Dealerfloor recently reported that Volvo Car South Africa is restructuring its operations in the country as part of a long-term brand strategic realignment that will see the number of Volvo dealerships decrease.
Our enquiry about the closure of dealerships was directed at Volvo Car SA like we reported. Some media outlets wrongfully assumed that other independent entities with Volvo as part of their names were also part of this process.
Volvo Car SA and Volvo Group, while they share a common origin, name and brand, are owned by different holding companies.
The different entities with Volvo as part their names, caused confusion, which led to the National Union of Metal Workers (Numsa) writing to Volvo in Sweden, according to some reports, about the situation.
Volvo Group Southern Africa currently employs 750 staff members and has an assembly plant in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, and some mistakenly concluded that Volvo Trucks will be restructuring and making changes at its assembly plant in Durban.
Volvo Group Southern Africa says in a statement various media reports and social media posts are wrongfully linking the company to the recent statement issued by Volvo Car South Africa.
“Volvo Car and Volvo Group have been separate entities since 1999, when Volvo Group sold Volvo Car to Ford Motor Company and in 2010, Volvo Car was acquired by Geely Holding Group.
“Volvo Group Southern Africa implores all to refrain from linking Volvo Group, Volvo Trucks, Volvo Bus, Volvo Penta, Volvo Financial Services or the Volvo Group Assembly Plant to the announced plans of Volvo Car SA, a separate legal entity,” their statement says.
As fuel prices continue to climb across South Africa, many motorists are beginning to question whether owning a car still makes financial sense. With in-land petrol prices now at R26.63 a litre and diesel costs rising sharply in May, transport expenses are placing growing pressure on household budgets.
Pinewood.AI has added two new embedded modules to its Business Intelligence Solution, giving dealers and OEMs greater insight into financial performance and the customer journey, it says.
Two new off-grid, solar-powered charging stations for electric vehicles (EV) have been switched on as part of the Zero Carbon Charge (CHARGE) network.
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You can't buy happiness but you can buy cars and that's kind of the same thing.
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Pinewood.AI has added two new embedded modules to its Business Intelligence Solution, giving dealers and OEMs greater insight into financial performance and the customer journey, it says.
Margins are shrinking, customers are under financial strain, and competition is intensifying across South Africa’s motor retail sector. Against this backdrop, dealerships are being forced to rethink how they remain profitable while still building customer trust and long term sustainability.
Ford will launch seven new models in Europe by 2029, it announced recently, as it seeks to grow its flagging passenger car sales, fend off fierce competition from Chinese rivals and maintain an edge in the continent's commercial vehicle market.
