Opel’s executive director for sales has described South Africa as “an important market” for the German brand.
The comments come after Opel appointed a new distributor in SA, effective from the start of 2018. Local retail will be handled by 35 dealerships, some run by new distributors Williams Hunt (part of Unitrans Automotive) and others by independent owners.
“We view South Africa as an important market,” said Matthias Seidl, Opel’s executive director for sales operations.
“South Africa is a strategic investment for Opel and our aim is to take the brand from strength to strength in South Africa and other key markets.”
Opel also confirmed that two flagship dealers are under construction in Johannesburg and Cape Town, adding that the “next generation of the Opel Corsa” has also been confirmed for South Africa.
From the start of 2018, Opel dealers will furthermore take on the aftersales business of General Motors brand Chevrolet, which will no longer be offered in South Africa from the end of 2017.