Volkswagenrenting and leasing is considered to be the best in the industry after the company was named Manufacturer of the Year at the 18th annual South African Vehicle Renting and Leasing Association (Savrala) at the Motor Manufacturer of the Year Awards held at a banquet in Sandton, Johannesburg.

??Volkswagen renting and leasing tops all

Savrala represents 90% of vehicle rental and leasing companies in South Africa and is the largest vehicle buyer after government, purchasing approximately 120000 new cars annually. After exhaustive bi-annual polling of Savrala members, Volkswagen was awarded the gold Manufacturer of the Year Award in both the rental and leasing categories, with Hyundai, General Motors South Africa and Nissan (GMSA) claiming silver and bronze respectively.

Volkswagen also claimed the Overall Manufacturer of the Year Award and Best Manufacturer’s Technical Representative Leasing Award while Audi won the Most Improved Leasing and Overall Most Improved categories.

David Powels, Managing Director: Volkswagen Group South Africa, “Congratulations must go to the VWSA Fleet Sales team and to the VWSA Rental Sales team for this clean sweep of awards two years in a row. Through them our customers have recognised Volkswagen Group South Africa for its on-going commitment to customer satisfaction.”

More than just looks?

Savrala chairman Wayne Duvenage said the awards went beyond the look and feel of cars, to the companies’ back-up support for the rental and leasing industry. “We get all our members to evaluate their vehicles in a survey twice a year. It’s an intensive process. In our industry it’s around value for money and safety – how attentive the manufacturers are to the needs of the industry. We require bulk purchasing and delivery on time to meet our needs” said Duvenage.

Fleets have a shelf-life of between a year for rentals and about four years for leasing and resale values and demand in the second hand car market are major factors. “Value is a big thing for us, how easily are we able to buy and then sell our cars. A big aspect of the value of those cars is how easy is it to move that product at the end of its fleet life. If you’re in the business of renting or leasing, you’re in the business of selling those cars at the end of the day. All of those things determine what a good supplier is,” says Duvenage.