Hyundai Automotive South Africa (Hyundai SA), a Motus group company, has appointed company stalwart Stanley Anderson as its new CEO, effective July 1.

Anderson currently serves as sales and operations director at the Korean importer.

He replaces Gideon Jansen van Rensburg, who will be taking up the role of CEO at the under-fire Motus South Africa Retail division, also from July 1.

Anderson was at Mercedes Benz South Africa for 11 years before joining Hyundai SA in 2001.

“I am humbly honoured to be given the huge responsibility of leading Hyundai at such a pivotal time in the South African automotive industry,” says Anderson.

“I am cognisant of the challenges that lie ahead, but equally embrace and look forward to leading a group of hardworking, talented and committed Hyundai team members.”

That said, Hyundai SA is currently in a somewhat better position than it was last year, when it faced a shrinking market, tough economic conditions, cash-strapped consumers, as well as a strong surge in cheaper Indian and Chinese imports.

For the first four months of the year Hyundai passenger car sales were up 30%, this while the local market was up only 19.6%, says Jansen van Rensburg.

Hyundai light commercial vehicle sales were up 20.6%, with the total market down 7.6%.

In the total retail market – excluding heavy trucks – total sales were up more than 29%, while this number was only 8.2% in the total market.

Anderson adds that Hyundai’s numbers were boosted by the launch of the budget-friendly Exter towards the end of last year, which re-established its foothold in the entry market.

“The Exter gave us between 300 and 400 units a month extra.”

Jansen van Rensburg notes that the company also worked with the Korean manufacturer to reposition some of its models in the South African market through the use of promotions and the roll-out of new specification levels, for example.

He says Hyundai SA has also been able to respond swiftly to the struggling market, as its owns 44 of the 102 Hyundai dealers in South Africa, with its own dealers responsible for 70% of the sales volume.

Anderson emphasises that Hyundai remains a popular brand in South Africa, with the dealer network receiving around 10 000 finance applications a month.

As for the surge in Chinese competition, he believes these brands may be starting to cannibalise each other’s volumes.

Anderson also notes that Hyundai will introduce its first hybrid in South Africa in June, and this in the Sante Fé line-up.

There are currently no plans to introduce a fully electric vehicle, even though there are options available in the Hyundai portfolio.

The only other new model to be added to the South African Hyundai showroom floor for 2025 is the Alcazar, a seven-seater sports-utility vehicle, with pricing starting at R499 900.