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
Stellantis, which was established last year through a merger between the French-based PSA Group and the Italian-American conglomerate, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), has an ambitious growth strategy for the South African market.
A major focus of this strategy is on access to new products through a growing dealer network.
Samir Cherfan, chief operating officer of Stellantis in the Middle East and Africa, says Stellantis is already a major automotive company in the South African landscape as it approaches its full year of operations in the market.
Cherfan says Stellantis, last year, grew its commercial network to 78 dealerships representing nine brands – Fiat, Fiat Professional, Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Citroën, Jeep, Opel, Peugeot and MOPAR – and launched 11 new products into the market.
He adds that Stellantis has already achieved recognition in the South African market, with the Peugeot 2008 named as the 2021 South African Car of the Year and the South African Guild of Mobility Journalists recognising Stellantis as the most admired car company in the country.
The merger between the PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles created the fourth-largest automaker in the world with 14 vehicle marques under the Stellantis umbrella.
It has products that cover the full spectrum of market segments from luxury, premium and mainstream passenger vehicles to sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and light commercial vehicles, plus dedicated mobility, finance, and parts and service brands.
Cherfan says the company’s growth plans in South Africa include the opening of a further 10 new facilities across the country by the end of 2022, with another 11 product launches planned during the year.
He says Stellantis in South Africa last year registered volume growth of 35% in a market that grew by 22%.
Cherfan attributed this to the company’s talented team’s commitment to always serve its customers better, create a strong commercial network and a tailored mobility solutions offering.
He says Stellantis is targeting a 10% market share by 2025 and is striving to be among the top five motoring companies in South Africa by 2030.
Cherfan reckons its Centurion dealership, which represents all its brands available in South Africa, is one of the best examples of Stellantis’s dealer network infrastructure in the country.
“The standard of our facilities in South Africa is truly world-class.
“It proves that our customers can enjoy a consistent experience all over the world, and Centurion is a standard that all facilities can strive for,” he says.
Cheran says Stellantis is the result of combining two strong business entities with diverse backgrounds, wide-ranging talents and inspiring heritage to create a broad-based platform of iconic brands to exceed customer expectations.
“This is embodied in Stellantis’s new business strategic plan, Dare Forward 2030, which was announced this month.
“The plan sets bold targets in terms of employee development, emissions, sales, customer satisfaction and financial results.
“Stellantis has a contributing role to play and has the potential to be in the top five South African motoring companies by 2030,” he 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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