Technology is taking over

Dawie Olivier has the grease-under-the-fingernails passion of a true petrolhead and he knows cars, and the auto industry, inside and out.

When he began, as a technician, it was all about spanners and screwdrivers; but today, laptops, software and electronic diagnosis are the tools of the modern day service consultant at your dealership.

And the “old ways” of servicing and repairing cars are gone for good – at least as far as upmarket brands are concerned, says Olivier, who is the national aftersales manager for Jaguar Land Rover South Africa.

“Our technicians and service consultants are still trained in the basics, but technology today means they are IT specialists more than anything else,” he says.

Many issues have to be tackled electronically because these systems are such an integral part of modern cars.

The group also has a philosophy that, in the unlikely event of powertrain problems, they will replace engines or gearboxes with new units, rather than repair.

That way the customer has the peace of mind of a new product. Olivier says, proudly, that the technology in Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles is “the best in the industry”, adding “It’s just that we don’t go out and shout about it”.

One example – also largely unreported in motoring media – is the fact that the group’s new Ingenium diesel engine technology is not only much cleaner (the powerplants are up to twice as environmentally friendly as engines just five years ago) but also requires less servicing.

In the past, diesel engines were a more expensive, long-term proposition for many car buyers, because they cost more to buy and required more frequent servicing than their petrol equivalents.

Jaguar Land Rover’s new diesel motors will require servicing only every two years or 36 000km … an industry benchmark. That is really how technology is changing the face of motoring, says Olivier.

Sure, there is a huge push towards electric and hybrid vehicles – and these are becoming more in demand in South Africa – but great advances have been made in both diesel and petrol tech in recent years.

Olivier says that although fully autonomous driving won’t happen yet in large parts of South Africa (because road markings and signs are still problematic), many luxury vehicles are already equipped with systems which relieve the burdens on the driver.

“Our customers expect a high level of technology in comfort and safety terms and the reality is that, once you get out of a vehicle equipped with top-level systems, you really notice the difference.”

Asked about whether a developing country like South Africa can afford to have “fancy” cars on its roads, Olivier is adamant that there is a significant buyer market here which can afford such transport.

More importantly, though, advancing technology will have trickle-down impacts on even entry-level cars, so everybody can benefit.

Both Jaguar and Land Rover have long and distinguished her it ages in the motoring sector.

Jaguar has continued to produce sexy, capable performance and luxury vehicles which are sought after by enthusiasts in South Africa.

This continues, despite the increase in competition in the sporting car market. In the case of Land Rover – and its luxury arm, Range Rover – the cars are still some of the most capable you will find for offroad adventures.

But, these days, Olivier admits, most Range Rover owners don’t venture too far off the beaten track, which is a pity, because “they really will go anywhere…”.

When people buy blue-chip icons like these, though, there are “huge expectations” in terms of service and Olivier and his team have been working tirelessly on improving customer satisfaction levels.

The group uses a system which looks at customer sentiment – from the disgruntled at one end of the scale, to the “evangelists” at the other – endeavouring to reduce the one and increase the other.

And, over the past few years, the scientific measurements they use show massive improvements in the number of happy Jaguar and Land Rover customers.

“The important thing is to listen and to make things right if they are wrong,” he says.

Given the mouth-watering choice of cars in the Jaguar Land Rover range, Olivier is currently driving a new Land Rover Discovery diesel, with a brawny 3.0 V6 engine which, he says, is a “practical, capable” car.

He uses it to tow his own racing car (a modified collector item BMW) to races.

On the other hand, being a petrolhead, racecar driver and performance enthusiast, there is plenty in the fleet to tempt him, including the sexy and stupendously fast F-Type sports car, which continues the DNA of the glorious E-Type of the 1960s.

It goes without saying, he adds, that with cars like these, Jaguar Land Rover is a force to be reckoned with both globally and in South Africa.