Triton brings the challenge to competitors
The bakkie war has intensified with the local launch of Mitsubishi’s next-generation Triton, an evolution in the iconic bakkie’s 46-year legacy.
- Product News
- 21 November 2024
Neeraj Kessery is the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Volkswagen B-BBEE Initiatives Trust.
He who took up this position on 1 August 2022 and takes over from Sipha Ndawonde, who has been at the helm of the Trust since it was established in 2016. Sipha will remain a Trustee with the organisation.
Though it carries the name Volkswagen, the Trust is managed independently by a Board of Trustees, and the aim of the Trust is to increase the number of quality Black-owned suppliers and businesses in the automotive sector value chain, through both financial and non-financial assistance. The Trust has supported seven businesses to date, through various programmes.
Neeraj brings to his new role a total of 24 years’ experience in the automotive sector. After obtaining his BSc degree in Mechanical Engineering, he started his career at a Mercedes-Benz dealership, after which he joined BMW through a graduate programme.
Following eight years in various departments within BMW, he moved to the Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC). In this role, he was hands-on in advancing transformation in the automotive industry, as he was charged with setting up supplier incubator hubs at several original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including Ford and Nissan.
“I feel I’m in a good position, having worked with various manufacturers, because the bigger mandate of transformation goes beyond Volkswagen or any single OEM,” he says. “As I have been a trustee for two years, I am also not coming in brand new; I have had the opportunity to learn from my peers.”
He looks forward to investing in more businesses and helping them develop into successful players in the value chain. “I’m excited that our work as the Trust has an element of township economy development, but equally excited that I get to interact with formal enterprises. In township businesses you can really see the impact you’re making, but in formalised business you can make a huge impact in terms of job creation,” Neeraj says.
The bakkie war has intensified with the local launch of Mitsubishi’s next-generation Triton, an evolution in the iconic bakkie’s 46-year legacy.
Unlike in the past, when dealerships primarily waited for customers to come to them, we now take a more proactive approach, bringing our vehicles directly to places where people gather, allowing them to experience the product first-hand, including offering test drives,” says Gerrie van der Kaay, Dealer Principal at Supergroup Dealerships Jetour Midrand.
JAC Motors added ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) to its X200 2.8L TDI 1.5-tonne single-cab, enhancing safety for both the crew and cargo. This latest upgrade complements the ABS-equipped X200 1.3-tonne double-cab targeted at organisations with labour-intensive crews.
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