Truly a people’s car. That is the strong message the South African car rental and leasing companies have sent the motoring industry, as they recognised Volkswagen South African as the Overall Motor Manufacturer Of The Year (MOTY) winner for a fourth consecutive year.
However the accolades did not stop there, Volkswagen further walked away with the gold award for the rental category, the gold award for the leasing category, as well as the gold awards for best rental account executive and the best technical representative for both the rental and leasing categories.
The SAVRALA Manufacturer of the Year Award is not just some glitzy award decided through a random voting effort, but is a scientific and stringent process arrived at as a result of 10 Rental and 6 Leasing & Fleet Management companies rating 26 motor manufacturers. Using a survey containing 40 different and targetted questions.
The questionnaires are completed not only by one individual in each company, but by a panel of people who depend on, and deal directly with each manufacturer and its staff. This results in obtaining an accurate, objective, unbiased and company-wide perspective of the service levels experienced. Aspects that are covered by the survey include areas such as manufacturer contact, communication, technical assistance, parts availability and pricing structures.
The competition is tough and the selection process is stringent. For the past four years VOLKSWAGEN have consistently provided the best service and support to their corporate customers in order to retain their various 1st place positions as awarded by the South African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (SAVRALA). TOYOTA were successful in retaining their 2nd place for the Rental and Overall sections as well as receiving a Leasing section award after an absence of 11 years, taking the 2nd spot previously held by NISSAN. The 3rd place spoils for Rental went to AUDI, and for Leasing to GENERAL MOTORS, both for the second year running.
This year, The SAVRALA MOTY Awards, always a black tie affair, was once again held at the elegant Hilton Hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg. Attended by the who’s who of the rental, leasing and car manufacturer’s industries, the guests were privileged to be addressed by high-profile VIP guest, the honourable minister of Transport, Ms. Dipuo Peters.
Adding some spit and polish to the evening was always-popular Top Billing host, Simba Mhere, who ensured everything ran like a well-oiled machine. The brief but welcome entertainment was provided by the enthusiastic and inspiring Kliptown Youth Programme children with top notch showmanship of their gumboot dancing skills. KYP’s mission is to eradicate the poverty of mind, body, and soul and to fight against the disadvantages imposed on the children of Kliptown.
SAVRALA extends their congratulations to all 2014 MOTY winners.
“The results were very close and it is always a very tight race but the competition for these highly coveted awards is very fierce and the manufacturer’s work very hard to earn and maintain the positions they received. You need to understand that besides delivering excellent service and products, these brands need to remain profitable, and that, in these lean economic times, is no mean feat. I was actually very please how well the evening ran and was particularly happy that our minister managed to take time out of her busy schedule to attend our awards. This shows me that government values SAVRALA’s contribution to the industry and the country,” said Marc Corcoran, SAVRALA President.
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