Throughout lockdown, members of the motoring industry did their part to relieve the pressure on consumers as well as society as a whole. These interventions and measures have been updated to meet the new risk adjustment strategy instituted by the government in April. These companies have the following procedures in place:
Jaguar Land Rover
Their #FeedingSATogether campaign has had positive feedback since its launch on 9 April. Thanks to generous contributions from numerous South African companies and individuals more than 2 100 children and elderly will have access to nutritious meals for up to a month.
The project called upon citizens and businesses for donations to secure food parcels to be distributed to those in need by the South African Red Cross Society. To date, a total in excess of R470 000 has been raised, and all proceeds have gone directly to the initiative.
One #FeedingSATogether food pack can feed a single person for up to three weeks and a child for up to one month. Each parcel includes rations of vegetable soup, soya mince, instant porridge and isotonic drinks, along with a hand sanitiser. The Red Cross will continue to identify the respective orphanages and old age homes where deliveries can be performed safely and are most needed during the crisis.
Reopening
Jaguar Land Rover has also reopened and the health and safety of its staff and customers are of utmost priority. A number of measures have been put in place to safeguard visitors across the nation-wide Jaguar Land Rover retailer network.
Dealerships have been transformed into a new operational environment with minimised physical touchpoints:
- All parking areas alternate available bays to maximise the distance between parked cars
- Facilities with rolling reception-type service lanes will be thoroughly cleaned after every vehicle passes through.
- Vehicle hand overs and collections for services will be managed with specifically allocated time slots and staggered booking times
- Direct customer interaction areas will make use of standing plastic screens to act as barriers between people, while flexible rope-type barricades will maintain distances between people.
- Cash will not be permitted for any transaction, and touchpads on card machines will be disinfected after every use.
- Mandatory temperature checks upon entry to dealer premises, and 2-metre distances will be maintained between all people at all times.
- Furniture will be strategically arranged to maintain set distancing rules.
- Inside dealership workshops, technicians are separated by non-operational bays between each work station and machinery will also be regularly disinfected.
- All vehicles entering a dealership for service or repair will be sanitised and fitted with seat and steering wheel covers prior to work. Similar processes will apply to vehicles leaving dealerships.
- All staff will abide by the regulations put forward by government to reduce the spread of the virus.
Honda
Honda Motor Southern has confirmed that all nationwide dealerships have resumed operations. This is following the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr. Ebrahim Patel’s announcement that certain trading activities on vehicles is permitted during Alert Level 4.
Honda dealerships nationwide will implement strict hygiene and safety measures to minimise the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of customers and staff. The following safety measures will be implemented:
- Customers are required to make an appointment before visiting a dealership
- All staff and customers are to wear a cloth face mask
- Sanitisation procedures at all sites will be strictly applied to ensure that all work surfaces, equipment and cars on the floor are disinfected before the dealership is opened, and regularly cleaned during the working period;
- Social distancing protocols will be maintained at all times
Haval
Last week Haval, Boxer Super Stores Alexandra and Rays of Hope distributed 152 nutritious food parcels into Alexandra. Each food parcel will feed a family of 5 for a month and included essential food items like rice, cake flour, maize meal, samp, oil and more.
Keeping vulnerable people fed amid this pandemic is of utmost importance to Haval. Their thanks go to Rays of Hope and every hand involved in feeding and ensuring 152 families remain well-nourished during this time.
Bridgestone
While Bridgestone South Africa’s (BSSA) consumer-facing retail business, as well as its manufacturing facilities suspended operations during lockdown, the company’s small, medial and large (SML) commercial unit continues to support key industrial customers. This is to ensure essential food and medical supplies are delivered on time around the country.
During lockdown deliveries to grocery stores still needed to take place. If delivery trucks experience tyre damages in the line of duty many people would not be able to receive essential goods and medical supplies. A co-ordinated team of technicians from Bridgestone is consequently going above the call of duty, working with logistics and commercial operators, to ensure that essential products make it to their destinations without disruption.
Volvo
Volvo Car South Africa has announced that dealerships will open from Thursday, May 14. This will be under extremely strict conditions. “Our foremost concern is for the health and safety of our customers and staff. We are doing everything possible to minimise any risk of Covid-19 transmission,” stresses Greg Maruszewski, Managing Director of Volvo Car South Africa.
These conditions include:
- Making appointments for servicing and repairs to their vehicles to prevent workshop traffic and queuing.
- Sanitising vehicles on arrival at the dealership and return to customers.
- Built-in smart car tech will be used to remotely diagnose cars that arrive in order to establish if they need to enter the workshop.
- Dealerships will become contactless
- Social distancing, sanitising at dealerships and other preventative measures.
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz South Africa Limited (MBSA) will assist in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic in the Eastern Cape, by manufacturing the supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the form of 3D printed recyclable plastic face shields for use in mass screening, clinics and hospitals. In addition, and pending quality assurance regulatory approval, MBSA will also manufacture and supply Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) breathing aid devices from its East London Manufacturing Plant for the Eastern Cape Provincial Department of Health.
The MBSA East London Manufacturing Plant is using their full capacity to manufacture face shields and CPAP devices, which deliver oxygen to the lungs without needing a ventilator. The CPAP breathing aid devices have been used extensively in hospitals in countries hardest hit by COVID-19 to assist patients with serious respiratory problems to breathe more easily, when oxygen via a face mask alone has proven insufficient. CPAP devices are non-invasive breathing aid devices, which provide a constant, steady pressure to keep the lungs expanded. Reports from Italy indicate that approximately 50% of patients given CPAP have avoided the need for invasive mechanical ventilation.
It is anticipated that the CPAP devices provided by MBSA will also assist with reducing the burden on public health facilities based in the Eastern Cape, which is expected to experience a surge in coronavirus patients.
Subaru
In line with the latest regulations, Subaru Southern Africa and its dealer network is open. The safety of our employees and customers is of utmost importance and a number of measures have been implemented across our dealer network to ensure the highest levels of hygiene.
- All staff and visitors will be required to undergo mandatory screening upon entry to all dealerships.
- Face masks are compulsory for all visitors and customers.
- All visitors and staff are required to sign a register for tracing purposes.
- No children are permitted access to dealerships.
- A 2-metre distance will always be maintained between all people.
- Entry to all dealerships will be strictly by appointment or emergency.
- Customers are encouraged to use the website, email or telephone to book test drives and services or to enquire about vehicles.
- Dealers will implement home deliveries, test drives and trade-in evaluations where possible.
- All cars will be sanitised before/after every test drive or home delivery.
All Subaru dealer facilities and vehicles will be disinfected on a regular basis. Our aim is to ensure that our personalised customer service can still continue even during these Level 4 restrictions.
Also view:
Vehicle Finance, Car Insurance and Road Safety
Buying and Selling a Vehicle – Informed decisions and the Vehicle Retailer
The Online Vehicle Retail Market and Safely Selling Vehicles Online