• Mitsubishi Motors East London has secured the 2025 Dealer of the Year Award.
• Mitsubishi Motors South Africa awarded dealers and dealership staff at an exciting awards ceremony.
• Mitsubishi Motors South Africa secured a regional award thanks to a strong performance by local dealers.

Johannesburg – Mitsubishi Motors South Africa has awarded dealers and selected dealership staff for strong performances across a variety of dealership roles.

The Mitsubishi Dealer of the Year awards recognise excellence across the brands dealerships and follow a comprehensive and ongoing evaluation process that measures a wide variety of aspects of dealer performance.

This includes factors such as sales volumes, the meeting of sales targets, parts sales, after sales business excellence and customer satisfaction.

“Our dealers are the lifeblood of our brand and many of them have been with us through challenging and prosperous times, continuing to represent the brand with passion and professionalism. We truly value the contribution that our dealer partners and their staff make to the ongoing growth of the exciting Mitsubishi Motors brand in South Africa,” says Francois Gultig (General Manager, Sales and Operations) at Mitsubishi Motors South Africa.

Collectively these efforts were recognised when Mitsubishi Motors South Africa was presented with the Top Performer award in the After Sales – Customer Experience category at the brands annual global after sales conference in Thailand. The award measures service excellence in comparison to that of dealers in other regions and against local competitors by way of a KANTAR Competitive Base CSI Program. This program measures performance by tracking customer satisfaction across the whole after sales service journey over a six-month period annually.

“In recent years Mitsubishi Motors SA have prioritised the relationship with our dealers by giving them the support they need to perform at their best. It gives us great pleasure to recognise the best performing dealers and sales executives as well as after sales role players that do their best day in and day out as the customer facing representatives of the Mitsubishi brand,” added Steven Terblans (General Manager Aftersales at Mitsubishi Motors SA).

The well deserving dealership winners

Dealers compete in various categories based on the size and location of the dealership with awards for retail sales, total units, fleet sales and exports. The best performing staff members are also celebrated.

In the sales vs retail sales category, Mitsubishi Motors The Glen, Mitsubishi Motors Mobeni and Mitsubishi Motors Empangeni were the best performers.

Mitsubishi Motors East Rand, Mitsubishi Motors East London and Mitsubishi Motors George sold the most retail units across the three categories of dealers.

The best performing Fleet sales dealers across the three categories were Mitsubishi Motors Umhlanga, Mitsubishi Motors Mobeni and Mitsubishi Motors Middelburg.

All these factors are taken into account for the overall Dealer of the Year award and regular winner, Mitsubishi Motors East London, clinched this prestigious title.

Outside of South Africa’s borders, Mitsubishi Motors Mozambique received the award for top regional partner, while Mitsubishi Motors Malawi  was recognized as the most improved dealer in the region. In addition, Mitsubishi Motors Zimbabwe was awarded most improved regional partner in the after-sales division, highlighting its exceptional performance among top-performing regional dealers.

Top performing individuals

The hotly contested sales executive award in the large dealer category was clinched by Megan Moonsamy from Mitsubishi Motors Umhlanga. Sharing the honours in the medium dealer category are Sipho Makuliwe from Mitsubishi Motors East London and James Motlanthe from Mitsubishi Motors Hatfield. The award is of particular significance for Motlanthe who enters retirement and ends a stellar career with this prestigious award. MG Laubscher from Mitsubishi Motors George walked away with the honours in the small dealer category.

As has become tradition Mitsubishi Motors SA also awards the personnel that keep customers cars running optimally in the workshops and at the parts counters of the respective dealerships.

Service Advisors Gerard Peterson and Jan Lottering from Mitsubishi Motors Menlyn and Natasha Slater from Mitsubishi Motors Kimberley were recognised with Diamond Service Awards for National and International CSI.

Parts Managers Grant Collinicos from Mitsubishi Motors Paarden Eiland, Lindiwe Mokoena from Mitsubishi Motors Bedfordview and Charmaine Werner from Mitsubishi Motors George received recognition for their contribution to keeping customers vehicles on the road.

The Service Managers from Mitsubishi Motors Menlyn, Mitsubishi Motors Bedfordview and Mitsubishi Motors Pietermaritzburg walked away with the laurels in this category.

An exciting time for Mitsubishi dealers

Mitsubishi dealer floors around the country are jam packed with new models including the exciting new Triton bakkie and stylish Outlander, while the Xpander Cross is set to roll onto showrooms soon.

“We look forward to working with our dealer network in launching and supporting these new products into the South African market by providing an exceptional sales experience and a hassle free after sales journey through our well-established dealer network,” concluded Gultig.

Dealer of the Year awards:

Sales Volume

• C-sized dealers – Mitsubishi Motors George
• B-sized dealers – Mitsubishi Motors East London
• A-sized dealers – Mitsubishi Motors East Rand

Sales percentage to target

• C-sized dealers – Mitsubishi Motors Empangeni
• B-sized dealers – Mitsubishi Motors Mobeni
• A-sized dealers – Mitsubishi Motors The Glen

Parts Managers

• C-sized dealers – Mitsubishi Motors George – Charmaine Werner
• B-sized dealers – Mitsubishi Motors Bedfordview – Lindiwe Mokoena
• A-sized dealers – Mitsubishi Motors Paarden Eiland – Grant Collinicos

Service Managers

• C-sized dealers – Mitsubishi Motors PMB – Terrence Moodley
• B-sized dealers – Mitsubishi Motors Bedfordview – Victor Thom
• A-sized dealers – Mitsubishi Motors Menlyn – Kallie Landsberg

Service Advisor

• Natasha Slater – Mitsubishi Motors Kimberley
• Jan Lottering – Mitsubishi Motors Menlyn
• Gerard Peterson – Mitsubishi Motors Menlyn

Sales Executive

• Megan Moonsamy – Mitsubishi Motors Umhlanga
• Sipho Makuliwe – Mitsubishi Motors East London
• James Motlanthe – Mitsubishi Motors Hatfield
• MG Laubscher – Mitsubishi Motors George

Best Export Dealer

Mitsubishi Mozambique

Mitsubishi Zambia

Most improved Export Dealer

Mitsubishi Malawi

Overall Dealer of the year

Mitsubishi Motors East London

• The updated Mitsubishi Pajero Sport gains an updated dynamic shield front grille, redesigned under garnishes and new 18-inch wheels.
• The interior has been updated with a new 8-inch fully digital driver display and a redesigned steering wheel.
• Safety and convenience have been bolstered with the addition of the Ultrasonic Mis-acceleration System and a Multi Around Monitor.

JOHANNESBURG – Mitsubishi Motors South Africa has treated the much respected Pajero Sport to a significant facelift that includes an enhanced design, improved technology and additional safety features in line with modern customer requirements. These updates come without a change in pricing, further bolstering the value for money proposition of the Pajero Sport.

The facelifted Pajero Sport continues Mitsubishi Motors South Africa’s strategic product recalibration that commenced with the successful recent launch of the Next-Gen Triton, which retained its price positioning despite major platform upgrades as well as the Outlander Sport, which replaced the ASX at the same price point.

“The latest iteration of Pajero Sport is much more than a facelift, it’s further proof of how we’re recalibrating our entire range in sync with the ever-evolving automotive landscape. In an extremely price sensitive market, we are meeting customer expectations by delivering more value for money whilst entrenching our commitment to reliability, intelligent engineering and no-nonsense quality,” says Jeffrey Allison, General Manager Marketing for Mitsubishi Motor South Africa (MMSA).

A refreshed exterior

The Pajero Sport continues to offer an unmistakable SUV character that is accentuated by strong, flowing lines and rugged, high-quality durable finishes.

The latest design evolution includes an updated dynamic shield front grille that offers a more assertive presence, and which compliments the redesigned front and rear under garnishes. The updated Mitsubishi Pajero Sport rides on new 18-inch alloy wheels, featuring a modern SUV design.

A remastered cockpit

The interior features numerous updates including a new eight-inch fully digital driver display. A redesigned steering wheel offers a more modern and tactile driving feel while still incorporating steering wheel controls. A new black ceiling headliner ensures an overall more premium cabin aesthetic.

The interior of all models continues to represent comfort and luxury thanks to standard specification highlights that include black leather seats, dual zone climate control with rear vents and Mitsubishi’s advanced smartphone-link display audio (SDA) connected to a large eight-inch touchscreen, a sunroof, remote control connectivity, an electronic tailgate and a keyless operating system.

A drivetrain with a proven track record

All Mitsubishi Pajero Sport models are powered by the tried and tested Mitsubishi MIVEC 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, intercooled, turbodiesel engine. This powerplant offers 133kW and 430Nm and drives the wheels through an advanced eight-speed automatic transmission. In practice this drivetrain offers smooth acceleration and low-rpm, high-speed cruising that enhances driving efficiency.

Making the Pajero Sport a true Pajero is Mitsubishi’s renowned Super Select 4WD-II system. Paired with the ladder frame chassis on 4×4 derivatives it ensures consistent ability across challenging conditions and rugged terrain. Four selectable off-road functions include 2H, 4H, 4HLc (4WD High range with centre diff locked) and 4LLc (4WD Low range with centre diff locked).

Gravel, Mud/Snow, Sand or Rock modes tailor engine output, transmission settings and braking according to the conditions underfoot, reinforcing the model’s strong off-road pedigree.

Additional safety and convenience

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport has always offered the safety needed for daily family chores or weekend adventures and these credentials have been further bolstered by the latest smart technology. Additions include the Ultrasonic Mis-acceleration Mitigation System (UMS) that ensures added safety in tight spaces by preventing accidental acceleration at low speeds. A Multi Around Monitor has also been added, ensuring improved visibility when parking and manoeuvring.

The inherent safety of the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport range is built on the foundation of the Mitsubishi’s RISE (Reinforced Impact Safety) body construction and bolstered by seven airbags and ISOFIX child seat anchors. Active safety features include active stability and traction control (ASTC), an anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), and an emergency brake assist system (BAS).

The safety package is rounded off by hill-start assist (HAS), trailer stability assist, auto levelling dusk-sensing LED headlights, front foglamps, daytime running lights, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, rear park distance control, a rear-view camera and hill descent control which takes the fuss out of descending steep off-road descents.

A beefed-up value proposition

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport is unique, it combines the legendary off-road ability, for which the Pajero nameplate is renowned, with family friendly functionality. The latest round of updates accentuates those qualities while further bolstering its incredible value for money proposition.

“All these enhancements come with no change to the selling price of the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, ensuring that this popular enthusiasts model remains an excellent choice in the adventure SUV category, while representing unquestionable value for money,” concludes Allison.

A three-model range

The Mitsubishi Pajero Sport range now consists of three derivatives that are positioned to deliver maximum value to customers without compromising on its unrivalled quality and legendary off-road DNA.

Pricing

All Mitsubishi Pajero Sport models are sold with a three-year/100 000 km manufacturer’s warranty, a five-year/90 000 km service plan and five-year roadside assistance. Service intervals are set at every 10 000 km.

• Mitsubishi Motors SA was awarded as the regions best performing distributor in the After Sales – Customer Experience category.
• A consistently high after sales performance has resulted in a third consecutive award in this category.
• The survey measures a variety of customer engagements in the after sales journey.

Thailand – Mitsubishi Motors South Africa was presented with the Top Performer award in the After Sales – Customer Experience category at the brands recent annual global after sales business excellence awards ceremony in Thailand. The award measures service excellence in comparison to that of dealers in other regions.

Over the past five years Mitsubishi Middle East and Africa has challenged their distributors to achieve the top three status in their respective country when measured against the top competitor brands in their respective markets.

The KANTAR Competitive Base CSI Program was launched to measure this performance by tracking customer satisfaction across the whole after sales service journey over a six-month period annually.

In addition to measuring performance, the programme is also designed to instil an impact-based customer experience action plan which positively influences the customer journey.

Mitsubishi Motors SA far exceeded the target of a top three. For the third consecutive year Mitsubishi Motors South Africa has secured the number one position in South Africa. MMSA are also the only country in the MMME region to accomplish this.

“This result and our consistent performance over the last three years is a testament to the dedication and commitment of the MMSA team as well as our entire dealer network, who continuously work hard at improving service levels and making each and every service experience memorable, during their interactions with our valued customers,” says Steven Terblans (General Manager Aftersales at Mitsubishi Motors SA).

Attributes measured include service initiation, service advisor, in-service experience, vehicle pick-up, service quality and digital aspect. An in-depth survey focusses on all the customer touch points under each of these attributes.

The comprehensively structured programme tracks improvement at each attribute level, with different weightings according to the importance of the attribute to the customer, which assists with isolating the brand effect.

“While this programme is a great way of measuring ourselves against our peers in different markets, more crucially it allows us to continually refine our service to our customers,” says Jeffrey Allison, General Manager Marketing for Mitsubishi Motors South Africa.

“Surveys and programmes like this are extremely valuable as they allow us to recognise our strengths, allowing us to maintain, invest and build on those characteristics. We are also always looking for ways to improve and the feedback received from this programme is vital in this journey as it gives us indirect feedback from our customers allowing us to identify areas where our service levels still need refining,” concludes Allison.

Mitsubishi Motors SA are in the midst of a complete range revitalisation. The Triton and Outlander were recently launched in SA and customers can look forward to exciting new model launches throughout the year, including the arrival of the much-anticipated Xpander Cross.