Kia’s Tasman bakkie arrives in South Africa
Kia has taken a bold step into one of South Africa’s most competitive automotive segments with the launch of the Tasman, its first-ever double cab bakkie.
- Product News
- 9 April 2026
At some stage in the next twelve months, you are going to be faced with drawing up budgets for the next financial year. Simply taking last year’s performance and adding or subtracting from those numbers for your budget is really easy but mostly ineffective.
I detail below some critical inputs that should be considered when budgeting for your new vehicle Gross Profit (GP):
Once you have the volumes and model mix for your area, you need to calculate/estimate the selling price of your models as well as the GP% you expect per model.
What are you going to charge for PDI? This needs to be considered as part of your cost of sale.
With the above info, you will be able to calculate the dealership’s new vehicle volumes, average selling price and GP for new vehicles (first gross).
I like to break down GP into first gross, second gross and F&I gross:
Second gross consists of all additional products that are not finance or insurance related. This includes accessory sales, “3 in 1” sales, window tint, documentation fees, admin fees and any other products that you sell that are not finance and insurance related.
You need to consider model mix when determining your second GP as the potential for accessories on an LDV is way higher than it is for an entry-level car.
F&I GP is you finance commission, warranty sales and GP, maintenance/service plan sales and GP.
Lastly, you may want to include a provision for after-sales, advertising or any other type of provision that you deem necessary.
In order to pinpoint performance, I would recommend a separate line item for each of the components that make up first GP, second GP and F&I GP. It is then much easier to measure areas of performance and non-performance.
LDV South Africa recently hosted its dealer conference, with representation from dealerships across the country. Among those present was Joy Zhu, Africa Regional Director for SAIC Motor International, reinforcing the brand’s global backing and commitment to growth in South Africa.
BMW Group South Africa hosted its annual Retailer of the Year Awards celebrating the achievements of its national retail network and recognising the retailers who continue to deliver exceptional customer experiences across the country.
Lifting above the currents, Orbit Commercial Vehicles Cape Town was once again named the overall 2025 Dealer of the Year and Elite Class winner for Southern Africa at Daimler Truck Southern Africa’s (DTSA) Dealer of the Year Awards.