For the first time since 2019, Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) held its first physical Dealer of the Year (DOTY) awards ceremony, where outstanding Hino, Lexus and Toyota dealers were celebrated. The event took place at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
Leon Theron, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at TSAM, conferred the trophies on the winners.
The Hino Dealer of the Year award went to Gansen Chetty of Hino Shelley Beach. “The Dealer Principal of this dealership continuously motivates his team. He embraces the Hino Total Support philosophy in every aspect. The team at the dealership is always willing to go the extra mile to ensure total customer satisfaction,” says the winning statement.
The Lexus Dealer of the Year award went to Christopher Jones of Lexus Fourways. “A performance like this requires visionary leadership and a passionate, dedicated team – aspects that are firmly entrenched in this dealer’s DNA. It is an absolute pleasure to reward this outstanding performance and give this team the recognition it so rightfully deserves,” was the summary of their performance.
The Toyota Dealer of the Year went to Dirk van Rooy of Halfway Toyota Honeydew. “The performance of this dealership is proof that strong leadership and the right people make all the difference. The Dealer Principal has always been intentional about growing and developing his staff. He also allows his management team members to lead their own departments, resulting in a very innovative and highly motivated team,” according to TSAM.
Awarded annually, the Toyota dealer awards are based on a comprehensive set of metrics on which each Toyota/Lexus/Hino dealer is measured over the preceding year. These criteria include customer service, environmental protection, financial performance and vehicle sales.
Leon says while the evening was about celebrating TSAM’s dealers, the company was “proud to have been operating in South Africa for more than 60 years and manufacturing vehicles at the Prospecton Plant in Durban for 50 years, while we have also been retailing Hino trucks and buses in the country for the same period.”
Also recognised at the event was Glyn Hall, Team Principal of Toyota Gazoo Racing SA, for his pivotal role in the success of Hilux in the Dakar. This year saw four cars enter the 2022 Dakar Rally, including Nasser Al-Attiyah and navigator Mathieu Baumel; Giniel de Villiers and navigator Dennis Murphy; Henk Lategan and navigator Brett Cummings; and Shameer Variawa and navigator Danie Stassen. The 2022 Dakar Rally was, in the end, won by Al-Attiyah and Baumel, and all the cars made it safely to the finishing line.
TSAM’s President and CEO Andrew Kirby, together with Leon Theron, also presented the President’s Award to Lichtenburg Toyota (Small dealer category), eThekwini Toyota Westville (Medium dealer category), Halfway Toyota Scottburgh (Large dealer category) and Halfway Toyota Fourways (Mega dealer category).
Chery South Africa says it is accelerating its growth in the local car-rental industry, with its national passenger vehicle market share reaching 6.2% in the past month. As interest in Chery’s range of vehicles continues to grow for consumers and fleet operators, the brand is seeing increasing interest from rental car companies nationwide.
Ulterio Motiv will exhibit a total of three vehicles at this year’s Hankook Land Cruiser Festival. Held annually, the Land Cruiser Festival caters not only to Toyota Land Cruiser enthusiasts, but also to various companies that supply products, upgrades and equipment for these vehicles.
Following the launch of the family-orientated Ford Territory last year, Ford SA is set to raise the bar for its compact sport utility vehicle (SUV) with a decent value-for-money proposition with the imminent release of the Territory Dark Edition.
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Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) recently hosted its annual National Dealer of the Year Awards. The pivotal event marked 45 years of market leadership – a celebration of dedication and resilience of a successful partnership with the Toyota dealer network.
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South Africa’s top-performing Finance & Insurance (F&I) professionals in the automotive retail sector were honoured at the prestigious 2025 Lightstone Auto Star Reacher F&I Awards held this past weekend.
