Isuzu voted best manufacturer for third-consecutive year at MOTY SA 2022

Press Release on behalf of SAVRALA

ISUZU VOTED BEST MANUFACTURER FOR THE THIRD-CONSECUTIVE YEAR

JOHANNESBURG, OCTOBER 20, 2022 – Isuzu has walked away with top honours in the Manufacturer Of The Year (MOTY) awards, run annually by the Southern African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (SAVRALA).

Now in its 27^th year, the MOTY awards pays tribute to the vehicle manufacturers for the level of service and support provided to SAVRALA members, who manage roughly 400 000 vehicles per year through the rental and leasing channels.

These awards are based on two comprehensive surveys completed by 38 car rental and leasing companies in South Africa, measuring the service from the manufacturers they interact with regularly and whose vehicles they have in their fleets.

Among the various areas of business surveyed are communication and contact with the manufacturers, support provided, maintenance issues, financial aspects and B-BBEE compliance.

The participating Rental and Leasing companies are required to involve all the relevant people who are knowledgeable about each criterion within their organisations, to complete the various sections of the surveys. This is to ensure that the results are not biased and can be used by the manufacturers to identify and rectify any pain points in their customer journey with the rental and leasing industries.

A Snapshot of the Results

In 2022, Isuzu was voted as the winner in both the Rental and Leasing categories for the third consecutive year. In the Rental category, Toyota improved their third position from 2021 and moved into the second position this year. For the first time ever, Mini moved into a podium position, by being awarded the bronze award in the Rental Category.

The Leasing positions remained the same as last year, with Isuzu taking top honours, followed by Volkswagen in second place and Toyota close on their heels taking third place.

Considering all the challenges currently facing the automotive industry, this is no small feat. Manufacturers had to walk a tight rope to remain operational amidst the aftermath and recovery of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ukraine war, the global chip shortages leading to a shortage of new vehicles, the global energy crisis and the KZN flooding earlier this year, to name but a few.

Rental Results for 2022

Isuzu continued their winning spree, attaining the highest score on the measured criteria and helped along by a level one B-BBEE level of contribution, the only manufacturer achieving level one. Toyota moved into second position, as they did in 2020, in the process moving Volkswagen out of the top three positions. Historically, premium brands have not often won top awards in the MOTY competition, but this year Mini proved that this is indeed possible, by moving into third position for the first time ever.

The Value award is presented to the automotive member that has scored the most combined points for the Financial section, and for the fifth year running, the winner is Toyota.

The Tutuka award recognises the best scoring automotive member which supplies lower and niche vehicle volumes to the car rental industry, and Mini took top honours in this category for the fourth consecutive year.

Leasing Results for 2022

Isuzu carried their momentum to the Leasing section and were also awarded Gold in the Leasing category, as they did for the last two years. Volkswagen held steady for their second position and Toyota took third, the same top three positions for Leasing as in 2021.

The Value award for the Manufacturer scoring the best for the Financial section on the Leasing survey was awarded to Toyota, which has now won this award four times in the last five years.

Overall results for 2022

To adjudicate an overall winner, the Rental and Leasing scores for qualifying manufacturers are combined. This year’s Overall winner is Isuzu for the third consecutive year, with Toyota improving from their third position last year to now be second and Volkswagen completing the top-three leader board positions.

Best Representative Awards for 2022

The rental and leasing companies nominate individuals for the best representative awards based on their performance and support during the year. Geraldine Pillay from Isuzu was voted the best Account Representative in the Leasing section. The award for the best Account Representative in the Rental section is shared between Queen Ramaliwa from BMW and Lebo Lekalakala, representing Toyota.

A special shout out has to go to Ramatjitla Penyane from Toyota, for being voted the best Technical Representative in both the Leasing and Rental categories for the last five years. He has definitely made this award his own and his legacy lives on.

Often retaining the title of being recognised as the best in your industry is harder than the effort required in reaching the top. We congratulate this years’ winners and look forward to seeing what the competitors can bring to the table in 2023.

Ends

About SAVRALA

SAVRALA is the representative voice of Southern Africa’s vehicle rental, leasing and fleet management sector. Its members have a combined national footprint with over 600 branches countrywide. Its Associate members comprise most motor manufacturers and importers and allied industry sales and service companies. SAVRALA members provide short-term self-drive rental, medium and long-term rentals and/or leasing and fleet management services to corporate users and consumers. The sector employs an estimated 12,000 people and, as a direct multiplier effect, several thousand more jobs are sustained across the South African automotive industry.

For more information about SAVRALA, please visit http://www.savrala.co.za/ or contact Claire Lathe at claire@bigambition.co.za.