Last year was an event-filled one for UD Trucks Southern Africa (UDTSA) following numerous achievements across its sales and aftersales business areas, which had a positive effect on the overall business growth for the brand.
To recognise dealers who contributed significantly to the exceptional performance in 2023, UDTSA hosted its Annual Dealer Conference (ADC) in Cape Town.
This year, the awards were celebrated under the apt theme “A celebration of continuous innovation”, shining the spotlight to dealers who propelled change through innovation and created favourable conditions to adapt in what was a dynamic operating environment.
Scooping the biggest awards of the event for excellent customer satisfaction, exceptional business performance and outstanding aftermarket achievements. AutoSueco Namibia took home the title of Dealer of the Year 2023 for Emerging Markets, whilst locally, the Dealer of the Year award for medium dealers went to UD Trucks Ermelo, and lastly, UD Trucks Cape Town was received the prestigious title of overall Dealer of the Year.
Fabrice Gorlier, Senior Vice President, UD Trucks International Sales, commends dealers for a stellar performance as follows: “UDTSA remains one of the biggest markets outside of Japan, and the impressive performance from its dealer network in 2023 further affirms the brand’s strong foothold in Southern Africa. With the robust retail excellence strategy, South Africa will continue to prioritise the evolving business requirements of our customers through offering a range of quality products, comprehensive services and superior customer support.”
The event saw a total of 34 awards in 31 categories this year, with the results measuring dealers who achieved tremendous scores across all areas, including Sales, Administration, Parts, Service Agreements, Connected Services, Customer Service and Financial Services.
Filip van den Heede, Managing Director UD Trucks Southern Africa had this to say: “As UDTSA, we would like to commend all the winning dealers across the region. These awards certainly send a strong message about the strength of our extensive dealer network and its commitment to delivering exceptional service and sales to our customers.
“Similarly, these awards also bear testament to the extraordinary individuals and teams who achieved excellence in 2023 in an even tougher business environment, setting new standards for success. We are excited about the year ahead as we continue to work together to pivot UDTSA to greater heights and to ensure our customers have access to smart logistics solutions.”
Volkswagen is abandoning its separate electric vehicle naming convention, opting instead to align its battery-electric models with established combustion engine nameplates. The German automaker announced that the strategy shift would begin with the ID Polo, set to debut in 2026.
Europe's automotive industry has issued a unified call for the European Union (EU) to recalibrate its green transition strategy, with leading manufacturers and suppliers expressing growing concerns about the feasibility of current electrification timelines and regulatory frameworks.
South African business sentiment deteriorated further in the third quarter of 2025, falling one point to reach 39, well below the long-term benchmark of 42 points, as punitive US tariffs took their toll on exporters, Reuters reported on Wednesday
Advertisement
Advertisement
I have bad reflexes. I was once run over by a car being pushed by two guys
Woody Allen
“We are ready to hit the road with DFSK and will celebrate the official opening of the East London DFSK dealership on 6th September,” says Melanie Herman, owner and Dealer Principal of the new facility in the Eastern Cape city.
Chery had a busy time over the last couple of weeks. Not only did it pull off a unique crash test with two Chery Tiggo 9s, the first of its kind locally, but it also awarded its top performing dealers during its national dealer conference held at Nasrec.
Hyundai Motor Group has officially announced Hyundai Pinetown as one of Global Top 100 Dealers of the Year, recognising the dealership’s remarkable performance, customer-centric innovation and market leadership in a highly competitive industry.
