THE POWER OF A BRAND
Just at a time when I was beginning to get concerned about the value of car brands in South Africa, I got a welcome surprise as I witnessed first-hand the power of one of the world’s iconic car brands – Porsche!
I was among a group of motoring journalists on a Porsche driving event recently which took us from Porsche Centre in Johannesburg to Walkersons’ five-star luxury hotel near Dullstroom in Mpumalanga. A route schedule check by senior Porsche staff members two weeks before the event had revealed many large potholes on the pockmarked R540 road from Belfast to Lydenburg. Some of these holes were so big they were shown in bold red capital letters on the route schedule!
The situation was so dire that cancellation of the event was a real possibility. Not only do some of the Porsche models – sedans and sports cars – no longer carry spare wheels, but all models have expensive alloy wheel rims, so potholes need to be avoided whenever possible!
The threat of damage to tyres and rims was stressed during the media briefing prior to us setting out from Johannesburg for Walkersons’ Hotel. We were urged to be particularly careful once we exited the N4 freeway for Belfast.
But a big surprise awaited us; imagine what a pleasant surprise it was to find every pothole had been repaired!
Somewhere along the line somebody must have mentioned to the local authorities that eight Porsches, worth more than R20 million would be driven up the potholed R540 by a group of senior motoring journalists. There was obviously no mention that the group of cars developed a combined output of about 4 000 horsepower!
Having this group end up with expensive tyres punctured and wheel rims damaged would not have been good publicity for this province’s already highly criticised road network, so a miracle was worked! I bet the repaired roads are also bringing smiles to the faces of tourists and locals as they navigate their way to attractions such as the Kruger National Park.
Now let’s look at what this Porsche drive event was all about. Besides impressing us with the superb quality of its late model pre-owned cars – along with legendary performance – we heard about a huge step being taken by this iconic brand to improve its competitiveness in the upper end of the passenger car market in South Africa.
The cost of servicing a Porsche has been seen over the years as an inhibitor to some potential buyers taking the step and buying one of these cars, new or used.
Toby Venter, the CEO of Porsche SA, explained at the media briefing that the new car buying frenzy in the R1 million and below categories currently being experienced in South Africa had forced German luxury brands Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi to cut costs and prices to bring their offerings closer to where the buyers are and this resulted in a bigger gap between these brands and Porsche’s SUV and sedan offerings.
This situation needed Porsche to take a deep dive, and this is exactly what they have done to make it easier to own a Porsche. The decision was to introduce a New Porsche Drive Plan and the Pre-Owned Service Plan for approved used cars.
New Porsches – bought from 1 June 2026 – now come with a standard five-year/100 000 km Driveplan which covers virtually all aspects of maintenance and repairs within normal driving conditions, including labour and parts, but, like most other maintenance plans, does exclude tyres. There is also the added benefit of 24-hour Porsche Roadside Assist for emergencies.
Approved pre-owned Porsches bought from the authorised centres will now come with a five-year/150 000 km service plan with eligibility available for cars up to 12 years old with less than 150 000 km on the odometer.
An added benefit is that every approved pre-owned vehicle sold by a Porshe Centre is rigorously checked, using a 111-point checklist, before sale and any faults are put to rights using genuine parts before delivery of the car to the customer. (Authorised Porsche Centres are in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Umhlanga, and Cape Town).
Porsche executives also went on to emphasise the many other positive benefits a buyer enjoys when he or she makes the purchase of a pre-owned model at a Porsche Centre instead of at a non-franchised used car outlet where the price may be lower.
Porsche South Africa’s Christo Kruger said that as custodians of the brand, Porsche Centres in South Africa have access to comprehensive information archives for each pre-owned Porsche in its dealer network, guaranteeing dependable vehicle history, previous accident repair and accurate mileage as well as reliable service and maintenance records.
In conclusion Kruger said, “Porsche South Africa remains committed to excellence at every touchpoint of the ownership journey, from the first drive to lifelong support, ensuring every Porsche delivers the performance, reliability, and emotional connection customers expect.”
By Roger Houghton
