Geely SA, which is owned 50:50 by the Hallmark Group, a sister company of JSE-listed Cargo Carriers, and the family-owned Magic Group, has appointed John Jessup as the CEO for this importer and distributor of Geely products from China. Jessup (63) previously worked at Volkswagen, BMW, Nissan and GM in SA and has over 40 years’ experience in the local motor industry.
Hallmark, which has been involved in franchised dealers for many years, also has a large interest in another Chinese brand in SA, GWM and claims to have been responsible for making it the most successful Chinese brand in SA to date.
The company’s new head office and parts warehouse is under construction in Midrand, and hopes to have at least 22 dealerships in operation by the end of the year. Jessup says the intention is to market an extensive range of vehicle in SA, from cars to SUVs and light commercials and will enter a major market segment each year for the next three years.
The first new models – B/C segment hatches and sedans – arrived in SA recently and a new, high specification A/B segment entry level car will arrive early next year at a target price of under R90 000.
The Geely parent company, of China, was in the news recently when it completed the purchase of the Swedish Volvo car company from Ford for US$1,8bn.
