve more success. Winning overall Dealership of the Year awards from both Toyota and Nada/MSX is most certainly in our sights.
“And the most significant reason for our success is our team at Mortimer Frankfort and colleagues at MMG. I want to thank Rudi and Ryan Seele for the trust they had in us back in 2017 as well as a big thank you to Wynand Wessels, our boss overseeing the Toyota side of the business.
Lastly, my staff deserve huge congratulations and a thank you for everybody’s effort that you have put in to get us into this position,” Willem concludes.
Brazil has climbed back to the top of the global league table for Chinese outbound investment, drawing 10.9% of the total in 2025, according to the Brazil-China Business Council.
Mother’s Day is the one day of the year where it almost does not matter whether you get things completely right or hopelessly wrong. Mum will still love you anyway, because that is simply how mothers are built.
For a good conversation starter at any social gathering, just mention Chinese vehicles. Soon the chat will be filled with as many different opinions as there are Chinese brands doing business in South Africa.
Advertisement
Advertisement
You can't buy happiness but you can buy cars and that's kind of the same thing.
Unknown
In today’s automotive retail environment, where new vehicle prices keep climbing beyond the reach of many consumers, used vehicles have become the backbone of dealership profitability.
At the recent international GWM Awards, Hatfield Motor Group proudly stood alongside some of the world’s top-performing GWM representatives, earning prestigious honours that placed South African talent firmly on the global stage.
A R20 million funding transaction approved by the Automotive Industry Transformation Fund (AITF) will enable Fumani Holdings to establish an OEM approved dealership under Isuzu Motors South Africa, marking a significant step in its progression into formal automotive retail.
