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| A cyclist on a VW donated bike may want to know about the stock must go sales at Dodge, Chrysler and Chev dealers in South Africa. |
BUYERS who are in the market for a cheap new car now have
two more bargains to choose from.
This after Fiat Chrysler SA has announced that it will no longer
sell Dodge or Chrysler vehicles in South Africa, but reassures Jeep and Fiat
will continue to be sold locally.
The announcement has been long awaited in the auto trade as demand
for the last Chrysler 300C and Dodge Journeys — the models from these brands
available in SA — have long been too low to
support a dealership.
support a dealership.
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| The Dodge Journey now comes at a steep discount. |
The Dodge Chrysler dealerships this week said it would continue to
support and service current Chrysler and Dodge vehicles through its franchise
dealers.
General Motors said the same thing when it announced it will stop
selling Chevrolet in South Africa in June.
All this means for the more daring car buyer is huge discounts at
both brands.
This is “all stocks must go” time, and the price on the windscreen
is not even a guideline.
Dealers know that few people will be willing to risk a four- to
seven-year investment in a car that may or may not have good parts support, and
will do what it takes to make a sale.
That makes the big Chevrolet Trailblazer sport utility one of the
best bargains to be had in South Africa today, while the smaller Spark and
attractive Cruze will come with even steeper discounts.
The half-ton bakkie that started as an Opel before sporting the Chevrolet bow tie will no longer be built at the Chev plant when it is under Isuzu. This means only Nissan stills sells a halftonner in South Africa, as both Toyota and VW told us the 300 or more half-tonners that sell in South Africa each month is not worth the bother of turning the Etios or Polo into a utility vehicle.
The half-ton bakkie that started as an Opel before sporting the Chevrolet bow tie will no longer be built at the Chev plant when it is under Isuzu. This means only Nissan stills sells a halftonner in South Africa, as both Toyota and VW told us the 300 or more half-tonners that sell in South Africa each month is not worth the bother of turning the Etios or Polo into a utility vehicle.
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| With Chev closing shop, the Trailblazer is very good value. |
See it as new used
Buying
a brand new car from an importer that has announced an end to its local business
is not as risky as it seems — as long as you do not rely totally on the dealer
for services or repairs, and replace the warranty and service plan with a
generic, off the shelf service from the Retail Motor Industry (RMI). You know
odds are high the importer’s warranty is not going to be of any use to you once
the dealer closes, no matter what promises you hear.
The good news is that there are many private mechanics and parts
sellers who will be able to sell you an RMI plan, and get whatever you need when
it is time to service the vehicle.
Fiat and Alfa expanding
Fiat said this
announcement does not affect Fiat, which recently added the Tipo and Panda 4x4
to showroom floors, while the Stelvio SUV from Alfa Romeo is due to arrive
before year-end.
FCA South Africa CEO Robin van Rensburg said: “The future for FCA
in South Africa is certainly an interesting one, my management team, indeed my
entire staff complement, have their work cut out for them and I am confident
that we will succeed.”
Van Rensburg said new FCA dealerships are planned for Durban,
Pretoria, Midrand and Johannesburg.
