The reality of a breakdown during the hostile Dakar
The Dakar Rally is often portrayed as a heroic clash between man, machine and an unforgiving wilderness.
- Industry News
- 14 December 2025
Absa Vehicle and Asset Finance (AVAF) hosted its Top Ten Buyers Awards in Isando recently.
The awards, which are an annual institution, celebrated the top 10 supporters of AVAF’s trade centres. The criteria for the awards were most rand value spent by a dealer in 2022.
In 2022, the trade centres generated R1.5 billion of which the top 10 buyers contributed a staggering 26 per cent, translating into 10 000 units sold.
Charl Potgieter, Managing Executive at AVAF, lauded the winners, saying it was a phenomenal feat in light of a challenged economy that was dealing with everything from interest rate increases and distressed customers to high inflation.
According to Charl, he never lost faith in the auto industry’s resilience saying: “The market might be tough, but the dealers are tougher.”
Johan de Necker, Senior Manager of the AVAF Trade Centres, also lauded the mammoth effort of the top 10, with a special nod to those who bought nationally from the different trade centres.
The Top 10 buyers include:
The Dakar Rally is often portrayed as a heroic clash between man, machine and an unforgiving wilderness.
For South Africa, this race is more than just a contest of speed and endurance: it is a showcase of local engineering excellence.
Stellantis and Bolt have announced a partnership to jointly explore the development and deployment of Level 4 autonomous vehicles for commercial operations across Europe, marking a significant step to bring driverless mobility to the continent's streets.
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Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
The Dakar Rally is often portrayed as a heroic clash between man, machine and an unforgiving wilderness.
For South Africa, this race is more than just a contest of speed and endurance: it is a showcase of local engineering excellence.
Stellantis and Bolt have announced a partnership to jointly explore the development and deployment of Level 4 autonomous vehicles for commercial operations across Europe, marking a significant step to bring driverless mobility to the continent's streets.