Motorland History

Motorland was launched by Frans Strauss on 3 January 1973 on the forecourt of Willie Botha's Southerwood service station.

Having started with just 4 vehicles, the business grew to such an extent that Willie and Frans needed to rent a showroom in Cambridge Street. Willie decided to devote his full attention to other business interests so Frans searched for an old school friend, Johnny Reynders, to assist him. Johnny joined Motorland as a salesman and is now a director of the Motorland group.

Frans' son, Wayne matriculated from Selborne College in 1987. He obtained his B.Comm degree in Management and Accounting at the University of Stellenbosch before joining the company as a director in 1996.

Both Frans and Wayne's wives, Nicky and Shorne, work for Motorland, as does Mark Reynders, son of Johnny, making the company a truly family business. In 2000, Motorland acquired the franchise for Subaru, thus adding a new car division to their operation. Since then, Motorland has expanded the new car franchises to include Volare buses, Asiawing, Mahindra, Proton, Geely, and Soyat.

Today, Motorland boasts 3 branches in East London, a branch in Port Elizabeth, and three workshops that provide top service to customers. From humble beginnings with 4 vehicles and 2 staff, Motorland now stocks some 300 vehicles, and employees in excess of 100 staff.

The current owners and directors are: Frans Strauss (Managing Director), Wayne Strauss (Group Sales Director) and Johnny Reynders (Director).