Back in July 2020, Ford South Africa made the decision to revamp its used car sales division under the Ford Approved banner, which largely focuses on pre-owned Blue Oval models, but also includes those from other brands. The idea behind this program is to offer customers used vehicles that have undergone a 160-point inspection, are no more than five years old with a 120,000 kilometer (74,500-mile) limit, and come with 12 months of free roadside assistance and the balance of the manufacturer’s warranty, service plan, and/or maintenance contract. Since then, Ford Approved has proven to be quite popular, it seems.
Ford Approved has now expanded to over 90 dealers in South Africa, with more than 2,500 pre-owned vehicles currently listed for sale at that particular website, to boot. The revamped Ford Approved website is designed to function better as well, with a variety of user-friendly features including the ability to filter through used inventory in a number of ways. Customers can even schedule test drives ahead of time, start the trade-in process online, and purchase extended service plans.
“A combination of reduced interest rates and outstanding value, low-mileage used vehicles available with the latest safety and technology being offered are reasons for optimism in the pre-owned vehicle segment,” said Eben Swart, Ford Approved Manager. “Our teams are highly trained and have the best resources available to assist the buyer. We strive to give customers the same experience and professional service as they would receive when buying a new vehicle from Ford. We make sure that all Ford Approved vehicles pass through our stringent quality checks to give our customers peace of mind when purchasing a pre-owned Ford.”
In addition to the impact that Ford Approved has had on the automaker’s South African used vehicle sales, The Blue Oval also enjoyed a rather strong performance in the new vehicle market, overall, in 2024. In fact, the South African car market, as a whole, experienced a three percent sales decline last year, but Ford bucked that trend by posting a 6.4 percent increase year-over-year, selling a grand total of 32,765 vehicles.
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