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It’s Mind Over Metal for the Final Quarter of the Year
As we reach the end of September, we are on track to close off what promises to be the strongest quarter of the year for domestic new vehicle sales, albeit at a slowing rate of growth. This resilience is a testament to the hard work of our dealership network across the country.
However, we remain clear-eyed about the road ahead.
The recent interest rate increase and anticipated fuel price hikes will inevitably impact trading conditions as we move into the final quarter of the year. With consumers continuing to navigate elevated living and mobility costs, affordability remains a central challenge across the entire automotive sector.
In this strained environment, our role as dealers is more critical than ever. We must continue to explore innovative solutions to help customers find vehicles and finance structures that align with their mobility needs.
Navigating these dynamics demands a distinct shift in approach – what Cars.co.za aptly termed a “Mind Over Metal” mentality at their recent DealerCon 2026 conference. The gathering brought together automotive retail leaders to directly tackle changing buyer expectations, shifting preferences, and ongoing economic pressures.
Looking ahead, October presents two major milestones on our calendar, fittingly coinciding with Transport Month. Industry leaders and government stakeholders will convene in Durban for naamsa’s annual SA Auto Week. NADA is proud to play an active role in this year’s proceedings, and I look forward to moderating a key panel discussion on one of the conference days.
Running alongside SA Auto Week will be our NADA KwaZulu-Natal Annual Member Meeting, which will also be held in Durban on 13 October 2026. I strongly encourage all our KZN members to attend. We are eagerly anticipating a great turnout and look forward to robust, constructive engagements on the issues directly affecting your businesses.
Thank you for your continued dedication and leadership as we navigate these changing market dynamics together.
We would also like to extend a special note of gratitude to Sue Robinson, Director at the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), the voice of UK Automotive Retail, for her contribution to this month’s newsletter. Her insightful article, which highlights the importance of attracting and nurturing young talent within the retail automotive space, serves as a timely prelude to the upcoming launch of the second phase of NADA’s Motoring Mavericks initiative, which continues to spotlight career opportunities across our retail network.
Warm regards
Brandon Cohen
CHAIRPERSON
NADA
OPENING THE DEALERSHIP DOOR TO THE NEXT GENERATION
By Sue Robinson, CEO, NFDA
Who will be the next generation of technicians, sales advisers, digital specialists and dealership leaders? As automotive retail evolves, helping young people discover its varied career opportunities is an industry priority. NFDA CEO Sue Robinson explores how NADA South Africa’s Motoring Mavericks programme and the UK’s Drive My Career initiative are opening dealership doors to the next generation. She highlights how real stories of people building rewarding careers can inspire others to see their future in the sector.
MILLENNIALS DRIVE SOUTH AFRICA’S FEMALE AUTOMOTIVE MARKET
Millennials are firmly in the driver’s seat when it comes to South Africa’s female automotive market, accounting for 50% of women vehicle buyers. This is according to Lightstone data, drawn from transactions processed through Lightstone’s Signio system between January 2025 and August 2026.
Women aged 26–45 years account for 60% of female vehicle buyers, with the 31–35 year age group the most active at 17%. The numbers also point to a strong preference for used vehicles, with 60% of female buyers opting for used vehicles compared with 40% buying new. More than 80% of female buyers earn between R10 000 and R50 000 per month.
NADA ANNUAL MEMBER MEETINGS: CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION
We are halfway through this year’s Annual Member Meeting engagements and thank everyone who has joined the discussions so far.
These meetings are an opportunity to hear directly from NADA leadership, discuss the issues affecting dealerships and share experiences with fellow members.
Please diarise the remaining meetings:
- Central Region: 7 October 2026
- KwaZulu-Natal: 13 October 2026
- Cape Town: 22 October 2026
We look forward to seeing you, hearing your views and discussing how NADA can continue to support your dealership. Your participation helps strengthen our collective voice.
AFFORDABILITY RESHAPES SOUTH AFRICA’S CREDIT MARKET IN Q2 2026
Affordability is reshaping how South Africans borrow, with households becoming more selective as living costs rise. TransUnion’s Q2 2026 South Africa Industry Insights Report shows a resilient credit market, but performance varies across products and lenders.
Vehicle finance remains resilient, while buyers increasingly weigh financing costs, fuel efficiency and total cost of ownership. For dealerships, this highlights the importance of helping customers understand affordability beyond the purchase price.
Lenders are balancing growth with repayment capacity and risk, making headline credit figures less useful without understanding the consumer behaviour behind them. The report explores what these changing borrowing patterns mean for sustainable growth.
MOTORING MAVERICKS: OPENING MORE DOORS IN PHASE 2. THE MOVEMENT CONTINUES
What does a career in a dealership really look like?
Following the success of Phase 1, #MotoringMavericks is preparing to return with a closer look at the people, workplaces and opportunities across South Africa’s automotive retail industry.
The first phase introduced audiences to Mavericks and their career journeys. Phase 2 will build on those stories, exploring roles across digital and marketing, customer experience, sales, technical diagnostics, logistics and operations.
A more dynamic approach to content is being developed, taking young people behind the scenes to see what these jobs involve and how different teams keep a dealership running.
Ahead of the launch, fresh career content is also being developed for the Motoring Mavericks channels to keep audiences engaged and help more young people discover where their talents could take them.
NADA CELEBRATES AUTOMOTIVE RETAIL EXCELLENCE AT DEALERCON
NADA congratulates the following recipients of the Lifetime Achievement and Pioneer Awards presented at DealerCon 2026, recognising leaders whose vision, dedication and innovation have helped shape South Africa’s automotive retail industry.
The Lifetime Achievement Awards honoured Clive Blechman, CEO of Eastvaal Motor Group, and Brad Kaftel, Managing Director of Hatfield Motor Group.
Clive’s four decades in the industry reflect outstanding multi-franchise leadership and a long-standing commitment to customer service. Brad’s career spans more than three decades, during which he has helped build trusted dealership networks and set high standards in sales and after-sales service.
WeBuyCars co-founders Faan and Dirk van der Walt received the Pioneer Award for transforming pre-owned vehicle trading and building a national retail business. Their entrepreneurial vision has helped reshape how consumers buy and sell vehicles.
Together, these achievements demonstrate the contribution dealerships make to consumer confidence, employment and the continued development of automotive retail.
As the voice of dealers and an advocate for its members’ interests, NADA is proud to celebrate excellence across the dealership community.
Congratulations to these recipients on their well-deserved honours and the example they set for the next generation of automotive leaders.
