Audi on a Roll

To advertise here call Kay‑Leigh Els on 072 2626 839 or e-mail her South Africa’s leading source of news and information on all aspects of the motor industry at [email protected] Issue 03 | 23 June 2011 www.autolive.co.za Audi on a Roll Audi has been gaining an amazing momentum, both internationally and locally, setting new sales records, winning Le Mans and introducing some impressive new cars, including the A6 this week. See our lead story on Page 2 and a follow-up interview with SA Sales and Marketing GM Ryan Searle on Page 5. Farouk Dangor, King How “book values” VW’s Scirocco gets Top 10 individual of Klerksdorp work SeRious models page 6 page 11 page 14 page 15 Subscribe for free @ www.autolive.co.za Page 2 Four Rings on a roll Locally Audi has enjoyed an equal- ly impressive 2011 to date. It kicked off Editor in January with its best sales figures in Stuart Johnston the company history here, with 1 870 [email protected] units sold. And in May, its combined total of models in the lucrative entry- Deputy Editor premium sector saw it finish ahead of Tristan Wiggill both Mercedes-Benz and BMW, with [email protected] its A4 model selling a respectable 442 units. General Manager This week Audi launches the A6, the Roger Houghton latest in a series of successful launches [email protected] for Audi in 2011. While sales in the Premium medium sector aren’t huge, Audi can expect to increase its share Sales Audi’s launch of its A6 model in South Africa this week here substantially. Kay-Leigh Els could be seen as a celebration for the outstanding year the At Le Mans, the smart money was [email protected] Ingolstadt-based firm has enjoyed in 2011. on Peugeot beating its German rivals in 2011, especially after Audi lost two of Address its team cars through accidents before Suite 106B, MISA Centre STUART JOHNSTON Inroads into the Chinese market the halfway point. But the sole surviv- 12 Fir Street, Northcliff continue to be very impressive. In the ing R18 TDI held on to beat the Peugeot Johannesburg, 2195 first five months of 2011 Audi delivered 908 HDI by just 13.420 seconds after 24 The list of achievements Audi has racked 113 041 units. hours of racing on June 12, 2011. Tel up, both in South Africa and a on a world- The company is on track interna- For some expansive answers to +27 (0)11 431 0796 wide basis should send a lot of industry tionally to deliver 1.2 million cars in questions we put to Audi’s General analysts pouring over sales charts, cus- 2011, all of them in the so-called “pre- Manager of Sales and Marketing, Ryan Fax tomer surveys and model-mix strategies mium-brand” category. Searle, turn to page 5. ■ +27 (0)86 505 8957 to see just where Audi is getting it right. On top of all this, Audi scored a no- Website table 10th win at Le Mans 11 days ago, in www.autolive.co.za one of the most closely-fought finishes the race has hosted since the heyday of © 2011 WCM Media CC Sports Car racing in the 1960s. Production Some of the successes Marketing Support Services Audi has had in 2011 +27 (0)12 346 2168 In March the company celebrated a record [email protected] result for the fiscal year from March 2010 to end of February, 2011. Revenue totalled Layout and Typesetting 35.4 billion Euros (about R339-billion) Johann Seidel and operating profits totalled 3.34 billion Euros (R32-billion). Disclaimer Audi broke the million-vehicle pro- While reasonable duction mark in the 2011 fiscal year. It precautions have been delivered an impressive 1 092 421 cars, taken to ensure the estate cars and SUVs globally. accuracy of the advice and information given to readers, neither the Editor, the Proprieters, nor the publishers can accept To advertise in call Kay‑Leigh Els on any responsibility for any damages or injury which may arise therefrom. 072 2626 839 or e‑mail her at [email protected] Subscribe for free @ www.autolive.co.za Page 3 Editor’s Note In this third edition of AutoLive, we cover a diverse range of activities in the South African motor industry. Our lead story on Audi surfing the crest of a wave, in all manner of regions and endeavours, is comple- mented by news and interviews in fields of motoring that are not often given much media exposure. Chief amongst these are the interviews detailing behind-the- One tough‑looking Merc spotted! scenes workings of Synovate, the market research company, and TransUnion’s used car dealer price guide, known as “The Book.” An alert AutoLive reader sent the following e-mail and And as for the intriguing interview with used-car dealer Farouk accompanying pic to us just before deadline. Dangour, well, unless you are in the game, who would guess that Klerksdorp is the home of arguably the most successful used car dealership in the country? Hi there, Another “behind-the-scenes” aspect of this edition of AutoLive Good luck with a great product, just what the motor industry needs! Attached herewith is our in-depth sales analysis, which again enjoys very limited ex- a picture I took of a Merc GLK between Clarens and Fouriesburg in the Eastern Freestate. posure. Dissecting the Naamsa figures in its various sales catego- The pic was taken about two months ago, and it was the only one of a bunch of five similar ries produces some surprises that are hardly ever touched upon cars that was not camouflaged. The others had the badges and other prominent features in the news reports and media releases issued at the beginning of covered with black tape. All cars had German registration plates. Maybe MBAG tested the each month. car for possible local distribution? Finally, a thank you to those readers who wrote in after the publication of our second edition on June 9. Again, it was gratify- Kind regards, ing to see diverse responses from people in high profile positions, Adriaan Pienaar, Gauteng as well as very niche positions in the motor trade, such as the pro- prietor of a firm specialising in the restoration of classic cars. Dear Adriaan, thanks for the interest, and good quality pic! We contacted MBSA about We hope you enjoy this third edition just as much. your detective work and they were a bit vague about what the GLK could be doing here, but pointed out that it is a left-hand-drive model only at the moment, built mainly for the North Stuart Johnston, American market and introduced there last year. Editor Officially there are no plans to launch it here (pity) but we have heard speculation that a [email protected] right hand drive version may be produced in around three years’ time – Ed. RUCKRUCKS RUCK The Business& of TrucksHEAVY • Buses • Heavy EQUIPMENT Equipment • Materials Handling • Logistics RUCKT& HEAVY EQUIPMENTS & HEAVY EQUIPMENT TThe Business of Trucks • Buses • Heavy Equipment • Materials Handling • Logistics The Business of Trucks • Buses • Heavy Equipment • Materials Handling • Logistics & HEAVY EQUIPMENT S T S TThe Business of Trucks • Buses • Heavy Equipment • Materials Handling • Logistics Trucks & Heavy Equipment was established more than three years ago as a one-stop source of news, comment and opinion For more for all those involved in the business of trucking and transport as well as providing information contact: information on equipment used in the Pierre Sanson (Editor) related areas of heavy construction, [email protected] materials handling and logistics. 083-635-0114 • FAW going from strength to strength • Hino’s mighty new • Hino’s mighty new 700 Series heavy John Stanton (Advertising) May/June 2011 The bi-monthly publication has found a 700 Series heavy• Hino’s mighty new • FAW going from strength 700 Series heavy solid niche in the market and the average [email protected] to strength • FAW going from strength Controlled Free Distribution for July to 083-225-9690 May/June 2011 to strength December 2010, according to the ABC, was May/June 2011 7 451 copies. Subscribe for free @ www.autolive.co.za Page 4 Why you should advertise in Autolive AutoLive, a convenient e-zine delivered twice a print media, therefore getting information across month, is the best way to keep up to date with news faster with less lead time. and views about all facets pertaining to the South African and international motor industry’s. Who should advertise? Importantly, the concept has been embraced ■ Companies looking to recruit employees for by the organised SA motor industry – AutoLive has specialist positions in the motor industry already been provided with membership mailing ■ Companies looking for franchisees lists by the: ■ Companies looking for dealers for new vehi- ■ Retail Motor Industry organisation RMI cle brands ■ Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) ■ Automotive marketing consultants ■ National Association of Component and ■ Training organisations Allied Manufacturers (NAACAM) ■ Market research companies ■ McCarthy Motor Group ■ Business management consultants This is in addition to a comprehensive list of people ■ IT companies To hear more call Kay-Leigh Els on operating within the industry. Furthermore, nego- ■ Fleet management companies 072 2626 839 or e-mail her at tiations for further meaningful subscriber lists are ■ Suppliers of workshop equipment [email protected] on-going. We have had an excellent response to our ■ Car care companies dummy and launch issues, and it appears this prod- ■ Panel beaters and dent removers ■ Suppliers of car care products uct has great potential as a source of news within ■ Auction houses ■ Suppliers of automotive replacement parts the biggest manufacturing sector of the South ■ Courier companies ■ Roadworthy testing centres African economy.

Load more