Jaguar Land Rover South Africa honoured its top performing retailers during its annual Retailer of the Year ceremony held virtually, in respect of South Africa’s current adjusted Level 4 restrictions.
The Jaguar Land Rover South Africa Retailer of the Year awards recognize the efforts of the individuals and businesses that have consistently propelled sales figures through their actions and work ethic, whilst upholding and representing the stature and ideals of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands over the past year.
The Retailer of The Year awards are based on a comprehensive set of metrics on which each franchise is measured throughout the preceding year and showcases those retailers whose performance has exceeded expectations.
In addition to sales performance, scorecards also include factors that directly impact the customer experience. These include process adherence, results of standards audits and feedback from customers. The grand prize – the Retailer of the Year award – recognises the combined overall performance across all departments at the winning retailer. The Retailer of The Year award was presented to Jaguar Land Rover The Glen, which also scooped the Customer Service Retailer of the Year award and couple of second runner up places.
Herewith a full list of the Jaguar Land Rover Retailer Awards and winners:
Award
Winner
Retailer of the Year
Jaguar Land Rover The Glen
Retailer of the Year First Runner Up
Jaguar Land Rover Sandton
Retailer of the Year Second Runner Up
Jaguar Land Rover Pietermaritzburg
Sales Retailer of the Year
Jaguar Land Rover Stellenbosch
Sales Retailer of the Year First Runner Up
Jaguar Land Rover Pietermaritzburg
Sales Retailer of the Year Second Runner Up
Jaguar Land Rover The Glen
Sales Top Achiever Award
Jaguar Land Rover Sandton
APO Top Achiever Award
Jaguar Land Rover Polokwane
Accessories Top Achiever Award
Jaguar Land Rover Bedfordview
Financial Services Top Achiever Award
Jaguar Land Rover Pietermaritzburg
SV Top Achiever Award
Jaguar Land Rover Sandton
Customer Service Retailer of the Year
Jaguar Land Rover The Glen
Customer Service Retailer of the Year First Runner Up
Jaguar Land Rover George
Customer Service Retailer of the Year Second Runner Up
Jaguar Land Rover East London
Merchandise Top Achiever Award
Jaguar Land Rover Polokwane
Marketing Retailer of the Year
Jaguar Land Rover Sandton
Marketing Retailer of the Year First Runner Up
Jaguar Land Rover Centurion
Marketing Retailer of the Year Second Runner Up
Jaguar Land Rover The Glen
Best 360 Campaign Top Achiever Award
Jaguar Land Rover Centurion
Best Digital Media Performance Achiever Award
Jaguar Land Rover Sandton
Financial Excellence Award
Jaguar Land Rover Eastern Cape &Jaguar Land Rover N1 City
Jaguar Land Rover has today announced the appointment of a new Chief Commercial Officer.
Jaguar Land Rover has today announced the appointment of a new Chief Commercial Officer.
Lennard Hoornik will begin his new role with immediate effect, helping to drive innovation within Jaguar Land Rover, and realize the potential of the business’s Reimagine Strategy.
Lennard is an excellent addition to our business and is a hugely experienced leader in bringing products to market in exciting new ways
– Thierry Bolloré, Chief Executive Officer, Jaguar Land Rover
Lennard will be responsible for all global sales and marketing activity on both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. His role will also include brand positioning; current and future product planning; customer relationship management; marketing communications; brand experience strategies; global sales and customer service; and supporting future growth.
Lennard, who will take a seat on the Board of Directors, previously spent eight years at Dyson as Chief Commercial Officer, and has also held senior roles for Sony, Sony Ericsson, and HTC.
Thierry Bolloré, Chief Executive Officer, Jaguar Land Rover, commented: “We are pleased to confirm that Lennard Hoornik will join Jaguar Land Rover as Chief Commercial Officer. Lennard is an excellent addition to our business and is a hugely experienced leader in bringing products to market in exciting new ways. Innovation has been a key thread in his career, making him perfectly placed to realise the potential of our Reimagine strategy.”
Launched earlier this year, Reimagine is a sustainability-rich reimagination of modern luxury by design, unique customer experiences, and positive societal impact. The strategy is designed to help Jaguar Land Rover achieve zero tailpipe emissions by 2036 and net zero carbon emissions across supply chain, products and operations by 2039.
Lennard succeeds Felix Bräutigam, who has decided to leave Jaguar Land Rover.
The all-new BMW 2 Series Coupé is a modern take on the traditional concept of a compact, performance-focused two-door model that dates back to the BMW 02 but South Africans will have to wait till the first quarter of 2022 to get behind the wheel of one.
We don’t have all the specs of the incoming BMW 2 Series, but here’s what is available to us ….
Model variants at launch in South Africa:
BMW 220i Coupé: Four-cylinder in-line petrol engine, eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission . Capacity: 1,998 cc, output: 135 kW at 5,000 – 6,500 rpm, max. torque: 300 Nm at 1,350 – 4,000 rpm. Acceleration: 7.5 seconds, top speed: 236 km/h. Fuel consumption, combined: 6.3 l/100 km, CO2 emissions, combined: 145 g/km.
BMW M240i xDrive Coupé: Six-cylinder in-line petrol engine, eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission, BMW xDrive. Capacity: 2,998 cc, output: 285 kW at 5,500 – 6,500 rpm, max. torque: 500 Nm at 1,800 – 5,000 rpm. Acceleration: 4.3 seconds, top speed: 250 km/h. Fuel consumption, combined: 8.0 l/100 km, CO2 emissions, combined: 185 g/km.
BMW 220d Coupé: Four-cylinder in-line diesel engine, 48V mild hybrid technology (8 kW), eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission. Capacity: 1,995 cc, output: 140 kW at 4,000 rpm, max. torque: 400 Nm at 1,750 – 2,500 rpm. Acceleration: 7 seconds, top speed: 237 km/h. Fuel consumption, combined: 4.8 l/100 km CO2 emissions, combined: 126 g/km.
Full local information, including prices, will be available closer to the South African market launch in quarter one 2022.
Toyota has led the way with more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker and continues to do so by supporting climate change through its support of the Paris Agreement.
The message is clear – Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) wholeheartedly supports the Paris Agreement and accepts the challenge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The Paris Agreement is a legally-binding international treaty on climate change and is aimed at reducing the emission of gases that contribute to global warming.
Carbon neutrality provides us with an opportunity to fundamentally rethink manufacturing
– Masamichi Okada, chief production officer, TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATIOn
While this treaty was only adopted in 2015, Toyota has been innovating and investing in technology to reduce emissions and achieve carbon neutrality for well over 30 years. Toyota sells cars in 204 countries and regions around the world and has been making efforts to reduce CO2 emissions and drive clean-energy advances on many levels.
This is with the realisation that in order for the motor industry to reach carbon neutrality, it will entail achieving zero CO2 emissions in all processes throughout the product lifecycle including manufacturing, transporting, operating, fueling and/or charging, as well as recycling and ultimately disposing of vehicles.
TMC’s chief production officer Masamichi Okada said Toyota aims to make its global factories carbon neutral by 2035. “We are striving to achieve green factories.
Carbon neutrality provides us with an opportunity to fundamentally rethink manufacturing. Toyota will take on a variety of challenges to make its factories carbon neutral by 2035.”
Toyota has also led the way with more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker. It started in 1996 when Toyota developed and launched its first battery-electric vehicle RAV4-EV. This was followed by the now-iconic best-selling Prius, a petrol-electric hybrid, in 1997. The latter was the world’s first mass-produced hybrid electric vehicle. In 2014, Toyota launched its first emissions-free, fuel-cell electric vehicle, the Mirai.
Toyota is currently the world leader in hydrogen fuel-cell technology, and the Mirai which became the first mass-produced vehicle to use this technology won the World Green Car of the Year Award in 2016. The second-generation Mirai, launched in December last year, came with a boost in power as well as an increase in range – which is now up to 647km on a tank of hydrogen.
Toyota Establishes ‘Toyota Ventures Climate Fund’
Toyota is also strengthening company-wide efforts to further accelerate CO2 reduction toward its goal of carbon neutrality. As a part of this effort, Toyota has established a global investment trust called the Toyota Ventures Climate Fund.
According to the company’s media statement: “To achieve carbon neutrality, in addition to making our own efforts, we believe that we need to collaborate with like-minded partners.
The Toyota Ventures Climate Fund will invest in promising early-stage companies around the world, that are eagerly working on solutions to drive innovation in carbon neutrality.”
The Toyota Ventures Climate Fund will be managed by the team at Toyota AI Ventures, which subsequently announced that its company name has been changed to Toyota Ventures (hereinafter referred to as TV). TV will serve as the fund manager on behalf of Toyota, with a total investment of $150 million.
BMW is opening a new chapter in its tradition of super-sporty compact models with the reveal of the new BMW 2 Series Coupé, a vehicle which embodies sporting prowess, dynamic excellence, an athletic design, powerful engines and sophisticated chassis technology.
Full local information, including prices, will be available closer to the South African market launch in quarter one 2022.
New vehicle sales continued to build their momentum during June, despite the continued impacts of the pandemic on the industry and the country’s economy. Lebogang Gaoaketse, Head of Marketing and Communication at WesBank shares details.
New vehicle sales continued to build their momentum during June, despite the continued impacts of the pandemic on the industry and the country’s economy. A year ago, the market was under Alert Level 4 lockdown regulations, a position the country once again enters with adjusted restrictions.
“While the majority of sales during June were not severely impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, we should expect a returned level of hesitancy during July,” says Lebogang Gaoaketse, Head of Marketing and Communication at WesBank. “Both business and consumer confidence are certainly building their own momentum despite the current environment, which is providing continued energy into the slow recovery of the market.”
The apparent stability in the market is reassuring given the consistency in sales over the past two months
– Lebogang Gaoaketse, Head of Marketing and Communication at WesBank
New vehicle sales in June were marginally down on May’s figures according to naamsa | the Automotive Business Council, a more reflective indication of sales than considering the 20.2% growth year-on-year. June sales registered 38,030 new vehicles compared to the 38,320 in May and 31,643 in June last year. A further consideration is the more sombre fact that last month’s sales are 17.2% down on June 2019 sales.
“The apparent stability in the market is reassuring given the consistency in sales over the past two months,” says Gaoaketse. “In 2019, the market was particularly volatile, yet our trading conditions now are equally as unpredictable.”
The passenger car segment accounted for 24,482 units, 28% up year-on-year and marginally higher than May sales. The segment was bolstered by 2,565 units into the rental market, which is significant given the appetite for renewals in the fleet industry. By comparison, consumer demand was relatively softer, the dealer channel up 15.2% year-on-year, although stable compared to May.
Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) sales were 5.9% down to 11,208 compared to last month, but up 9.6% year-on-year. Dealer sales in the segment were similarly lower, 5.1% down.
People’s transport considerations are evolving, and both the country and the industry need to maintain the pace in an exciting mobility age.- LEBOGANG GAOAKETSE, HEAD OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION AT WESBANK
“Stock shortages continue to have some impact on overall sales as manufacturers continue to manage demand versus supply on imports and availability of production, while local manufacturing continues to experience some parts supply challenges,” says Gaoaketse. “However, year-to-date sales remain reassuring as the market continues its slow recovery.”
First-half sales were 227,440 units, an increase of 40.1% compared to the first half of 2020 within the context of locked-down sales during March and April last year.
Year-to-date sales remain reassuring as the market continues its slow recovery.
– LEBOGANG GAOAKETSE, HEAD OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION AT WESBANK
“The industry continues to consider the Aftermarket Guidelines, which come into effect today, as well as important considerations of the protection of personal information,” says Gaoaketse. “People’s transport considerations are evolving, and both the country and the industry need to maintain the pace in an exciting mobility age.”
New vehicle sales continued to build momentum during June, although sales were marginally lower than the previous month according to naamsa | the Automotive Business Council.
For most drivers, there can be nothing more annoying than a reckless driver that dangerously cuts in front of you, or drives facing oncoming traffic, says Wilma van der Walt, executive of Customer Experience and Operations at PPS Short-Term Insurance.
For most drivers, there can be nothing more annoying than a reckless driver that dangerously cuts in front of you, or drives facing oncoming traffic, says Wilma van der Walt, executive of Customer Experience and Operations at PPS Short-Term Insurance.
This is the reality for drivers in South Africa’s towns and cities but that may be a thing of the past should authorities properly enforce the upcoming demerit system.
This is because one of the implications for drivers is that they could potentially lose their driver’s license for committing road traffic infringements. Not only could this leave you, or an employee of your company, not able to drive, but it could potentially influence your short-term insurance.
With the new Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offenses (AARTO) Amendment Act due for implementation on 1 July, these are stark realities that individuals and employers will have to be aware of.
That is because the AARTO Act includes a demerit system whereby a person, operator or company juristic person, will not only pay a fine but will also incur demerit points when a traffic infringement is committed. This could ultimately lead to one’s driver’s license being suspended or cancelled or, complicate the employment of an individual hired explicitly to perform a driving function.
The demerit concept
The concept of a demerit point system to encourage drivers to abide by traffic laws might be new to South Africa, but it is an established practice internationally. Countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom have long had such systems in force.
As much as it has not been implemented yet, South Africa’s demerit system was signed into law in September 1998 already as part of the AARTO Act, Act 46 of 1998.
How will the point system work?
Once the system is implemented drivers will start with zero points. For every infringement – which includes laws regarding the roadworthiness of a vehicle – demerit points will be allocated.
For example, the published guidelines state that if a brake light is not working on the vehicle, one demerit point will be allocated, as well as a fine of R1,000.
Some infringements can lead to up to six demerit points. The full schedule of the more than 2 500 separate charges can be viewed in the AARTO Act.
Drivers will be allowed to accumulate a maximum of 15 demerit points over a three-year period. Learner drivers, however, will only be allowed a maximum of six points.
Should a driver exceed this number, their licence will be suspended for a period of three months. If you drive while your license is suspended, you will be subject to a fine or even jail time.
The good news is that demerit points decrease by one point every three months. This means that drivers can work their way back to zero points over time.
A license may be suspended twice, but on the third instance, the license will be cancelled. The person will then have to apply for a new learner’s license and driver’s license.
Company vehicles and the AARTO Act
When it comes to a vehicle belonging to a company, the AARTO Act is clear as to how the demerit system will work.
The Act states that companies must keep an accurate record of who the driver of a vehicle is. Should a traffic infringement be recorded, the company must then ensure that the demerits accrue to the correct person, and not the person who is appointed as proxy for the vehicle.
This does mean, that even if you drive a company vehicle, you will also accrue demerit points against your driver’s license should you incur an infringement.
Although there is no clarity as to how employers will be able to access the point status of employees, the AARTO Act is very clear in that an employer can be held responsible if it allows a person whose license has been suspended, to operate one of its vehicles.
Concerning the roadworthiness of a vehicle, the company as the owner of the vehicle will be held responsible, and demerit points will be issued against the license or operator disc of the vehicle.
Photo by Markus Winkler
The vehicle can therefore also accrue demerit points to the extent that it is not allowed to be operated by any person for a stipulated period of time. It is therefore important that the company (as the owner of the vehicle) and the employee (as operator) ensure that company vehicles are roadworthy at all times.
The AARTO Act and your short-term insurance
All companies offering short-term car insurance require that drivers of insured vehicles must have a valid driver’s license. The risk of a client clearly changes if a license is suspended or withdrawn and it will be the client’s responsibility to update his/her insurance accordingly.
Photo by Kevin Laminto
This will mean that although short-term insurers – will still insure the particular vehicle, they will not honor any accident or damage claims where a driver of that vehicle was driving while his or her driver’s license was revoked or suspended.
Given the introduction of the AARTO Act, insurers might also consider additional conditions and/or excesses should a driver exceed a certain number of demerit points.
By Wilma van der Walt, executive: Customer Experience and Operations at PPS Short-Term Insurance
It is a law which creates an administrative process for handling less serious traffic violations which were previously handled by the criminal justice system. It also introduces the concept of demerit points to deter habitual infringers.
How are traffic violations treated by AARTO?
AARTO divides traffic violations into two categories: infringements, which are less serious violations, and offences, which are more serious (such as reckless driving and drunken driving). The majority of traffic violations will be regarded as infringements.
Schedule 3 to the AARTO Act shows which violations are regarded as infringements or offences. Offences are not handled administratively and require an appearance in court.
Who administers AARTO?
The AARTO Act creates the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA – soon to become the Road Traffic Infringement Authority) which will administer the Act.
Who falls under AARTO?
All road users, meaning private individuals, companies which own vehicles which don’t require an operator card (juristic persons), and companies which own vehicles which do require an operator card (operators).
How does AARTO handle infringements?
Infringements require the payment of a fine, which may initially be paid at a discount of 50%. If the fine remains unpaid after 32 days, the full fine is payable, and the motorist will be liable for the additional cost of a courtesy letter reminding them of the infringement notice.
What if I completely ignore a fine?
If a fine remains unpaid for a further 32 days after a courtesy letter was issued, an enforcement order is issued. Under AARTO, unpaid fines do not proceed to summons and a court appearance.
What happens if I have an enforcement order issued against me?
An enforcement order comes with extra costs, and numerous licensing transactions will be blocked. For instance, you will be able to pay and renew your vehicle licence, but the authorities will not issue a licence disc.
How are the fine values determined?
Schedule 3 to the AARTO Act lists the relevant sections of the National Road Traffic Act, the charge code, demerit points and penalty units applicable to each traffic violation.
A penalty unit is R100, so a charge with five penalty units would carry a fine of R500.
The AA has requested the Department of Transport to review Schedule 3 in its entirety, since some trivial infringements unrelated to road safety (like not notifying the authorities of change of residential address within 14 days) carry a massive fine of R3000, while a serious violation like blinding oncoming traffic with one’s bright headlights has a fine of just R1500, despite the safety risk.
I can’t afford the fine. What should I do?
If you have exhausted the processes for contesting the fine, you can request to pay it in instalments over six months, in which case you will forfeit the discount.
What else will I have to pay?
A new fee of R100, the Infringement Penalty Levy (IPL), has been introduced, per infringement notice, although this amount may be increased by Ministerial regulation at any time.
What if I wasn’t driving my car at the time?
You can notify the authorities to redirect the infringement notice to the correct person. This is known as nomination. If you don’t know who was driving the car, you will be liable as the owner.
What if I dispute the infringement notice?
You can make a representation listing your objections, and the infringement notice will be reviewed for correctness and legality.
Can an enforcement order only be issued against an individual?
No. Enforcement orders can be issued against operators and juristic persons too.
What if I’m not satisfied with the outcome of the representation process?
You can approach the Appeals Tribunal to review your case.
What if I dispute the Appeals Tribunal funding?
You can approach a Magistrate’s Court to have it reviewed, but be aware: the new amendments to the AARTO Act do not adequately outline the process for taking an infringement notice into the criminal justice system.
As things currently stand, an enforcement order is not suspended while legal processes take place, meaning that a motorist who chooses to appeal their case to the Constitutional Court (the highest court in South Africa) would be blocked from many e-Natis transactions for as long as the case takes to conclude.
This is at odds with the general rule that an appeal to a higher court automatically suspends an order or sentence after judgment until the appeals process is exhausted or the order or sentence is overturned.
What are demerit points?
Demerit points are an additional penalty to deter motorists from habitually committing traffic violations. Not all infringements attract demerit points.
How many points can I incur, and what happens if I go over the limit?
Your driving licence is suspended for three months for each point in excess of 15 (6 for a learner driver).
Do demerit points fall away?
Yes. For each three months in which you do not commit an infringement, one demerit point is removed. A driver with 15 demerit points against their licence will take almost four years to return to a clean licence if they do not commit any more infringements.
A driver who attends a rehabilitation programme (yet to be defined by the RTIA) may have their points reduced by four upon successful completion.
Do demerit points only apply to private individuals?
No. They also apply to fleets of vehicles which are required to have operator cards, and to juristic persons, meaning an entity like a company or trust which owns a vehicle. In such cases, the demerit points are incurred against the vehicle’s operator card or licence disc, as may be the case.
If a vehicle’s operator card or licence disc passes the 15-point maximum, it may no longer be driven on public roads. The sale or scrapping of a vehicle does not remove demerit points – they are automatically allocated to the next vehicle the operator or juristic person acquires, potentially leaving companies in a position where they have purchased a brand-new vehicle but cannot legally use it.
Demerit points are removed at the rate of one every three months from operator cards and licence discs of vehicles owned by juristic persons, presuming no further infringements are committed.
Small businesses and Corporate South Africa alike should take careful note of the above – poor driving standards by staff will lead to serious fleet management impacts.
Will AARTO be a problem for companies which don’t own any vehicles?
On the face of it, no. But if anyone incurs too many demerit points, they will be barred from driving until enough points fall away.
This will affect the ability of staff who are required to drive their private cars on business to do their jobs. AARTO does not distinguish between demerit points incurred in private time and those incurred while driving on company business, so companies whose staff drive on business are exposed to risk from poor driving standards, even if infringements occur in a staffer’s private time.
Any company which has staff who drive on company business should have a plan to manage AARTO, including monitoring and reporting of staff demerit points, and implementing driving standards improvement programmes.
How will AARTO impact on e-tolls in Gauteng?
The Minister of Transport has indicated that, in light of serious concerns raised about e-tolls in the province, Cabinet will announce a decision on the future of the system going forward. It’s unclear when that announcement will be made. Until then, it’s not certain how AARTO will impact on the non-payment of e-tolls in Gauteng.
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