Barons Pietermaritzburg named 2015 Volkswagen Dealer of the Year

Thomas Schaefer, chairman and MD of Volkswagen Group South Africa and Stefan Mecha, director of sales and marketing at Volkswagen Group South Africa with Kevin Pillay of Barons Volkswagen Pietermaritzburg.

Each year, the 106 Volkswagen dealerships are set targets across various disciplines of the business. The targets include sales volumes and customer service delivery. The 'Dealer of the Year' award is presented to a dealership that excels in all major disciplines of the business. The top performing dealerships are invited into the 'Volkswagen Club of Excellence', where the overall best performer is awarded with the 'Dealer of the Year' status.

Speaking at the annual Volkswagen dealer awards gala dinner hosted in Johannesburg recently, the chairman and MD of the Volkswagen Group South Africa, Thomas Schaefer said: "After a rocky and challenging start in 2015, each one of you put their shoulders against the wheel to ensure that we finished the year on the high to become the passenger car market leader for the fifth consecutive year."

Schaefer added: "The declining sales in the first quarter have given us an indication that 2016 will be another tough year for the local car market. This will be exacerbated by the weakening currency and uncertain socio-political outlook. We however, remain positive that the strength of our brand and your ingenuity will carry us through the year."

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles Dealer of the Year award was presented to Hatfield Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles for the second straight year. The Dealer Macro Group of the Year was presented to Barloworld Group and Dealer Micro Group of the Year went to Hatfield Group. Both Groups were recognised with the awards for the second year in a row.