
Asian brands, EVs dominate 2025 Best Buy Awards
The 2025 Best By Awards, announced by Kelley Blue Book, reflect the rapidly shifting landscape of the automotive market not only in the USA, but also elsewhere.
- Industry News
- 17 April 2025
It all started sixty years ago when Bloemfontein businessman, Barnie Human, founded the Human Auto Group.
His main goal was to provide customers with an excellent product and superior services. Till today, his Ford dealerships in Bloemfontein, Welkom, Kimberley and Ficksburg carry this motto as is evident from the rewards reaped at annual Ford Awards for 2019.
Not only did Human Auto receive the award for the Best Ford Group in the Blue Oval stable, but Human Auto Welkom scooped up a couple of individual awards as well.
Human Auto Welkom’s Workshop Manager, Kattie Griesel, is the winner in the categories for “Fixed It Right First Time” and for Customer Satisfaction, while he also received the runner-up award for Best Workshop Manager. Kattie has been with Human Auto Welkom for the past 13 years and previously at Mercedes-Benz.
Another winner from Human Auto Welkom is Elsabé Janse van Vuuren, who was runner-up in the category for Best F&I. She has been with the group for the past 15 years.
Human Auto Welkom also received the runner-up award for the Best Dealer in recognition for Retail Excellence Performance in 2019. The awards were accepted by the dealer principal of Human Auto Welkom, Pierre Beukes, who have been with the company for 21 years.
“I am very proud of our team and everyone’s performance, also our colleagues at the other Human Auto branches,” Pierre told Dealerfloor.
In the face of a shifting premium automotive market, Audi South Africa is also currently re-aligning its retail operations according to the new reality where the premium vehicle sector has contracted to nearly a third of its size compared to a decade ago, with 2024 marking the lowest level yet.
The Halfway Group has opened the doors to a brand-new Lexus dealership, located in Lynnwood, Pretoria, with Chris Jones as the Dealer Principal.
Stellantis has announced the expansion of its multi-franchise dealer network with the addition of the Fiat and Jeep brands to the existing CMH East Rand dealership in Boksburg, Gauteng.