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.
Renault Group says it will change the way it accounts for its stake in its alliance partner for 20 years, Nissan, after earlier reports that the French automaker’s share price could take a hit.
It is believed that Nissan Motor has asked some suppliers to allow it to delay payments to free up short-term funds as the troubled Japanese automaker scrambles to boost cash.
Absa has taken another step towards becoming the bank of the auto industry by signing a formal collaboration agreement with the National Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA).
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I always do like seeing other people dance in their cars. It's one of the things that makes me happy.
Ariel Gore
One of the topics that comes up often when I write articles is “waste” within a dealership. Quite often, expenses are cut when times are challenging but often, waste is confused with expenditure.
The story of Gabisile Fakude will surely be an inspiration for many who have an eye on the automotive industry as a career, especially for those who have not traditionally been associated with this world as a career path.
Suzuki Kenilworth in Cape Town claimed top honours for the second year running at the annual Suzuki Dealer Conference and Awards.
