Muhammad, Managing Director and Dealer Principal at Cars to Go in Gezina, Pretoria, says they are ecstatic about the award, and it can be attributed to great staff who are committed to their goals during difficult times in the country. He also stressed the importance of the support they get from the Absa team to assist them.

“I am very proud of our team in all departments, for going the extra mile. Specifically, I would like to highlight the efforts of Zama Nyawose our F&I on the floor. This award would not be possible without her efforts.

“I also want to pay tribute to the young Kyle Brits, one of our Senior Sales Executives, who passed away this year. He was a great inspiration to us and many of his colleagues. He started out here with me at the dealership in 2017,” Muhammad tells Dealerfloor.

Muhammad says that with the start of the pandemic three years ago, they took a decision to get as much good quality stock as possible. “We realised that stock would become a serious issue. Especially with the suspension of the production of new vehicles, even only for a brief time, and attendant supply chain issues as well as problems around the availability of semiconductors.”

He says even during the strict lockdown period they worked within the limitation of the lockdown restrictions to obtain stock and that played an important role in the success of Cars to Go during times that others struggle to find good used vehicle stock. This helped them through the difficult times and laid the foundation for their current success.

“We have a very wide variety of products across the brand and vehicle type spectrum. I believe first and foremost in acquiring the right stock – good quality at an affordable price – instead of just one kind of vehicle type like bakkies or SUVs. Today, customers are looking at a quality vehicle across the spectrum and you must be able to give them choices in this regard.”

Cars to Go was established in 2002, and Muhammad took over as dealer principal in 2017. “The founders, Kobus and Meiring Botes, laid a solid foundation on which we built. We are located in the hub of pre-owned dealerships in this part of Pretoria, which means a lot of competition, which is a good thing. It also means this is the area where people come to look for vehicles as there are many dealerships in one area,” he tells Dealerfloor.

“As is the case with many dealerships these days, we use all platforms available for marketing. It means we have customers all over the country and not only in Pretoria. We are also proud to do a lot of repeat business, which is testimony to the good service we provide,” Muhammad says.