Toyota South Africa Motors has SOMI, Volkswagen Group Africa has the Indaba. Now Stellantis has Media Connect. The one thing these have in common is, they provide a platform to insights on what brands have in store for the year ahead and strategic further future plans. Most importantly they share new products that are yet to be launched.
I will admit to not doing much travelling lately and being in Johannesburg in winter was not on my bucket list of things to do. However, our overnight stay, a lovely dinner, a warm welcome from our hosts and other niceties, made up for the cold. The setting was the upmarket Montecasino in Fourways, north of Johannesburg with its visual splendour. The programme was not long, which was evidence that the world is now dealing with an audience with a shorter attention span. Group CEO Mike Whitfield led proceedings with insights on where Stellantis brands stand as part of the Middle East and Africa region, along with stats on the Mzansi market and how they plan to infiltrate and gain market share. The local manufacturing Plant operation that will be established, with see the assembly of African production supply. Most of their Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) demand is from the rest of Africa.
Charl Timms, Group Head of Commercial Vehicles, followed suit with his plans to form a better standing for the brand in the seriously contested segment. We were introduced to Moeketsi Mapogo who now leads an internal brand “Pro One” that encompasses all LCVs. These include the all-new Citroen “Hola”, an urban hatch with extended loading capacity, the Fiat Escudo minivan, and a charming Fiat Ulyusse 8-seater people carrier, to mention but a few. Mathapelo Khumalo, Head of Citroen, intends to solidify the brand’s position in the R400 000 B segment, a segment with some of the best-selling cars in the country. This confidence stems from the 61% growth in volume for 2025 and 129% in the previous year with the Stellantis Group.
Alfa Romeo had our jaws on the floor with the introduction of the Junior, with options in Hybrid and a fully-electric version of the small SUV, it’s a stunner from any angle. Head of Jeep/Alfa Romeo/ Leapmotor, Janus Janse van Rensburg shared a stimulating strategy to best position Alfa Romeo for the local market. He also introduced the new fully-electric Leapmotor division. For 2026 expect to see the Jeep Avenger, Compass and the aggressive Recon hit our shores.
Falk Zimpel (Head of Opel Middle East & Africa) and Tumelo Rantsane (Head of Opel SAF) closed proceedings with the launch of the new Grandland. Both are confident that this will place the German brand in good standing in the tough SUV market. At first glance I can attest to great futuristic looks, along with a spacious cabin filled to the brim with tech. The ride on the way back to airport as I was front passenger proved satisfying with the 134kW motor not battling to haul 4 adults with bags. Our driver was great host showing his favourite features in the vehicles some of which include heated and cooled massaging front seats. The Mokka was also on display in a stunning green colour, I can never forgive Opel for not doing better with the Mokka, the 1st gen was a hit!
We do hope wish Stellantis the best in these trying times as the onslaught from China seems to be never-ending. I do believe more visibility and a solid marketing strategy will give them good sales numbers as time goes. They have a great and enthusiastic team led by industry stalwart Mike Whitfield.
