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- Industry News
- 25 November 2024
KIA in Bloemfontein, part of the Motus Group, has joined fellow franchises Volvo and Jaguar Land Rover in a new mega facility called Motus Bloemfontein.
Motus Bloemfontein is located in the city’s well-known vehicle dealer district in Zastron Street.
Hein Viljoen is the Dealer Principal at Motus Bloemfontein with Sales Managers at each of the three different brands in the group. Previously, KIA was part of Bloemfontein Multi-Franchise, also part of the Motus Group.
Bianca de Lange, Sales Manager at KIA, says the new premises, in comparison with the one they occupied in Oliver Tambo Dive in the city, is now much better positioned. “We have a more central location and are close to Volvo and Jaguar Land Rover with which we now form a business entity. The dealership is also more easily accessible,” she told Dealerfloor.
The move includes the relocation of the workshop and parts sales department as well, with the KIA branding recently added to the Motus Bloemfontein facility.
According to Bianca, the move to incorporate a volume brand like KIA with premium brands like Volvo and JLR is not uncommon.
“I think it has everything to do with offering prospective customers a better selection of products. Sometimes clients buying premium brands also need a less expensive, but equally high-quality vehicle in their household and that is a role we can easily fulfil,” she says.
Bianca says it has an advantage for all the brands involved because of the wide range of options available to customers.
Asked about her career path up to now, Bianca says she has been involved with Volvo for seven years as a Sales Consultant and before that on the administration side - a 15-year long career at the dealer.
“During November I was appointed to a management position at KIA that was the beginning of a new phase in my career of which I want to make a huge success”.
“We have several extraordinarily strong women in the business – four Sales Consultants and two Sales Managers. I learned the trade of selling vehicles from such a woman - Anso Vorster, who was my mentor.
As we all know, the profit of a motor dealership comes from several areas and each of them needs to be monitored closely if you want to ensure that your dealership performs well.
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.
One of the latest Chinese automotive brands to establish itself in South Africa, GAC Motor, is benefitting from the expertise of well-known motor groups in the country, like the BB Motor Group.