"We are pleased to be in a prime location in the heart of the Mother City and have a much larger sales facility to showcase our Renault product range. An added bonus, of course, is the abundance of parking for the convenience of our clients," said dealer principal Warren Lawson who has been involved with the Renault brand for more than 12 years. "We welcome test drives and for those interested in trading in their used vehicle for a new Renault, our team is happy to provide a no-obligation vehicle valuation," he added.
Associated Motor Holdings (AMH) is a South African motor retail group with Renault Cape Town one of its 12 Renault dealerships countrywide. In attendance at the opening was a contingent of motoring heavyweights, including Susumu Uchikoshi, MD of Renault South Africa and Manny de Canha, CEO of the AMH group and an executive director of the JSE-listed Imperial group.
Renault's 50-strong dealer network now covers more than 90% of the market and figures show that unit sales have more than doubled between 2009 and 2012 with a double digit increase year-on-year.
However, it plans to challenge the performance of the Cape region even further, having very high expectations as well as further plans for the network in Cape Town.
The Western Cape is on track with the roll-out of its network development plan: there are now seven Renault dealerships in the greater Western Cape. This dealership is first in the region to showcase Renault's new identity.
The Renault brand's association with Imperial dates back to 1996 when the signing of an import contract with Imperial Car Imports (ICI) saw the post-apartheid return of the marque to South Africa. Four years later, in 2002, a joint venture saw the establishment of Renault South Africa following the acquisition by Renault of 51% of the ICI subsidiary.
"Renault Cape Town is truly a flagship dealership and I would like to thank Manny de Canha and the AMH group, Warren Lawson and his team, for being such dedicated brand ambassadors and doing Renault proud," said Uchikoshi-san.
Quality or putting the customer first, had to continue to be a commitment and mindset for everyone representative of the brand, he added. "Currently, 95.5% of individuals who have purchased a Renault have stated voluntarily that they would recommend their Renault dealership to a friend or family member. By working together, we can further improve on this."
The launch of the New Renault Clio 4 had boosted Renault's product arsenal "with the hot little hatchback getting off to an excellent start and within weeks of launching, ranked in the top five in its class segment. Sales have been beyond our expectations".
With the Renault Duster sports utility vehicle on track to launch in just four weeks, Uchikoshi-san expressed confidence that Renault South Africa and its dealer network would shortly have another top performer in its fold.
