Top international award for Thorp’s Plumstead dealership
Thorp GWM (Haval) Plumstead, recently scooped up an international award from GWM (Haval) International in the category for Best Fleet Contribution at the recently held Beijing Motor Show in China.
Share with friends
It is the second consecutive year that the Thorp Motor Group’s Plumstead dealership in the Western Cape brought back the silverware for this prestigious award. The multi-franchise dealership currently provides vehicle sales and aftersales to the brands of GWM (Haval), Subaru and from 1 July 1, Chery.
The fleet award is an international recognition by GWM (Haval) for individual dealers’ performance in the respective countries with specific focus on fleet sales. This award is presented annually at the Motor Shows in China.
Dealerfloor chatted to Jacques Fryer, the Dealer Principal, about what drives this success at the Plumstead dealership.
Seen here are Warren Thorp (Director), Graham Liebenberg (Fleet Manager) and Jacques Fryer (Dealer Principal).
“Our fleet success is based on our offering to our clients and understanding their unique needs. Be it the ‘butcher/baker/candle stick maker’ to the large corporate fleet requirements, our team is able to provide a customised service. We provide vehicles that are leaders in their respective fields of operation, through our outlets at Plumstead, N1 City, Table View and Table Bay,” he said.
Asked how the fleet side of the business fitted into the normal retail side in terms of different sales teams and servicing and aftersales, he told us that fleet sales played an important role in the component of the overall sales offering.
He added: “We have a dedicated team for fleet and retail sales and continue to strive to ensure that when we provide a vehicle, it is the start of a successful new partnership, ensuring minimum downtime for our clients.
The moment at the announcement in Beijing in China.
“We cater for all fleet sizes, be it two or two hundred vehicles, though not only ensuring that we have the most knowledgeable, but also the most passionate of staff available to our clients. Add to this our free 10-year/1-million kilometre-warranty ensuring that when a vehicle is purchased from us, customers will always have the support they need.”
Jacques told Dealerfloor their fleet business operated across the country. “As the largest Independent Motor Group in the Western Cape, we have strategic partnerships with various dealers in the various networks, ensuring that we are always able to assist, both our fleet and retail clients.”
Back to the award which Jacques says is always a welcome surprise for the Thorp Motor Group and even more so for the team at GWM (Haval) Plumstead. “This award recognises our dedicated team of fleet experts and the service they provide. It is even more rewarding that we received international recognition, for the second year in a row,” he said.
We asked about expansion plans regarding the fleet side of business to which he replied that the Group has extensive plans in place for the next 12-18 months, which will see them cementing relationships with all their stakeholders.
This included plans such as a Motor City in Sandown (Table View area) and soon Chery Plumstead, all complementing the current offering of Suzuki at N1 City, Table View and Table Bay as well as GWM (Haval) in Table View and Table Bay.
And what distinguishes Plumstead from other dealership regarding its fleet business? “Simply put, it is our ‘get it done’ attitude for all stakeholders, by providing customised products to support our vehicles and also ensuring that our team remains at the forefront of the market needs.”
With New Energy Vehicles (NEV) slowly but surely gaining momentum in South Africa, Jacques told Dealerfloor they were extremely excited about the products, not only by GWM (Haval), but also with their other brands. “I believe we have strategically positioned ourselves through all our branches not only as a market leader but also as an Independent Motor Group and amongst all the large Motor Groups in in the country.”
Jacques concluded by telling Dealerfloor their goal was to ensure they remained a leader in the market not only for GWM, but for all vehicle models available at their dealerships. We will continue to build on the success of the past two years and hopefully achieve recognition for a third year, while at the same time staying rooted to the success of our business – namely, all our customers, OEMs and staff.”
It has come to the attention of Knysna Speed Festival, the owner of the Simola Hillclimb, that Zwartkops Raceway has used Simola Hillclimb’s event regulations for its Top of the Hill event to be held in October.
Continuing the company’s founding vision of Being the Best, is the responsibility of the third generation of Emanuel brothers leading two divisions of the KwaZulu-Natal-based (KZN) automotive mobility group.
BMW Group Financial Services South Africa has announced the appointment of Roger Rooden (photo) as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of BMW Group Financial Services South Africa.
Continuing the company’s founding vision of Being the Best, is the responsibility of the third generation of Emanuel brothers leading two divisions of the KwaZulu-Natal-based (KZN) automotive mobility group.
The foundation has been laid, the eyes are on us, and we are ready for the future. So says Ernst Dörnbrack, Dealer Principal (DP) at Westvaal’s award-winning Stellantis dealership in Paarl in the Western Cape.
A long list of awards, including Dealer of the Year accolades, runner-up awards, and a host of other much sought-after trophies during the last ten years, and as recently as this year, is a testament to the accomplishments of the Fuzion Motor Group.