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Michael Tome and Panashe Chikonyora Business Reporters
PREMIUM car dealer, Zimoco, officially launched the distribution of Haval a Sport Utility Vehicles range (SUV) in Harare, last week. The wholly owned subsidiary of Great Wall Motors’ (GWM) of China, Haval is the new brand to come under the distributorship of Zimoco which is still basking in glory having scooped three prestigious awards as southern Africa’s Mercedes dealer of the year three months ago.

The diverse Haval H range includes the entry level compact SUV, the H1, which comes with a five-speed manual transmission, a powerful 1,5-litre petrol engine, cruise and climate control with a 45-litre gallon tank.

Speaking at the launch, Haval South Africa’s managing director and chief executive officer Charles Zhao said Zimbabwe is a lucrative destination for his company’s automobiles given their competitive pricing.

He highlighted that his company’s involvement with South Africa had led the vehicle making firm to diversify into Zimbabwe considering the proximity.

“South Africa is one of our first overseas subsidiaries in Africa. We have been in South Africa for over 10 years now for the reason that it’s like a hub to other African countries and also because of our long time in South Africa we saw that we can’t miss an opportunity in a neighbouring country (Zimbabwe).

“We would want to have more sales locally. I have confidence in Zimbabwean market. GWM has good quality and we are offering the same at a good price,” said Mr Zhao.

He acknowledged that doing business with Zimoco would enhance their product attractiveness and visibility owing to their knowledge and understanding of the local motor industry.

“We believe Zimoco is a reputable, experienced and professional company so I believe we have the right product. We have a right partner hence our desire to penetrate into this market,” he said.

Zimoco chief executive officer Bob Crossley said the introduction of Haval will help his firm cater for a wide range of customers given that the traditional Mercedes Benz vehicles they normally have in stock are beyond the reach of many.

“I’m glad to have an economical brand of vehicles in our stock, it helps us capture a good number of customers and tap into an extensive base of customers,” he said.

In December, Haval posted annual sales of 519 418 units, ranking 1st in the Chinese SUV market for the 12th consecutive year.

Zimoco earlier this year managed to secure dealer of the year awards in best sales performance category general distributor, FUSO overall winner, best sales performance category general distributor Mercedes-Benz trucks and best overall performance category used vehicle support SelecTrucks.