New Motus Multi-franchise dealership in Pretoria
Motus has opened the doors to a new multi-franchise dealership in the heart of Pretoria. The all-new Menlyn Multi-Franchise dealership will include individual retail locations for Nissan, Renault, Hyundai and Kia as well as Motus Select and Auto Pedigree on one site.
The dealership's footprint covers 19 300m2 with space for more than 220 vehicles. It will employ 130 people.
“Motus believes that there is a place in the market for brick-and-mortar dealerships when designed and operated correctly, despite the ongoing success of our online presence with Motus cars,” says Corné Venter, CEO of Motus Retail and Rental South Africa.
The new Motus multi-franchise facility is located at 224 Garsfontein Road, Menlyn, in the heart of Menlyn Motor City with convenient access to the N1 and R21 highways as well as the Menlyn Park Shopping Centre.
The Motus Menlyn multi-franchise facility, which represents an investment of R150 million in building costs alone, will incorporate six assorted brands on its extensive premises, which also involves making use of a number of shared services to improve efficiency and productivity,” explained Venter.
Four new vehicle brands and a large display of pre-owned vehicles on one site, together with the high levels of customer service for which Motus is known make this new, multi-franchise dealership a convenient one-stop shop for customers looking to buy new or used vehicles or for those requiring aftersales service. Representation across a variety of brands means that trading in one’s current car is welcomed, even if motorists are switching brands.
The used car offering will operate under the Motus Select and Auto Pedigree banners, which were developed from Motus franchised dealers with long-standing reputations for offering superior quality used vehicles to the South African market.
Dealer principals Andries Kruger and Ridhwaan Jeewa will be responsible for the Nissan and Renault dealerships and Hyundai, Kia and Motus Select, respectively.
“We believe the key is to keep things simple in these challenging times and rapidly changing trading environment. Our aim is to ensure we get the basics right so that we have satisfied customers from the start,” said Kruger.
“Customers can contact us telephonically, walk in or send through a digital lead via our various platforms. Our professional sales executives will make contact, source a vehicle to suit the customer needs from within the dealership or the wider Motus network, assist with the financing process and do the delivery,” said Jeewa.
“Once global stock levels normalise, we plan to retail 180 new and 80 used vehicles a month from the facility, across all the brands, and believe that our diverse offering on one site will allow us to achieve these targets fairly quickly,” added Jeewa.
“A dealership needs to offer much more than just car sales these days so we have qualified financial managers located on-site who can provide immediate assistance with finance from all the major banks as well as handling cash deals,” added Kruger.
The parts department and service workshop are staffed by trained specialists on all the new vehicle brands represented and they are ready to assist with all after-sales needs, with the service workshops having a capacity of handling eighty vehicles a day. Coffee stations throughout the premises will ensure visitors remain refreshed while making a new or used vehicle buying decision or having a vehicle serviced. A lounge area akin to those found in airports will allow customers to enjoy a coffee, catch up on emails or wait in a relaxing area while their vehicle is being serviced.
As the facility was built from scratch for the specific purpose of multi-franchising it has allowed architects to employ of the latest technology in all aspects of the building from information technology (IT) to lighting, while ensuring that the facility has visual appeal and runs efficiently.
The dealership incorporates several features, which will ensure that it uses minimal resources in terms of electricity and water. An extensive solar investment provides the dealership with clean energy. The solar installation is supplemented by an eco-friendly generator to ensure that load shedding will not disrupt operations. Similarly, the extensive wash bay has been designed to be water-wise with a water recycling system in place.
