The Southern African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association’s (SAVRALA) much coveted overall Manufacturer of The Year (MOTY) Awards were held this past Friday, 24 October, in a glamorous gala event in Sandton, Johannesburg. Once again, incredibly, Volkswagen walked away with the highest honours again. Volkswagen have now won this prestigious award consecutively since 2010.

SAVRALA President, Marc Corcoran acknowledged what was achieved and said “Volkswagen should be proud of the consistent accolades given from their major fleet customers in such difficult and competitive trading conditions.”

This year, SAVRALA and its guests were truly honoured to have had the Minister of Transport, Dipuo Peters attend the event and give the key note address. While the Minister addressed many aspects of the automotive industry, and some of the challenges the industry and the country faces in terms of the road infrastructure and funding, a key highlight was an invitation from the Minister to engage directly on the various issues affecting their members.

SAVRALA President Marc Corcoran, responded warmly and added that “the industry had recently resolved to try and engage more directly with several key strategic Government departments and had identified the Department of Transport as a priority. The timing of this invitation is perfect and we look forward to making a positive contribution” he said. “As a member of the Tourism Business Council South Africa (TBCSA), SAVRALA had previously engaged with Government via the National Department of Tourism, however, we concluded that a more direct engagement with the National Department of Transport was more desirable to progress transport specific matters. We look forward to discussing a broad range of issue from infrastructure funding, road safety, law enforcement and the role of SAVRALA within the broader transport sector.

Editorial contacts: ADZOO – Manfred Noriskin-Ender 0829010342