Dakar - South African crews dig deep as second week begins
The 2026 Dakar Rally roared back into action on Monday with Stage 8, a gruelling 481km loop around Wadi Ad Dawasir.
- Industry News
- 12 January 2026
By Harm Stavast - Commercial Director - Keyloop Africa
South Africa's automotive landscape is undergoing a significant shift, with dealerships needing to adapt to changing consumer preferences to ensure loyalty, and aftersales play a crucial role in this.
Although the car buying process is often front of mind when we think of a retailer’s business operations, aftersales are the lifeblood of many dealerships, and they are where smart retailers are focusing their efforts.
To create an optimal aftersales experience, retailers must lean into the power of technology to transform their customer relationships and deliver a seamless journey for them. Research from McKinsey reveals that, in a world where experience drives loyalty as much as price, the majority (53%) of customers consider a better service experience to be more influential than the purchase experience in the entire customer journey. So, today’s retailers need to operate more than just dealerships; they need to be running experience centres.

Technology platforms are key to connecting data and streamlining operations to create a frictionless experience. Keyloop's platform enables retailers to deliver a great end-to-end service, boost efficiency with accurate work tracking, drive upselling with personalised communication, and use powerful data to drive customer loyalty.
For retailers looking to stand out from the competition, not only does this improve the overall effectiveness of their businesses, but it also enables them to foster better relationships and build longer-term consumer loyalty, in turn improving sales opportunities and boosting margins.
Find out how Experience-First is transforming the automotive retail industry and how you can apply these lessons to your business. https://keyloop.com/

The 2026 Dakar Rally roared back into action on Monday with Stage 8, a gruelling 481km loop around Wadi Ad Dawasir.
Over thirty firms from across the automotive supply chain have joined forces to advance open-source software development, aiming to create next-generation vehicles while driving down costs, Germany’s leading industry association announced recently.
The African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) says 2026 will be a year of progressive development through collaboration.