Dakar 2026 tough on South African participants
The 2026 Dakar Rally delivered one of the most thrilling and competitive editions of the world’s toughest off‑road endurance race.
- Industry News
- 19 January 2026
Stellantis South Africa has announced organisational changes for the Executive Committee with two new members joining.
Charl Timms (photo) has been appointed Commercial Director. He joins Stellantis from the BB Motor Group and was formerly the Director of Sales and Marketing for Nissan South Africa.
He is an established performer and business value creator with extensive experience in the entire spectrum of marketing and sales management, including strategic planning, branding and communications, as well as performance management. He has worked for leading automotive brands Nissan, Toyota and Suzuki in the MENA markets, South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
Carl holds a master’s degree in Organisational Leadership together with multiple other industry-specific certifications. He has hands-on experience in increasing brand preference and value, sales volume, share and profitability through implementing defined market-required business plans.

The second appointment is Evanie Vather as the new Head of Customer Experience, Training and Dealer Network Development.
Evanie joins Stellantis after 19 years at Nissan South Africa, most recently responsible for Marketing & Sales Control & Finance transformation for Africa. With over 20 years’ experience in the automotive industry, she is a seasoned executive having held several positions in aftersales, sales, export operations, finance and strategic planning.
She is passionate about developing people and inspiring high-performance teams and has a solid background in strategic business and general management.
With vast exposure to Africa operations, she has experience in various roles and sectors, such as sales support, business and strategy planning, inter-company business, export business planning and operations, and aftersales business planning and support.
She has also acquired skills in new business development through the setting up of two assembly plants in Africa and key account management.
The 2026 Dakar Rally delivered one of the most thrilling and competitive editions of the world’s toughest off‑road endurance race.
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Time to enter is running out for prospective participants in the 16th Simola Hillclimb, which will be held in the Knysna region later this year from 30 April to 3 May.