
New Energy Vehicles gaining traction in SA
On World EV Day, a survey of 6 700 South African car owners highlights growing interest in Plug-in Hybrids (PHEVs) and Electric Vehicles (EVs).
- New Energy Vehicles
- 10 September 2025
At Halfway Toyota in Howick, workshop foreman Devesh Saamcharan stole a march on his Japanese colleagues in the Toyota Motor Corporation when he assembled a few foot-operated, hand-sanitiser dispensers back in May 2020.
The dispenser proved to be a novelty in May, before it became commonplace in dealers across South Africa.
Toyota announced recently that its Kamigo Parts Centre in Japan will be making up to 2 500 sanitiser stands a month, which are to be sold or leased to dealers in Japan from December onwards.
Saamcharan told Dealerfloor he built his stands as strong but as cheaply as possible, using wood and old clutch housings that he salvaged at the dealership. To this he added only a few new bolts, making it a very cost-effective solution for the dealership.
The sturdy stands are in daily use at the busy Halfway dealership, but despite being stepped on many times a day, are still cleaning hands as fast as the bottles can squirt.
DFSK hit the road in the Eastern Cape recently with the official opening of the East London DFSK dealership on 6 September.
Chery had a busy time over the last couple of weeks. Not only did it pull off a unique crash test with two Chery Tiggo 9s, the first of its kind locally, but it also awarded its top performing dealers during its national dealer conference held at Nasrec.
Hyundai Motor Group has officially announced Hyundai Pinetown as one of Global Top 100 Dealers of the Year, recognising the dealership’s remarkable performance, customer-centric innovation and market leadership in a highly competitive industry.