South Africa Edition · For new dealership investors

Launch your dealership right.

Chinese and Indian brands now sell more than one in five new cars in South Africa, and every one of them needs dealers. Launch Right shows you how to choose the brand, size the territory, fund the launch properly and reach break-even, with every calculation worked in rand.

Get the playbook · US$19 See what's inside ↓

Instant PDF + Excel model · 29 pages · 10 chapters · Card, Apple Pay or Google Pay

The problem

Why new-brand dealers run out of cash before they make money

Funding the set-up, not the dip

Investors budget for signage and tools, then discover the first six months of losses need almost as much again.

Stock that eats the margin

A car standing 90 days on floorplan can lose about half its front-end margin to interest alone.

A target that isn't yours

Brand targets assume national share from month one. Bottom-up catchment maths gives a number you can bank on.

The market, 2026

A window that is open now

22%of SA new-car sales are now Chinese brands

+12.7%new-vehicle sales, Sept 2026 vs Sept 2025

~90%of vehicle sales still go through dealers

R5.6mpeak funding in the book's worked dealer example

Sources: cars.co.za report via EWN (Sept 2026), Naamsa via Business Day (Oct 2026), NADA via TopAuto. R5.6m is an illustrative worked example from the book.

Inside · 29 pages + Excel model

Ten chapters, one question: when do I get my money back?

Cover of Launch Right, South Africa Edition

A worked calculation page from Launch Right

01The window: South Africa's market in 2026
02Choosing the brand: a weighted scorecard
03Territory and site: sizing your sales potential
04Set-up cost, running cost and break-even
05Floorplan and stock: the silent killer
06The first 90 days: launch plan and lead funnel
07Finance and insurance (F&I)
08Aftersales: the business that keeps you alive
09Multi-franchise: lessons from the big groups
10The weekly dashboard and 30-60-90 reviews

Who it's for

For anyone about to sign a franchise

New dealership investorsKnow the real funding need before you sign.

Used-car dealers going newAdd a franchise to the site you already own.

Dealer principalsLaunch a new brand without a cash crisis.

Importers and brand teamsAppoint dealers who will still be there in year three.

About the author

Debasis Panda

10+ years building automotive and tractor dealer networks, now a BI analyst turning sales data into decisions.

Mahindra & Mahindra (Swaraj Tractors): appointed channel partners and won institutional contracts; reached break-even in the shortest recorded time for the region.
Bajaj Auto: led new product launches and network expansion, tracked dealer break-even, and reached 70%+ market share in key markets.

Get the playbook

Check the numbers before you sign

^US$19

One-time · instant PDF + Excel model

10 chapters from brand choice to the 30-60-90 review
Break-even, floorplan, F&I and aftersales maths, worked in rand
Real 2026 South African market data, with sources
Excel model that recalculates everything from your own inputs

Buy now · US$19

Pay in rand or US dollars. Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Local tax is worked out at checkout and the download link is emailed to you straight away.

Questions

Good to know

What do I get?

A 29-page PDF playbook and an Excel workbook that recalculates the set-up cost, gross profit per car, break-even, 12-month cash ramp and stock-ageing cost from your own figures.

Are the case studies real?

Market facts and company examples (Motus, Omoda & Jaecoo, Changan, Lepas and others) come from published South African sources listed in the book. The running story of "Sipho" is a clearly labelled illustrative composite used to work through the calculations.

Which brands does it cover?

It is written for any new car brand entering South Africa, with Chinese and Indian brands as the main examples. The methods apply to any franchise.

How can I pay?

Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay or Google Pay through our secure checkout partner, Gumroad. Prices are shown in your local currency at checkout.

Can I get help with my own numbers?

Yes. Dealer dashboards and break-even models are part of what I do at Skill N Success. Get in touch through skillnsuccess.com.