Durban, South Africa – 5 June 2025 — UD Trucks Southern Africa, in partnership with Combined Motor Holdings (CMH), officially opened a state-of-the-art dealership facility in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal today, marking another milestone in the company’s drive toward retail excellence and preparing the network for the future. This strategic development follows the successful 2023 launch of UD Trucks' flagship dealership in Cape Town and is part of UD Trucks’ journey to expand and upgrade the customer support for the future, signaling the continued investment drive in customer experience and dealer partnerships across the region for customer success.
Opening the event, Sean Singleton, Franchise Director at CMH, expressed his enthusiasm:
“We value our longstanding relationship with UD Trucks and are proud to represent a brand that consistently delivers on quality and reliability. UD Trucks is not just a supplier—it’s a partner in progress. This investment underscores our shared commitment to innovation, customer service, and growth in the KwaZulu-Natal region.”
The newly upgraded CMH Commercial Pinetown facility spans approximately 28 000 square metres and features 13 fully equipped service bays, a modern, welcoming customer-reception area, and a driver lounge offering inclusive amenities for both male and female drivers. Its design and layout embody UD Trucks’ brand promise of “Going the Extra Mile” and reinforce the company’s commitment to delivering a smart, modern, customer-centric experience.
The official opening was attended by global and regional leadership from UD Trucks, including Koichi Ito, President and CEO of UD Trucks Corporation, who travelled from Japan to support this significant milestone. Also in attendance was Fabrice Gorlier, Senior Vice President of UD Trucks International Sales, and Filip Van den Heede, Managing Director of UD Trucks Southern Africa.
As UD Trucks celebrates its 90th global anniversary in 2025, the milestone carries profound meaning across the organization. Commenting at the opening, Koichi Ito, President and CEO of UD Trucks Corporation, who travelled from Japan to attend the event, remarked:
“This facility reflects our commitment to our customers in Southern Africa. It showcases how UD Trucks continues to innovate, invest, and grow in key markets, together with strong partners like CMH. This year we celebrate 90 years since UD Trucks was founded—a momentous occasion that reminds us of our challenger DNA. Throughout our history, we’ve continually challenged the status quo and pursued continuous improvement. Seeing this mindset embraced by our dealers in South Africa is both affirming and inspiring.”
Mr. Fabrice Gorlier added: “This investment in our retail network goes beyond infrastructure growth, it is a transformation that enables our dealers and eventually customers to thrive. The investments represent longevity, trust, growth and ultimately a better life for people —who experience the uniqueness of the UD brand and drive its success”.
At the heart of UD Trucks Southern Africa’s strategy lies a clear vision for retail excellence—a standard that goes beyond physical infrastructure. For UD Trucks, retail excellence means building dealer environments that are efficient, inclusive, technologically advanced, and fully aligned with the needs of todays and tomorrow’s transport operators. It is about offering more than just trucks—it’s about delivering total customer solutions through professional teams, high service standards, and exceptional experiences at every touchpoint.
Mr. Filip Van den Heede, Managing Director of UD Trucks Southern Africa, emphasized the importance of cultural understanding and respect in leading a diverse market:
“UD Trucks Southern Africa is deeply committed to building strong, respectful partnerships rooted in local relevance and long-term value. As we say here, ‘umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu’ — a person is a person through others. While UD Trucks celebrates 90 years globally, we’ve been present in South Africa for over 60 years. Every year has brought continuous improvement. As we reach this milestone, we remain committed to our brand strengths—quality, durability, and reliability. This facility reflects our journey toward retail excellence, enabled by dealers who represent the UD brand in a smart and modern way.”
Ruan Joubert, Dealer Principal at CMH Commercial Pinetown, added: “Our goal is simple — to be a trusted partner in every mile our customers drive. This upgraded facility equips us to do just that, with greater capabilities and a passionate team ready to go the extra mile.”
Reflecting on the transformation across the dealer network, Marle Visagie, General Manager: Retail Development at UD Trucks Southern Africa, shared: “It is incredibly rewarding to see our dealers embrace what UD truly stands for—going the extra mile, excelling on essentials, and delivering in a smart and modern way. The relationship with CMH is a strong one, built over many years of mutual respect and collaboration. It’s exciting to witness how our partners are internalizing the UD brand and elevating the customer experience in meaningful ways.”
The upgraded CMH Commercial Pinetown dealership is not only a brick-and-mortar milestone—it is a tangible demonstration of UD Trucks’ unwavering dedication to customer success, innovation, and long-term dealer empowerment. By building future-ready facilities and nurturing dealer partnerships, UD Trucks continues to lead with purpose, placing people, uptime, and service at the centre of everything it does.
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For further information, please contact:
Sanelisiwe Ngcobo,
Marketing Director, UD Trucks Southern Africa
Sanelisiwe.ngcobo@udtrucks.com
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To learn more about our products and services, visit: https://www.udtrucks.com/southafrica
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UD Trucks is a leading Japanese commercial vehicle solutions provider, active in more than 60 countries on all continents. Since its inception in 1935, the company has been an innovation leader with a clear vision to provide the trucks and services the world needs today.
The company is committed to go the extra mile for smart logistics with the most dependable solutions for demanding customers. To best support across applications and geographies, UD Trucks offers a full range of heavy-duty trucks - Quon and Quester, medium-duty trucks - Condor and Croner, and light-duty trucks – Kazet and Kuzer, as well as associated operational and financial services.
UD Trucks is a proud member of Isuzu Group.
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