VOLUME 6 ISSUE 10 NOVEMBER 2015
“DOING THE BASICS” WILL MAKE YOU MORE MONEY
FIND OUT ON PAGE 22
EV pioneer
switches on
to trucks
E
Auckland mayor Len Brown, president of Penske Transportation Group International Randall Seymour
and chairman of Penske Automotive Group Roger Penske.
Penske says ‘not at this
time’ for NZ automotive
G
lobal automotive icon Roger
Penske has not ruled out
investing in the New Zealand
automotive market, in the long term.
Penske has interests including
automotive retail, truck distribution,
sales, parts and leasing and was an
early investor in online vehicle sites. He is a motorsport legend, and
owner of a number of teams, including the former Dick Johnson Racing
Continued on page 3
INSIDE
Import dealer to list?
Industry backs Green move
Familiar face returns to financier New player for Auction market
3
4
6
8
3
6
x-pat Kiwi engineer Ian
Wright - co-founder of Tesla
and founder of Wrightspeed
- thinks much of the EV push is
misdirected.
While in Auckland in October
for the transport
fuels and fleet
management
summit, Wright
took time from
his schedule
Ian Wright
to speak to
DIESELTalk editor Robert Barry.
He believes that when the
automotive world looked to develop electric vehicle solutions to
save fossil fuels, the manufacturers asked the wrong question.
“They didn’t ask, how can we
save the most fuel per vehicle per
year?” he says.
Read the full interview with
Wright in DIESELTalk, out Tuesday
morning. Go to DIESELTalk.co.nz
to subscribe.
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2 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
NEWSTALK
2 Cheap to list?
2
Cheap Cars has confirmed it
will be self-funded,” he says. “But
is considering an Initial Public
our goal is to become a multinaOffering for the company as
tional.”
it continues to grow – and looks
The target market: Australia.
beyond our shores.
“In Australia we would like to be
“It is something that is on the tain a position to make a big move
ble in terms of our expansion,” said
when the [so-called grey market]
chief executive Eugene Williams.
market opens there.”
“At the moment it is a possibility.”
He says despite the current
Eugene Williams
“At the moment the focus is on
network the company has in New
putting together a high-level management
Zealand, there are regions where he sees
team,” Williams explains, noting the hiring
room for expansion.
of former Autosure national sales manager
2 Cheap is about to open the doors on
Darren Marmont as vice-president, and
its first ‘new’ vehicle dealer – selling parallel
that it is looking to employ a chartered acimported vehicles from Japan, in Greenlane,
countant as chief financial officer.
Auckland.
He says the company has international
Currently, there are only two publicallyaspirations, and that is where IPO funding
listed dealer groups in New Zealand, Cowill be required.
lonial Motor Company and Australian giant
“Any further expansion in New Zealand
Automotive Holdings Group.
Penske says ‘not at this time’
Continued from page 1
Australian Supercar team.
His automotive retail businesses, mostly under the New York Stock ExchangeListed Penske Automotive Group of which
he is chairman and chief executive, make
him one of the largest car dealers in the
world.
Penske was in New Zealand to open
the South Auckland headquarters for Penske’s truck-focussed interests here.
Asked AutoTalk if he was looking to expand into the automotive retailing space
here, he indicated, not at this time, but
wouldn’t rule out the possibility of doing it
in the future.
“If we don’t do well selling trucks out
of here, we might have to look into cars,”
he joked, to the applause of the crowd.”
The purpose built facility is Penske’s
largest New Zealand operation, and brings
Penske Commercial Vehicles and Penske Power Systems under the one roof,
including 90 staff.
It will be home to Western Star Trucks,
MAN Truck & Bus, Dennis Eagle, MTU and
Detroit.
“This represents a significant investment for the company, and demonstrates
our commitment to dealers and customers in the region.”
The new facility compliments Penske’s
established Bay of Plenty operations.
Penske’s business have a staggering
foothold in automotive retail worldwide,
representing over 40 brands through 341
franchises, mostly in the United States,
United Kingdom and Western Europe.
The Penske California dealer operation,
Penske Motor Group, operates the world’s
largest car dealership, Longo Toyota,
which covers 50 acres.
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AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 3
NEWSTALK
Industry backs
electrifying proposal
A
proposal to give a tax break
putting clean cars within
to businesses that acquire
almost everyone’s reach
electric vehicles for staff
in just a few years,” Genuse has found favour within the
ter explains.
automotive industry.
Transport minister
Green Party transport
Simon Bridges has been
spokeswoman Julie Anne
a proponent of electric
Genter, and co-leader
vehicle technology, but
James Shaw, are to introhas been criticised to
duce a private members
his hands-off, market- Eric Pyle
David Crawford
bill into parliament that will
led approach to the
exempt electric vehicles from Fringe
issue.
Benefit Tax.
It is expected he will release further
“Tax breaks for businesses who
incentives for the purchase of the vehichoose electric cars provide a major
cles before the end of this year.
cash incentive to switch to a clean,
Eric Pyle, chief executive of Drive
efficient fleet, cutting the upfront cost
Electric, is giving his support to the sugof an electric car by up to 36%, with
gestion.
further savings over the life of the car,”
“We welcome initiatives that are
Genter says.
going to increase the uptake of EVs,
“We’ll also give tax breaks to comand FBT is an option that has been
panies who provide their staff with
discussed for some time,” said Pyle.
public transport passes instead of free
“I think it would be a signal from the
carparks.
government of the day that they are
“By dramatically increasing the
behind the uptake of this technology.”
number of new electric cars in New
Pyle notes it would increase business
Zealand, we’ll pave the way for a large
confidence in purchasing such vehisecond-hand market for electric cars,
cles, but says it is only one of a broad
rates.
Fast Approval. Competitive
Shift your sales
into top gear.
To find out how we can
help drive more vehicle
sales for your business talk
to us on 0800 269 100 or
visit www.udc.co.nz
4 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
spectrum of things that can
be done.
Pyle says his organisation
is working on a ‘road-map’ of
initiatives that can assist, from
government moves like this,
through to charging infrastructure and parking. They
want to see all players working together to avoid duplication of services.
While the FBT cut would save businesses money, he notes not all EV
buyers are looking simply at the bottom
line.
“For some it will be the cost reduction, some it might be parking, others
charging infrastructure,” Pyle says. “We
need to cater to all these people and
their needs.
“The minister is talking about releasing a package for EVs this side of
Christmas, let’s wait and see what the
government comes up with.”
Motor Industry Association chief executive David Crawford says his group
is well behind such a policy and has told
the government so.
“The MIA has been on the public
record that if the government wants
to increase the uptake of plug-in
electric vehicles, an FBT holiday is a
good option,” Crawford says.
“Currently 70% of new vehicles
are purchased by businesses, so
assisting them could make a real
difference.”
Crawford says the premium price
of plug-in options is a constraint for
fleet operators, and this could make a
difference.
He says indications from Treasury
are that such a move is difficult as it
may open the doors to others seeking
tax relief.
“But we have a precedent here,
as theses vehicles already have an
exemption from Road User Charges
until 2020,” he notes.
“The government should seriously
look at this as an option.”
NEWSTALK
MTA finance company
on the cards?
T
he incoming president
of the Motor Trade Association has suggested that a co-operative style
finance company is required
in the automotive industry,
and that the association may
move to assure one exists.
National president Dave
Harris issued a statement last
week noting the association was keeping a ‘watching
brief’ on the sector, in light of
recent mergers and consolidation in the industry.
Harris particularly noted
the current moves by both
Turners Limited and Heartland to take a stake, or in the
case of Heartland take-over,
“MTA would consider alternatives to recreate
the concept for the benefit of its members”
– Dave Harris.
Motor Trade Finance, which
for much of its history has
been owned by loan originators – vehicle dealers.
“Motor Trade Finance has
played a very important role
in the auto industry for 45
years as a co-operative style
finance company, owned by
the companies that originate
the finance contracts,” Harris
notes. “If shareholders de-
cided to sell out to corporate
interests, which they are entitled to do, it would certainly
change the dynamics of the
finance sector.
“Our understanding is that
there is at least one formal
due diligence process underway with Heartland, while
Turners continues to accumulate shares.”
As many of the MTF originators are also MTA members, Harris says MTA will
need to ensure its members
receive guidance on the options they have.
“We will carefully watch
as the Heartland and Turners
corporate plays take their
course and should the MTF
cooperative model disappear as a result of the current
market activities, MTA would
consider alternatives to
recreate the concept for the
benefit of its members” he
explains.
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AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 5
NEWSTALK
Familiar face returns to UDC
Y
ou can scratch the
word ‘new’ when
referring to UDC’s new
chief executive Wayne Percival – he has been involved
with the brand since the
early 1990s.
AutoTalk sat down this
week to talk with Percival
on his return to the marketleading brand.
AutoTalk: You have been
with UDC, and the wider
ANZ group, for a long time.
Wayne Percival: Yes. I
started with UDC as a Dealer
Account Manager in 1993,
initially in the Hawkes Bay
area. My next two roles
were as Business Development Manager and National
Sales Manager for the motor
vehicle and agri part of the
business. I was General
Manager Esanda FleetPart-
ners before it was sold
to a private equity firm,
and then moved to
Esanda in Melbourne
where I spent two
years setting up a used
vehicle finance operation, before running the
Victoria State Region.
AT: You then returned to New Zealand?
WP: Yes, I returned
to work for ANZ in
Business Banking, My
most recent role was
looking after the MortWayne Percival
gage Broking business
and Mobile Mortgage
my experience and try
team for ANZ.
something different - so
AT: Is this a role you have
seven years and various
wanted for some time?
roles with ANZ were fanWP: The opportunities
tastic.
have been there to come
This opportunity came at
back, but the timing wasn’t
the right time I’ve always
right - I wanted to broaden
had a passion for finance,
and even though I haven’t
worked for UDC for some
time, I’ve kept in contact
with what’s been going on in
the business.
AT: With your banking experience in mind, how well
Continued on page 7
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NEWSTALK
do you think New Zealand
dealers are doing at selling
finance?
WP: I think there’s always
room for improvement -we
work with dealers at both
ends of the scale. We see
dealers who run fantastic
systems, run fantastic businesses and are very successful. We also see other
customers that do well, but
could do better in this area.
Some acknowledge that,
but some still see Finance as
the ‘and’ instead of part of
the overall sales process.
AT: Is it your team’s role
to convince them otherwise?
WP: Yes, most definitely.
At the end of the day, we
should be an education
provider.
AT: Are you happy with
UDC’s share of the distributor – or ‘white label’ – finance market?
WP: We’ve seen healthy
growth and really value the
distributor relationships we
have. We want to do more,
but I’m conscious that we
need to continue to earn the
right. That’s why we are re-
ally focused on how we help
deliver sales and profit for
our business partners.
AT: We are seeing a lot
of growth-by-acquisition
in the finance market at the
moment. UDC has not so far
become involved, but is that
something you may look at?
WP: Opportunities do
come along. We’ve been
very successful in growing
on our own merit without
having to purchase, and
believe we can continue to
do that in both new cars and
used.
AT: Is the reduction in
players a good thing for the
market?
WP: Some of the smaller
companies have to buy to
get scale, or they have to
buy to get the technology.
We’ve had massive
growth in the use of technology. The UDC Live system has been groundbreaking, and competitors will
try to catch up to it. We are
working on the next phase
to make sure we stay ahead
of the game.
AT: What is UDC Live?
WP: UDC Live is our front
end operating system which
Turners to continue to
work on MTF stake
T
urners Limited has announced it will continue to
look at acquiring additional shares in financier
Motor Trade Finance.
That is despite failing to hit its 20% target.
Turners Limited chief executive and director Paul Byrnes, says some discussions would continue with MTF
shareholders who are no longer originating loans, but
are required to hold shares in MTF while loans originated have some balance outstanding.
“We are prepared to consider taking over existing
obligations or acquiring receivables from MTF members in ‘run-off’ to enable them to sell their holdings,”
Byrnes explains.
“However, our main focus now will be to work with
MTF management, board and shareholders to explore
any opportunities and value we might be able to bring
to the business”.
provides dealers with reporting, online applications
and access to their wholesale facilities in real time.
AT: Your Australian
equivalent – Esanda – was
recently sold off by ANZ. Is
there a risk of that happening here, and does it impact
UDC in any way?
WP: UDC is a separate
entity, and look, the bank
has businesses that it buys
and sells, or acquires, but
no, it is not on the cards for
UDC.
AT: We have recently seen
a big push in no deposit and
low-interest finance in the
new vehicle industry. Do you
think this will continue?
WP: We know what
finance offers work and
what doesn’t work. One of
the great things about UDC
being as big as we are and
being around as long as we
have, is data. I think most
people know now that there
is enormous value in data, It’s how you utilise that data
that counts when putting
these offers together.
AT: Are you pleased with
the team you have returned
to?
WP: Yes. Many of the
team have been around a
long time and are experienced industry operators.
I’ve had some really good
feedback from distributers and dealers. I employed
some of them 10-11 years
ago, and have watched their
careers grow with UDC.
AT: Have you had a
chance to get out on the
road and meet some dealers?
WP: Yes, I do get out on
a regular basis. I am focused
on meeting a diverse range
of customers across all
divisions of UDC and have
enjoyed reconnecting with
many of our customers I had
worked with previously.
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AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 7
NEWSTALK
New auction player to
build links with trade
W
ell-known general auctioneer
Grays has entered the automotive market, and has plans
to work with the trade as it grows.
The company has traditionally focussed on stock liquidation and finance
The New Zealand Automotive Industry’s software provider of choice
company repossessions of electronics stock – but is ramping up its online
presence, with a firm focus on the
automotive industry, through its
GraysOnline brand.
Grays’ automotive specialist
Mike Edmonds believes that the
company has the right strategy,
concentrating on commercial
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Edmonds says that by focussing
the automotive offering on webbased auctions, there’s plenty of
space in the market. “It wasn’t so much that we saw
shortfalls as the current players are
very good at what they do,” he says. “What we believe is that our
purely online platform provides
auction buyers with a very comfortable bidding process over the space
of five days for each sale and offers
our vendors a quick and effect new
channel that they can grow their
sales figures through.
The focus will be on no-to-low
reserve auctions.
“The beauty of when we run unreserved sales starting at $9 is that
they generate both a lot of excitement, excellent results and helps
us to stand out from the crowd.
“It attracts a lot more bidders to
participate in the sale, and if someone is leading the bidding on a car,
no matter at what value, they are
Continued on page 9
8 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
NEWSTALK
front of and this will help us build the
foundation of this new division.
“One-on-one relationships are the
keystone of this venture for us,” Edmonds says. “Wholesalers are passionate about their businesses, and we are
excited to help them grow them.
“I haven’t met anyone in the auto
industry yet who doesn’t love cars if
you love talking cars, and you love
selling cars then I think we’re going to
get along like a house on fire.”
A listing from Grays’ Australian site.
Continued from page 8
already seeing themselves behind
the wheel and imagining it as
theirs,” Edmonds explains. “At the
end of the auction this emotional
investment can really draw out
some extra bids and in our experience, maximises the returns for the
vendor.
He says they have had a good
response from the trade to date.
“We’ve had a good response
generally with a lot of people keen
to get involved,” says Edmonds.
“The only barrier has been the
current situation with the difficulty
some wholesalers are having in
replenishing their stocks from
Japan and having vehicles on hand
to send us. “Being a new division amongst
our GraysOnline brand is exciting,
and the challenge is to turn vendors who are keen on trialling our
platform and seeking its benefits,
like the vendors of our Australian
branches, who are now selling
over 1500 motor vehicles per
month combined through them,”
he notes.
Over the coming months,
Edmonds says GraysOnline will
concentrate on creating solid partnerships with the trade. “The next six months is all about
building relationships with potential partners in the market and not
so much about the numbers,” he
says. “The industry is relationshipdriven, and we need to be continually in front of prospects to
update on how we are going and
what results we have achieved.
The goals will be focused on how
many prospects we can get in
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AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 9
LAUNCHEDTALK
Superb
opportunity
S
Nick Wheeler,
Kelly Ware and
Steve Owens
reviewing
results.
“We have become
A more profitable,
professional,
and efficient unit”
“We moved to Provident after meeting with Steve
Owens. His industry knowledge and ability to help
both us and our clients was impressive. He is a man at
the top of his industry, but always available to help
with any information and advice.
Steve has helped our company in evolving our Finance
and Warranty department into a top performer. He
flew to Christchurch, interviewed all the candidates,
and managed the training of our new business/
finance manager.
Wheeler Motors has become a more profitable,
professional, efficient unit. And our clients are
reaping the benefits.
To anyone who doesn’t know Steve, I would personally
vouch that 15 minutes of your time would be well
spent sitting down with him, explaining your business
model, then let him show you how to get better.”
– NICK WHEELER, Dealer Principal, Wheeler Motors
Introduce the Provident Profit
Factor into your business,
talk to Steve Owens or visit
www.providentinsurance.co.nz
koda New Zealand is on a strong growth path. Last year
it sold 850 cars, this year it will cross a thousand, and
next year is targeting 1300.
New models are one-factor driving sales, with the company getting a good push out of the launch of the new Fabia
earlier this year, but so is momentum.
“Fabia clearly attracted new buyers to the brand, and
our market share spiked,” says Skoda New Zealand general
manager Greg Leet. “And that is what we are expecting with
the new Superb.”
More cars on the road means more buyers.
“When you start to get some mass out there on the road,
people become more aware of the brand,” Leet says. “People
become more aware of what Skoda offers.”
The new Superb, launched last month, moved just short of
100 units last year, with Leet expecting that to double to 200
– 60 sedans and 140 wagons – next year.
It is hard to argue the Superb is one of the best value vehicles on the market, with pricing aligned to take on the Ford
Mondeo, which
at the opening
price point has
more power, but
less spec.
Leet is insistent cars like the
Mondeo – mainstream brands –
is where the Superb’s competition lies.
“Our competitor set is mainstream vehicles,” he says. “Often you will see the Superb compared to vehicles far higher
up the market and price range.”
The range opens at $44,900 for a 1.8-litre petrol 132kW TSI
unit with a seven-speed DSG transmission, next is a 2.0-litre
110kW TDI and six-speed DSG for $50,900, a 2.0-litre 140kW
TDI with all-wheel-drive is next for $57,900 and the range
tops out with a 2.0-litre 206kW all-wheel drive with a sixspeed DSG for $59,900.
They may call them sedans, and they look that way, but
are in fact lift-backs, eschewing the old models special
split-fold tailgate.
Wagons are available on all levels, at a $3000 premium.
Specifications are strong, with even the base model getting
such niceties as an Alcantara and leather interior, heated front
seats, dual-zone climate control, parking sensors and reversing camera, cruise control and 18-inch alloy wheels.
Move up to the 140kW TDI or 206kW TSI and specification moves up to a full leather interior, 19-inch allow wheels,
‘Kessy’ keyless entry and start, adaptive cruise-control with
a traffic jam function (206kW only) and a Drive Mode Select
system.
Continued on page 11
10 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
LAUNCHEDTALK
Continued from page 10
All models have the usual suite of safety features, with
each model getting some form of intelligent safety technology. All cars get a ‘Front Assistant’ with autonomous braking,
lane change warning and assist, and blind spot warning.
The Superb is one of the first cars launched in New
Zealand with both Android Auto and Apple Car play fitted
as standard, both get LCD screens and navigation - a larger,
higher specification unit in the top model.
Leet says the wagon will do 70% of the volume on the new
model, while the $44,900 vehicle is likely to bring new business to the brand.”
“I think the $44,900 car is going to be a great opportunity,
and interest is very high in the 206kw car, but I think that is
because it is a new model and the top model<‘ he explains.
“Traditionally diesels are our highest selling models, and I
do not see that changing.”
AutoTalk drove only the 140kW TDI at the Superb’s recent
launch, and came away very impressed.
The car is impressive for its roominess, both front and
rear, almost limo-like in legroom for those in the back.
Build quality feels as good as anything Audi can offer, even
if you can see the price difference in some of the less-important plastic surface choices.
The ride is firm, but not uncomfortable, and steering light
and relatively direct for a big sedan. The car lacks some of the
feel of the Mondeo, but is still a strong drive.
The all-wheel-drive traction was appreciated when hit by
a strong Auckland spring squall, although the wipers on our
test model seemed a little flimsy.
Customers ‘Gold Bars’
Leet was quick to address the ‘elephant in the room’ at the
launch, the Volkswagen Group’s emissions issues.
A small number of Skodas sold here have been pulled into
the issue, Leet says. “It has been a trying time, not only for
Skoda, but all the European Motor Distributors brands.”
“What is really important for us is we communicate with
our customers,” he says. “There will be a fix, and we will get
through this.”
“What we have committed to do is reset the bar on what
the customer recall experience is for customers,” he claims.
“It is really important they are treated like gold bars.”
Out of government
One disappointment of the last year for the Skoda team
has been the brand no longer being in the ‘All of Government’
fleet programme.
Skoda has had significant success with government fleet
business, particularly with Octavia, but in the latest round
rather than working on its own, the brand took part in a
group tender across all of the European Motor Distributors
brands, which was not successful.
Leet indicated, however, that the brand is still doing business
with some government organisations and had been moving a
number of units before the previous tender ended.
www.myfinance.co.nz
call 0800 385 385
We’re in this together
AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 11
PEOPLETALK
MITO scholarship drives
performance passion
J
ulius Bloem knew pretty
quickly he wanted to
be a mechanic - but
not just your average spanner spinner, one that made
things go fast.
Now Bloem is a motorsport technician and workshop manager at a workshop
with a name synonomous
with pace and performance Possum Bourne Motorsport.
The go-fast garage started
by the late, great Kiwi rally
driver Peter ‘Possum’ Bourne
is just a stone’s throw from
Pukekohe Park Raceway and the former MTA apprentice of the year couldn’t be
more at home.
The 22-year-old now
leads a team of seven, in an
industry he loves.
At school, Bloem wasn’t
sure what he wanted to do.
But with passion for cars, he
took part in MITO’s StartUp
programme, which enabled
him to spend one day of the
school week in an automotive workshop.
“It was then I knew I
wanted to be a mechanic,
working specifically on
performance and race cars,”
he says.
Bloem left school at 18
and started work at a highperformance car specialist,
who offered him an apprenticeship.
With his apprenticeship
complete, Bloem gained a
National Certificate in Motor Industry (Automotive
Electrical and Mechanical
Engineering) (Levels 3 and 4)
Light Vehicle.
In 2013, he won the MTA
12 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
Apprentice of the Year, the
prize package including a trip
to Sydney for some handson experience with a V8 racing team in the final round of
the 2013 V8 Supercars – with
New Zealand Supercar driver
Greg Murphy calling him to
let him know he’d won.
“My Sydney experience
was awesome. I assisted in
some panel repairs caused
by the tight street circuit, as
well as maintenance of the
car and pit crewing. Greg’s
dad, Kevin, was my personal
tour guide – it was an amazing experience,” says Bloem.
He won a 2015 MITO
business skills scholarship
that enabled him to enrol in
MITO’s business skills training programme.
Applications for the
2016 MITO scholarship
programme, including 20
business skills scholarships
are now open at mito.org.nz/
scholarships, and close on
December 18.
ards
Richard Edw
DIARYTALK
THE
DIARY
AutoTalk's
itor
managing ed
e
th
looks at
by on
month gone
nz
AutoTalk.co.
October 8
t to you by
Proudly brough
October 1
October 2
Ford’s free fix for
Focus
Customers fear
mechanic ‘rip-offs’
Ford voluntarily recalled its
pre-facelift Focus over a possible drivetrain defect – but said
it wasn’t, officially, a recall.
The problem involved the
car’s halfshafts potentially
failing when the vehicle accelerated from a standstill.
Ford New Zealand spokesman Tom Clancy said that
1146 Focus owners would be
notified by mail to contact
an authorised dealer to have
the halfshafts replaced free of
charge.
Almost four out of five – 77%
– of New Zealand motorists
said they are wary of being
ripped off when they take their
vehicle for a service.
That was one of the findings from a new survey by
consumer research and ratings
company Canstar Blue, which
also found that 63% of Kiwis
paid for vehicle repairs or
maintenance they were not
expecting.
MIA welcomes ACC
consultation
A new round of consultation
was announced on how Accident Compensation Corporation levies are calculated –
including to the controversial
risk rating system.
Risk rating, introduced for
the current 2015/16 levy year,
worked well for the majority
of vehicles but was plagued
with errors for some makes
and models due to the inflexible nature of the ACC model
used.
Proposals included to
reduce overall vehicle levies by 33% ($66.99 average
reduction, reducing the petrol
levy by 1.2 cents per litre and
the motorcycle safety levy by
$5.00
sourced from Japan biosecurity inspected in New Zealand.
The change came as part
of a consultation process over
a number of ‘import health
standards for cars, trucks, tyres
and machinery.
BT-50 squares off
Mazda New Zealand managing
director Andrew Clearwater
was adamant he wants to
focus on the 60% of the light
commercial market that is not
owned by Ford and Toyota.
Clearwater said that
Ranger and Hilux account for
35% of the current new vehicle market for pick ups and
he told the media that Mazda
is not interested in entering
the battle between the two
brands.
“Excuse the profanity, but
there is a shit fight at the top of
the market, and we don’t need
to go there,” said Clearwater.
MPI looking to end
NZ inspections for
most Japanese cars
The Ministry of Primary Industries looked to remove the
ability to inspect used vehicles
New engines and
equipment upgrade
for Maserati Ghibli
New Zealand-bound 2016 Maserati Ghibli models will benefit
from a range of new Euro 6
compliant engines and a host
of equipment upgrades.
The entirely new range of
V6 petrol and diesel engines
for 2016 meet the new Euro
6 emission standards and cut
fuel consumption by up to
12% says the Italian manufacturer.
New safety features include
blind spot monitoring, cross
path warning and auto dipping
door mirrors.
October 9
Kiwis place second in
Mercedes golf final
A team of New Zealand Mercedes Benz customers finished
second in an international golf
tournament organised by the
brand.
The 2015 MercedesTrophy
World Final was held from
October 1-6 at the Schloss
Nippenburg and Solitude Golf
courses in Stuttgart, Germany.
New look coming for
Holden dealers
Holden dealerships across
the country will be receiving
a makeover in the next few
years, following plans to do
the same across the Tasman.
The current Holden dealership ‘corporate identity’
has been in place since the
mid-nineties. The overhaul is
likely to include interior and
exterior developments, as
well as other changes to the
customer experience.
The company has already
been through a programme
updating dealer websites to a
consistent corporate look.
October 12
Macquarie secures
Esanda for $8.2
billion
Macquarie Group won the
long running and highly competitive process to acquire the
Esanda dealer finance portfolio
from ANZ for $8.2 billion.
ANZ’s New Zealand finance
arm, UDC, is not part of the
deal.
Nissan partners with
Piha
Nissan New Zealand launched
a partnership with the Piha Surf
Lifesaving Club.
The deal includes the provision of three eye-catching
Navaras, specially set up for
the job.
Club president Peter Brown
told TVNZ that the fleet will
dramatically speed up lifesaving missions.
Toyota again takes
out ‘most valuable
car brand’ title
Toyota once again earned
the title of the most valuable
automotive brand in the world,
according to Interbrand’s 2015
Best Global Brands annual
report.
The company’s ranking
jumped to number six, up two
spots from the 2014 report.
New peer-to-peer
lender to target
vehicle finance
Another peer-to-peer lending platform is set to enter the
market, with vehicle finance
one of its initial targets.
The Lending Crowd,
closely linked to Finance
direct and lead by Finance
Direct shareholder and boss
Wayne Croad, has received
its license from the Financial
Markets Authority.
Group action
launched in
emissions scandal
A Wellington-based law firm
called for interest in a potential class action against the
Continued on page 14
AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 13
DIARYTALK
t to you by
Proudly brough
Continued from page 13
Volkswagen group – but for
the brand’s local boss, the
focus continues to be on the
customer.
Law firm Gibson Sheat hit
media, calling for owners of
affected vehicles to join the
legal action, potentially seeking compensation for what
Gibson Sheat suggests will be
a loss of vehicle value.
October 14
Volvo jumps ship,
backs Masters Games
The World Masters Games in
April 2017 promises big things:
25,000 athletes from 100
countries for 28 sports at five
venues in 10 days.
Volvo Cars NZ has signed
on as official vehicle partner
to the event.
October 15
Wannabe car dealers
cause Invercargill
headache
Invercargill’s roadside car sellers are set to be kicked to the
curb.
The city’s busy Tay Street
has become a problem for
motorists, business owners
and authorities – and hasn’t
impressed legitimate local car
dealers.
Parked vehicles being
hawked by unlicensed wannabe car dealers cause traffic
problems with people doubleparking to look, and some cars
are parked for days at a time.
October 16
Business dispute
beginning of the end
for Car Giant
The first liquidators report into
the failure of Wellington mega-
Hunter moved to the new
role of chief operating officer
with Turners Group, which
until just over a year ago was
Dorchester, a lender and insurance company.
dealership Car Giant has been
released.
According to the report the
bulk of the money outstanding
is owed to the Inland Revenue
Department, nearly $200,000.
The report said a business
dispute was the beginning
of the end for the ambitious
project.
Dealer staunch on
value of partnerships
The relationship between a
member of parliament and a
car dealership came up for discussion in the media – but in
an interview with AutoTalk the
chief executive of the business
said the partnership makes
good sense.
AutoTalk had already noted
the partnership between
National MP Judith Collins
and Colonial Motor Company-owned South Auckland
Motors, which has seen ‘brand
ambassador’ Collins drive
around in a dealer-provided
Peugeot 308, sign written in
support of the Papakura Community Crimewatch.
Collins was also part of the
recent opening of the new
Southern Autos showroom.
Smith returns to
Porsche brand
Former Porsche New Zealand
general manager, and former head of Sime Darby’s NZ
distribution operations, Grant
Smith, returned to the sports
car brand.
Smith has been appointed
to the role of general manager of Porsche Centre Hong
Kong and Macau with immediate effect. The company,
known as Jebsen Motors,
is the representative of the
brand in the two Chinese territories.
October 20
Joint effort lands
Ram pick-ups
October 19
Big American Ram pick-ups
are set to roll onto the market
courtesy of a new venture put
together by well-known industry identities Ryan Walkinshaw
and Neville Crichton.
Recognising this, a handshake between Crichton,
owner of Ateco Automotive,
and Walkinshaw of Walkinshaw Automotive Group
sealed a deal to start American Special Vehicles, selling
right hand Rams in Australia
and New Zealand.
Toyota adds NZ cars
to airbag recall
October 21
Toyota added 7340 more vehicles to the recall roster due to
faulty Takata airbags.
Toyota New Zealand had
already called back around
40,000 vehicles due to faulty
airbag components. Worldwide, Toyota has six millionplus cars under recall.
Models added were Yaris,
Corolla, Avensis and Picnic.
Auction boss takes
on broader role
Turners Auctions chief executive Todd Hunter is set to take
a broader role with the firm’s
parent.
14 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
New BMW MD won’t
predict luxury car
sales winner
The new BMW New Zealand
Group managing director Florian Renndorfer won’t predict
which German automotive
brand is going to win the race
for top luxury car sales this
year.
The German native has
been in the top job at the
New Zealand national sales
company representing the
Munich-based manufacturer
for more than eight weeks.
Total cost of
ownership tool
launched
A new online tool has been
launched to assist buyers
– particularly business fleet
operators – find the differing
costs between fleet options.
Commissioned by the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, and launched
this morning by transport
minister Simon Bridges at
the New Zealand Transport
Fuels and Fleet Management
Summit, the tool is aimed at
‘demystifying the cost of running an electric vehicle.’
Minister strongly
backs EVs; notes
biofuel will play role
Minister of transport Simon
Bridges reinforced his love of
electric vehicles at a speech in
Auckland, also noting the need
to find other fuel options in the
meantime.
Bridges launched a fleet
cost of ownership tool at the
Transport Fuels and Fleet
Management Summit – but
also discussed the broader
introduction of EVs and other
oil-consumption reducing
options.
More used EVs as UK
becomes an option
Used import electric vehicles will continue to play a
significant part in the roll out
of the vehicles in New Zealand
according to the industry’s association.
Imported Motor Vehicle
Industry Association chief
executive David Vinsen
questioned transport minister
Simon Bridges at the New
Zealand Transport Fuels and
Fleet Management Summit in
Auckland about the opportunities for used EVs.
October 22
Brazen thief in
daylight Jag jack
A Jaguar XFR worth $165,000
was taken in broad daylight
from an Auckland car dealer
on Monday.
Continued on page 15
DIARYTALK
Continued from page 14
The brazen heist was likened to the movie Gone in 60
Seconds, about a luxury car
theft ring.
A hightech device was
used to unlock the car, police
believe. CCTV footage from
Beacham Independent Jaguar
and Range Rover in Penrose
shows a man walk up to the
silver Jag with his hand in his
pocket.
October 23
Tribunal reiterates
concerns
The Motor Vehicle Disputes
tribunal released its annual
report, highlighting concerns
from cases over the last year.
The Tribunal received 258
applications this year, 36
more than last and delivered
154 decisions; six more decision than last year.
Of the applications received
and heard 130 were decided
on the basis of the Consumer
Guarantees Act, 20 under the
Fair Trading Act and four applications resulted in orders
transferring the application to
the Disputes Tribunal.
October 26
Five star flood for
SUVs
Seven vehicles were been
award five-star ANCAP safety
ratings.
Among them was Toyota’s
new Fortuner, the Ford Everest
SUV and Volvo’s new XC90.
The Australasian New Car
Assessment Program (ANCAP)
has also given the updated
Ford Ranger MKII, Toyota
LandCruiser 200 Series, Volkswagen Passat and Lexus’s IS
five stars.
Northland’s EV
community charges
ahead
The thriving Northland metropolis of Kaiwaka is proving
its place as one of the north
island’s most electric destinations – with ChargeNet’s first
New Zealand fast charging
station.
Kaiwaka – known for its
year-round light show – is a
perfect stopover for a top-up
for electric vehicles, with the
ChargeNet station taking
pride of place at the local
Four Square.
gesting importers begin to take
note of the incoming rules
around Electronic Stability
Control, with the first deadline
fast approaching.
From March 1, 2016, all MC
class vehicles – SUV and offroad type passenger vehicles
with four wheel drive and less
than nine-seats including the
driver. There are a number of
other conditions vehicles in
this class meet.
October 28
VW dealer sponsors
Wellington Marathon
The Gazely Volkswagen Wellington Marathon has been a
major event in the capital for
30 years.
Event manager Michael
Jacques is buoyed by the new
partnership.
“The Gazley Volkswagen
partnership is pretty exciting
for us,” says Jacques. “It gives
the event added security and a
stable base from which to do
some long term planning and
promotion.
October 29
Man sold his own car
– twice
The Commerce Commission
is investigating a company that
sold a customer the same car
– twice.
Viliami Malungahu bought
a Toyota Estima last year from
Kasanita Management, which
allows people in New Zealand
to buy cars for family members in Tonga.
Turners gets 7% in
MTF move
Turners Group Limited received acceptances for just
short of 7% of Motor Trade
Finance as part of its move to
acquire 20% of the company.
Turners made an offer to
ordinary shareholders of $1.15
per ordinary share. The offer
closed on October 17.
Turners Limited announced
it will continue to look at
acquiring additional shares in
financier Motor Trade Finance.
Clock ticking on
first used-car ESC
implementation
The Imported Motor Vehicle
Industry Association is sug-
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Dealers arrive at an earlier Autosure golfing event
Dealers to hit course
with Autosure
D
ealers, and members of the trade, will again be
hitting the greens with the 2015 running of the
Autosure Annual Golf Event next Thursday.
This year will be the 22nd running of the event.
A long-running fixture on the industry calendar, 124
participants from within the car and finance industry will
tee off at the Pakuranga Golf Club.
A special guest this year will be Autosure-supported
drifter Curt Whittaker.
Find out how VTNZ provides independent Pre-Purchase Inspections,
Entry Certificates, Warrants of Fitness and more across New Zealand
Visit www.vtnz.co.nz or call 0800 88 88 69 today
AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 15
INDUSTRYTALK
Crawford’s
Case
CRAWFORD’S CASE
brought to you by
By David Crawford, CEO of the
Motor Industry Association of NZ (Inc).
By David Crawford, CEO of the Motor Industry Association of NZ (Inc).
MARAC, a division of Heartland Bank Limited.
Consultation season in full swing
T
he MIA, like the IMVIA,
MTA and the AA, has
been active in responding to a number of government consultation documents and discussion.
The issues canvassed by
government were ACC levies, review of the NZ engine
fuel regulations, import biosecurity measures and promotion of plug-in vehicles.
Expected before Christmas
is round two of ACC vehicle
risk rating, and a discussion
document on the review of
the Vehicle Dimensions and
Mass Rule.
In a first for the ACC motor vehicle levies, ACC has
usefully broken its consultation on levies and vehicle risk
rating into two parts. During
October, the MIA responded
to proposals on the overall
levy and the methodology
to risk rate vehicles. The MIA,
along with others, supported
the 33% proposed reduction
in vehicle levies, the reduction in the ACC component
on fuel excise and consideration on putting a part of the
vehicle levy for diesel vehicles
on RUC (road user charges).
However, as readers of
this column will know, the
MIA has been particularly
critical of the way in which
ACC has risk rated vehicles
for the 2015/16 levy year.
We have been vocal on
improvements we believe
need to be made to improve
the methodology for the following year. We wrote to the
minister in July and met with
her in August to make a case
for changes. We were blunt
in our assessment of the
scheme as implemented this
year, and demanded changes
be considered and consulted
on for the 2016/17 year or
else we would withdraw our
support for risk rating.
The MIA remains of the view,
if done right risk rating is
useful. If done wrong, it is
not helpful.
To give the Minister credit,
she and her Board have
included most of the suggestions we sought. The two
most critical improvements
sought were tightening the
rules around the use of the
total secondary safety index
data (TSSI) and introduce
model generations to separate older and new generations of the same model.
Each newer generation
has significant safety improvements on older generations, and risk rating needs
to reflect this. As such we
have supported most of the
proposals included in the
consultation documents by
the Minister.
The proof in the pudding
though is in the eating. It is
not until we see the revised
vehicle rating bands that we
will know just how much
these changes will improve
the credibility of vehicle risk
rating. The bands will be
consulted on over December/January. We await stage
two consultation.
Fuel Specifications
MBIE sought views on
a review of aspects of the
Engine Fuel Specifications
Regulations 2011. Consultation closed on Friday 30
October after a six-week
period for consultation. The
MIA compliments MBIE for
leaving consultation open for
six weeks as opposed to the
government norm of four
weeks. It permitted industry
associations to seek views
back from their membership.
The MIA supported most
of the changes proposed by
MBIE except for two areas. MBIE sought views on
whether the allowable limit
for biodiesel should be lifted
from 5% by volume to 7% by
volume.
The MIA has opposed this
on advice from the Japanese
Automobile Manufacturer’s
Association (JAMA).
Given the high percentage of used Japanese diesel
vehicles in our fleet, we
believe it is premature to
increase the limits, the risk
being potential for fuel
systems to be compromised.
Advice from the European
manufacturers was also not
to increase the limit.
The 7% level in Europe was
contrary to manufacturer’s
advice.
The other area of concern
is the proposal to change oxygenate limits. The proposed
use of up to 3% methanol as
a means to achieve this is not
supported by manufacturers.
It can be done, but at the cost
of wear and tear on engine
components and decreased
service intervals.
Biosecurity
MPI is consulting on
changes to import controls
for vehicles, with most of the
changes targeting the risk of
the brown marmorated stink
bugs coming in from the USA.
The MIA supports the new
measures proposed by MPI,
which mirror those imposed
in Australia.
Plug-in Vehicles – making
the case for an accelerated
uptake
The Government continues to show heightened
interest on promoting the
uptake of what they call EV’s
(electric vehicles) and which
the industry more correctly
calls plug-in vehicles. We
understand the Minister of
Transport will announce this
side of Christmas a package
to incentivise the uptake of
plug-in vehicles.
While the MIA has some
concerns over government
picking winners and the story
behind why it is focusing on
plug-in vehicles (a climate
change initiative) there is no
doubt in our minds that the
NZ fleet needs to diversify
its vehicle types for a range
of reasons. I will pick up this
theme in my column next
month.
Drive away with finance
from MARAC
marac.co.nz
Provided by Heartland Bank Limited
MARAC is a division of Heartland Bank Limited. Lending criteria, fees and charges apply.
16 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
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INDUSTRYTALK
VINSEN‘S VIEW
The monthly report from
Proudly sponsored by
&
chief David Vinsen
A month in the life of…
W
e’re often asked:
“What does a motor
industry business
association actually do?”
This month, I thought
I’d answer the question by
detailing some of our recent
activities…a month in the life
of a motor industry business
association.
The IMVIA started life
very much as a reactive organisation, fighting for the
right to import used vehicles on a commercial scale...
to open the door for used
vehicle imports.
Over the past 27 years,
the role of the association
has evolved into much more
than that, but one of our
core functions is still advocating for the wider used
vehicle import industry…..in
essence, keeping the door
open.
And to do that, we have
to look much further ahead
than we have had to previously, to identify future issues that have the propensity
to limit or prevent imports.
But we also have to do much
more than that, as I’ll detail
below. Here are some of the
recent activities and issues
we’ve been dealing with:
Intelligent transport
Almost every motor vehicle manufacturer is progressively introducing elements
of intelligent transport
functions into the design of
their new models, and most
national jurisdictions are
working on the legislation
that will be necessary to deal
with these developments.
ABS and ESC were just the
start of intelligent transport
features - the ultimate will
be autonomous (self-driving)
vehicles. We see IMVIA’s role
as ensuring that the New
Zealand industry is ready for
any changes, and that the
introduction of intelligent
transport functions does not
limit or prevent the importation of used vehicles.
This could easily occur
if, for instance, the radio
frequency chosen for intelligent transport is incompatible with frequencies set
aside for other uses in New
Zealand. In such cases, used
vehicles would be ‘prohibited imports’. We have been researching this issue for the past
18 months, along with MoT
and other agencies. Earlier
this year our policy analyst,
Kit Wilkerson, attended the
Asia Pacific conference on
intelligent transport in China,
and recently he participated
in the International Congress in France, attended
by thousands of delegates:
engineers, designers, legislators and industry groups. We
have met with the design
engineers from a number of
Japanese manufacturers, and
are making good progress in
acquiring knowledge, infor-
See us first for...
0800 GO VINZ
mation and key contacts.
Trade delegations
We are regularly visited
by delegations from (mainly
Japanese) businesses and
interested groups, seeking
information and introductions to the New Zealand
market. Recent visits were from
the government of Okinawa,
researching the opportunity to develop their port
for vehicle exports, and a
delegation from JUMVEA
(the Japanese Used Motor
Vehicle Export Association,
with whom we’ve had a long
relationship), as well as from
business groups.
Australia
We attended the AGM of
AIMVIA, the new association
representing the used vehicle
industry in Australia. AIMVIA
is just 12 months old, and
has made excellent progress
in establishing its leadership
team, developing policy and
representing their industry
to government. IMVIA still
provides services to AIMVIA
under a commercial management agreement
ACC safety ratings
We have been actively
participating in the combined
industry group advising ACC
on vehicle safety ratings for
next year’s levies. Our role
has been to ensure that the
ratings for used vehicles are
accurate, so that the levies
(built into licensing fees) will
be fair and correct.
Tokyo motor show
IMVIA’s technical services
manager, Malcolm Yorston,
attended the trade-only day
at the Tokyo motor show,
while on holiday visiting family in Japan. Our interest is
in ESC fitment rates, as well
as new vehicle specifications
generally. Malcolm identified
that almost every new vehicle, including heavy, has ESC
fitted as standard, and most
are incorporating some form
of intelligent transport functions into their new designs.
Electric vehicles (EVs)
The minister of transport
(and energy) Simon Bridges
is driving the implementation of the government’s
policy for the fastest possible uptake of EVs into our
fleet; used vehicles, because
of their price point, will be
an essential element of the
strategy to achieve the government’s goals.
There will definitely be
opportunities for the used
vehicle import industry. MoT
is leading the work on this
issue, and IMVIA is actively
participating in the working group, along with other
industry organisations, local
and central government
departments, and electricity
industry businesses.
Specialists in
Pre Shipment
Inspecons
Continued on page 36
JEVIC
Authori
se
NZTA B d
order
Inspecti
on
Agency
AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 17
MARKETINGTALK
How do you use
‘lead reporting’?
O
ne of the biggest
misconceptions about
lead management is
that it’s merely the tracking and
recording of lead activity. That’s
not lead management – its lead
reporting. Lead reporting has its
place but it’s just a means to an end. It
helps you make decisions on your lead
management process, but if it’s viewed
in isolation it’s just digital noise.
Even with a view to using lead reporting to drive improvement in the lead
management process, it can become
overwhelming. It’s all very well to
preach that lead reporting should be
used to make decisions, but how exactly
can that be achieved?
To start with, at AutoPlay we recommend to our customers that they identify a lead management philosophy (or
multiple philosophies) to follow. Some
examples of this are:
• Target the approx. 80% of leads that
enquire but don’t purchase from
you
• Focus on increasing the number of
test drives
• Target the 50% of test drive leads
that don’t result in a sale
• Focus on the marketing activity that
generates the best conversion rates.
Once your strategy is known it
dictates what it is you want to get out
of lead reporting. For example, if your
goal was to ‘target the approx. 80% of
leads that enquire but don’t purchase
from you’, then this means that lead
reporting needs to clearly identify who
the 80% are – which in turn drives the
lead management behaviour of ensuring
all leads are captured, and all leads are
updated with where they are at in the
sales process.
Matt Darby works for AutoPlay, which
specialises in lead management tools that
work on desktop and mobile devices.
To find out more, call 09 361 1505.
Identify Goals
To drive this focus it means that lead
reporting has three main goals:
1. It needs to identify whether all
leads are being entered – this can
be measured either by a count of the
number of leads loaded to your lead
system, or by comparing conversion to
test drive and sales to your sales team
or known benchmarks. It’s known that
test drive conversion is roughly 40% and
sales conversion is roughly 20%-25%
(according to Deloittes and AutoPlay
customer data). If sales conversion is
showing at 50% it’s a sure sign not all
leads are being entered.
2. It needs to identify whether all
leads are being updated – this can be
measured one of two ways, depending on the lead management system
you have in place. You can track all the
stages the lead has been through i.e.
‘awaiting action’, ‘meet and qualify’, and
‘test drive’. Alternatively you can also report on whether action has been taken -
18 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
eg ‘appointments booked and
kept’.
3. It needs to identify
whether all customer data is
being captured – this can be
measured by reporting on data
quality. It’s impossible to communicate
with the 80% of ‘lost leads’ if you have
not accurately captured their contact
details.
Lead reporting will also reveal whether these things are getting done or not –
which will help with training. At AutoPlay
we have taken this a step further with an
‘automated daily health check report’.
This report is emailed to the manager
on a daily basis and identifies three key
areas that ensure dealerships can target
the 80% of ‘lost leads’ – scheduled and
completed calendar appointments,
updating the progress, and showing the
number of leads loaded.
KPIs
With these three KPIs delivered to
the manager every day, he or she can
instantly see which sales people are
sticking to the task, and which need
some reminding. This saves time spent
tracking this information down and
helps management with one-on-ones
with their sales team.
Whatever your goals are for lead
management you need to identify
them in order to also identify the key
outcomes you want to measure using
lead reporting. Once you understand
why you are looking at graphs and
reading spreadsheets, it starts to
transform the information from merely
numbers into signposts, helping your
dealership make decisions and drive
performance.
MARKETINGTALK
Relevant best practices
T
here was a time when owner operators/DPs/GMs
First, adopting other
would take time out to regularly attend sales and
dealerships best practices
marketing benchmark courses, run by either business
can improve efficiency and
accounting or marketing service providers.
effectiveness, but doing
More recent thinking has thrown these gatherings under
so isn’t the answer to the
the spotlight and asked the question as to whether these
challenges auto retailing faces, for four reasons:
benchmarking best practices courses have any relevance in
1. Dealership efficiency is just the foundation for future inthe fast-paced and ever-changing automotive retail environnovations.
ment. So just what is relevant by way of best practices in one
2. Copying competitors’ practices isn’t enough to stay
dealership when compared to another?
ahead of rapidly changing technology and consumer
Some would say, not a great deal. Within the digital
expectations.
marketing space the onus is on each and every dealership to
3. Competition in this industry, historically local, is expandinitiate its own unique set of effective business practices, that
ing geographically due to the acceleration of the online
business model.
in turn can be rolled out seamlessly by all
key dealership people.
4. Best practices that work in some
Peter Aitken
areas, and with some management
Think of the way the All Blacks
peter@clearedge.co.nz
teams, may be inappropriate elsewhere,
play their particular style of rugby. On
or 021-940 318
the afternoon of Saturday, October
or other managements may be unable
31 at Twickenham their style of rugby
to execute them.
Second, dealerships need to think
was good enough for them to post an
historic back-to-back win, and become
about who in the organisation is rethe first nation to win the World Cup three times. Their style sponsible for creating and championing dealership-initiated
innovation. Some see this as being up to the dealer owner;
of play is without peer.
They do not rely on any best practice benchmark formula. others believe all employees need to see it as their role. But
They do not rely on copying so-called best rugby practices
neither approach seems complete.
from other top rugby nations. Rather, they apply their own
unique brand of rugby that is based on the cultural underBeyond those two issues around innovation, several other
pinnings unique to the team, advanced player skill sets, plus
areas emerged as major concerns, these being:
years of individual player experiences.
• There is a division between new car dealers, on the one
It becomes very difficult for any other rugby-playing nahand those who do their own thing to differentiate them
tion to adopt any AB best practice, as they do not have the
from other dealerships selling the same brand, and on
same rugby cultural heritage, or the crafted inherent player or
the other hand those dealerships following what is laid
coaching skills. Other teams often have to start from scratch
down by the distributor/manufacturer.
and initiate a style that best suits them.
• Dealerships need to know what customer and vehicle
With dealerships it is no different, there is no one style
data they are responsible for, and when others are using
or best practice that can magically provide an operational
it with access to their information.
solution to a particular dealership operation.
• Dealerships need to better differentiate their digital and
A recent article penned by J Ferron of Automotive News
physical services from their competitors.
entitled: ‘Helping dealerships go beyond best practices to
• Dealerships must find ways to offset the continuing eronext practices’ highlighted the new way of business thinking
sion of gross profits arising from selling over the internet.
that could be put in place by dealer managers.
• Customer relationship management is dead. The cusThe common goals being to put in place with innovative
tomer now actively manages the relationships.
business practices, boost profits, cut costs, simplify opera• It is possible for dealerships to leverage collaborations
tions and satisfy consumers rising expectations. Arising
with digital marketing suppliers, to help strengthen their
from a series of US seminars over the past three years that
brand images while protecting their customers’ data
Automotive News and Ally have run for senior dealer mansecurity and privacy.
agers, there is general agreement on the need to innovate
How far advanced will your dealership be in the field of
in order to thrive, but that raised two concerns.
innovative next practices come Rugby World Cup 2019?
AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 19
TRADE DIRECTORY
ACCESSORIES
UTE MASTER
RETRO VEHICLE
ENHANCEMENT
AGENTS &
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AUTOPORT.NET
DOCUMENT
DESCRUCTION
A1 DOCUMENT
DESTRUCTION ELECTRICIAN
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EMPLOYMENT
SERVICES
AUTOTERMINAL
AUTOMOTIVE EMPLOYMENT
HEIWA AUTO
AUCTIONS
MANHEIM AUCTIONS
09 918 0500
www.manheim.co.nz
Manheim is New Zealand’s
largest provider of automotive auction services. Auctions
held weekly.
www.tyres4u.co.nz
NICHIBO
09 374 4436
www.nichibojapan.com
We have a wealth of knowledge and experience in auto
auctions throughout Japan
which we know will enable us
to assist you in making your
next purchase.
AUTOMOTIVE GLASS
Go to dealer locator to find your local dealer
COMPLETE GLASS AND
GLAZING SERVICES
NELSON AUTO GLASS
CAR CLEAN
PRODUCTS
MEGUIAR’S
Vehicle Inspection NZ
PACER
SUPER SHINE
TURTLE WAX
FINANCE AND
INSURANCE
AA INSURANCE
AUTO FINANCE DIRECT
AUTOSURE
Phone: 09 489 9107
www.autosure.co.nz
Autosure NZ has been a leading provider of automotiveowner protection policies for
the NZ retail motor vehicle
industry since 1986.
GO COVER INSURANCE
FINANCE AND
INSURANCE
UDC FINANCE
0800 500 832
www.udc.co.nz
Your first choice in automotive lending. Fixed Rates. Fast
Approval.
IT MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS
AUTO-IT LIMITED
0800 776 611
Sales@auto-it.co.nz
Changing your DMS? Let
Auto-IT help you, the leader
in New Generation Dealer
Management Systems.
SYSTIME
09 583 2482
Paul.Wilkinson@tsinz.co.nz
Autoline DMS – World
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Management and Distributor/Manufacturer Systems.
HEARTLAND BANK
KIWI CAR LOANS
MAINSTREAM INSURANCE
MY FINANCE
MOTOR TRADE FINANCE
ORION
09 583 2482
Paul.Wilkinson@tsinz.co.nz
NZ’s #1 Dealer Management
System installed in over 450
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OXFORD FINANCE
0800 263 264
info@oxf.co.nz
www.oxfordfinance.co.nz
Oxford’s friendly team can
offer you flexible solutions to
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new vehicle.
KERRICK INDUSTRIES
SAM
09 583 2482
Paul.Wilkinson@tsinz.co.nz
The ultimate specialist
Workshop Management
System suite.
Range of options to suit.
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COMMERCIAL
CLEANING
GOT DIRTY WINDOWS?
ANGEL CLEANING
CEILING CLEANERS
20 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
PROVIDENT INSURANCE
Phone: 0800 676 864
Email: info@providentinsurance.co.nz
Contact: Steve Owens
Chief Executive Officer
Helping dealers “Make Profits
Grow”. Specialist F&I training,
support and products to retail
motor vehicle traders.
INFORMATION
SERVICE PROVIDER
MOTORWEB
Phone: 0800 843 847
Email: support@motorweb.
co.nz
NZ’s leading vehicle history
check provider, delivering
online services to all sectors of
the motor industry.
The comprehensive guide to every
service a dealer could use
IT SERVICES
AUTOPLAY.CO.NZ
09 361 1505
salesauto@autoplay.co.nz
Autoplay use the latest
technology to deliver a suite
of smart digital tools to our
customers.
ANNGOW MARKETING
027 207 9032
www.anngowmarketing.co.nz
Independent digital marketing
services & advice to the
automotive industry, over 14
years’ experience, contact
Joel today!
PENTANA SOLUTIONS
LIMITED
MOTORCENTRAL
PARTS
REPCO
0800 800 878
www.repco.co.nz
Repco - over 800 highly
trained staff, 82 stores nationwide and home to New
Zealand’s leading automotive
brands.
PAINT & FABRIC
SUPPLIERES
GARDX
0800 242 739
www.gardx.co.nz
New Zealand Premier Paint
& Fabric Supplier. Providing
profit solutions that achieves
results.
SHIPPING AND
LOGISTICS
ARMACUP MARITIME
SERVICES LIMITED
AUTOHUB
09 411 7425
info@autohub.co.nz
The easiest way to
ship your cars and
other vehicles globally.
DOLPHIN SHIPPING
AGENCIES
JACANNA CUSTOMS AND
FREIGHT
MCCULLOUGH SHIPPING
LIMITED
MOANA BLUE
TRANSITIONAL
FACILITIES
AUCKLAND TRANSITIONAL
FACILITY
VEHICLE BROKERING
SBL INTERNATIONAL
VEHICLE BROKERING
03 377 6578
www.sbltd.co.nz
“NZ owned and operated
SBL continue to set the
motor industry benchmark
for importing vehicles”
VEHICLE
INSPECTION
VINZ
Vehicle Inspection NZ
0800 GO VINZ
(0800 468 469)
info@vinz.co.nz
New Zealand’s best choice
for WoF / CoF, Inspections,
Certifications and much
more.
VTNZ
0800 88 88 69
SALES@VTNZ.CO.NZ
VEHICLE STORAGE
AVS VEHICLE STORAGE
SOLUTIONS
VEHICLE
TRANSPORT
PTS LOGISTICS LIMITED
MTA is NZ’s largest
dealer representative
group: Franchise
dealers, used dealers,
and motorcycle dealers.
0800 001 144 | www.mta.org.nz
AUTO LOGISTICS LIMITED
TRANSPORT LOGISTICS
LIMITED
VTS AUCKLAND METRO
CAR DELIVERIES
VW dealer sponsors
Wellington
Marathon
T
he Gazely Volkswagen Wellington Marathon has
been a major event in the capital for 30 years.
Event manager Michael Jacques is buoyed by
the new partnership.
“The Gazley Volkswagen partnership is pretty exciting for us,” says Jacques. “It gives the event added
security and a stable base from which to do some
long term planning and promotion.
“Gazley are Wellington’s biggest
motor company
and Volkswagen is a
major national and
international brand,
which by default introduces the event
to a bigger promotional network than
ever before.”
The event’s home base is Westpac Stadium and
follows a flat and fast 42.2km course around the bays,
and will attract around 5000 competitors.
Other options for those not keen on the classic
marathon distance can take on the Shoe Clinic Half
Marathon, the Mizuno 10k, The Hits 5k and the Bluebridge Kids’ Magic Mile.
It will take place in late June, with online entry
available from December 1.
CAR & SUV
Car & SUV is NZ’s first
and only dedicated
professional vehicle
news and reviews
website.
www.carandsuv.co.nz
TALK TO
DALE STEVENSON
ABOUT ADVERTISING
YOUR BUSINESS IN
RADE
T
W
E
N
R
OU
DIRECTORY
Phone: +64 9 309 2444
Mobile: +64 21 446 214
Email: dale@automediagroup.co.nz
AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 21
F&ITALK
Proudly brought to you
by the market leaders
Doing the ‘basics’ will
make you more money
H
aving just spent some time in
showing there is nothing hidden in the
a business forum with a large
contract, and it’s a well known fact that
By Tony Neems
group of business managers,
people won’t buy from people they
National sales
inevitably the conversation always leads
don’t trust.
manager of Autosure
back to getting the basics right in order
It’s important at this stage not to
to effect a successful sale.
push for the customers’ acceptance of
And in many cases, the key to efAfter the usual pleasantries, it is imall additional products in the contract.
fective F&I penetration is very much
portant that the business manager very
You can cover this off when you get to
dependant on a quality handover.
quickly identifies the customers’ needs,
understanding what you have heard
I recently read an article that sugand makes sure the additional products
from the customer and aligning it with
gested that like a relay race, winning
in the finance contract offer the right
their needs.
the F&I profit race comes down to a
solutions for the customer.
The next step is to simply ask the
perfect customer handover from the
At this stage it is important to fully
question: “Which product options do
sales team, and a strict adherence to a
disclose all aspects of the loan. Before
you want?’ This assumptive question
structured process. Skip any part of the disclosing the additional products into
makes saying ‘yes’ easy for a customer
proven process and you will inevitably
the loan, it is important that the cuswho already wants a particular product
drop the baton.
tomer is made aware of the principal
or group of products as part of the deal.
Take a minute to think about what
and interest payments. In most cases
If you receive a ‘no’ at this stage
happens in your dealership once the
you will gain the customers trust by
there are a number of carefully scriptcustomer has made the decision
ed words you can use to change
to purchase. It is rare that in a busy
a ‘no’ into a ‘yes’. For example: “
dealership that you can get the
That surprises me. Earlier I was
customer in front of the business
doing something very important.
manager immediately, leaving time
I was listening and I heard what
for doubt to creep its way in.
you said. There were a couple
So, as part of a structured handof things I thought were critical,
over from sales to the F&I, and a
especially after something you
way to keep the purchaser focused
said earlier.”
on their purchase, is to hand to
The customer is more likely to
them a ‘welcome pack’. Included
engage and listen to you if they
Franchise
August September October
in this pack, and on the front page,
feel you have listened to them. It
Finance
36%
40%
41%
could be a photo of the dealership
is important to refer them back to
MBI
34%
39%
41%
with a ‘welcome to the family’.
‘something you said earlier’, as it
PPI
7%
10%
12%
Included in the pack could be
will allow them to understand why
GAP
16%
20%
18%
a letter from the dealer principal
they need the products you have
MVI
11%
13%
17%
thanking them for their business
included in the contract.
Used/ Import August September October
and any prelim forms that may
It’s important that sales and
be required to be filled in by the
F&I are deliberate and structured
Finance
38%
40%
33%
purchaser. Again this is all done to
to ensure that full F&I profits are
MBI
42%
47%
46%
keep the focus on the purchase
extracted from every opportunity
PPI
15%
14%
16%
and opening the door for the F&I
presented. If the above process
GAP
12%
27%
28%
manager to start his or her process.
does not work for you then strucMVI
11%
18%
8%
The longer you leave the customer
ture a process that does and follow
Profit per
waiting for the business manager,
it religiously.
August September October
unit sold
the less likelihood there will be of
The benefits to you personally
Franchise
$903.00 $991.00
$932.00
getting full F&I penetration in to
and to the dealership will be ten
Used/Import $986.00 $1,021.00 $1,073.00 fold.
the deal.
22 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
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F&ITALK
www.mainstreaminsurance.co.nz | 0800 674 678
Is cash king?
I
n previous articles I’ve spoken about the importance of
selling finance and insurance products, how much it can
really add to the bottom-line of your dealership and the
value of finance and insurance sales to your customer, your
dealership and to your long-term relationship together.
It’s referred to as F&I for good reason – you generally
have to sell the ‘F’ before the ‘I’, so in this article I want to
focus on how to sell finance – and often to the customer
who doesn’t want dealer finance.…. at least not at first.
Fact - 3 out of 5 customers that walk on to your dealership today and say they’re paying cash to purchase a motor
vehicle are in fact borrowing funds from somewhere else.
Why do they say they’re a cash customer? Because:
1. Perception - they
think their bank offers
By Steve Owens
better rates
of Provident
2. Education - they are
Insurance
told (by their bank),
through general
advertising and direct
communications that
their bank is their best source of borrowing
3. Belief – ‘Cash is King’. They think (and their bank is telling
them) that if they say they’re a cash customer they will
have better negotiating power with you – really??
4. Pride - some don’t like to admit to you that they don’t
have the money
5. Ignorance - some really aren’t aware you have a finance
facility available in your dealership, or how competitive and convenient your facility is (after all you’re a car
dealer, not a bank – right?).
Fact - Your bank is a good source of future funding – so
why use a good source of future funding when your customer can use your dealer finance facility right now to purchase
their new vehicle and keep their bank facility available for
future needs (weddings, 21sts, overseas travel, emergencies,
etc).
Fact – your dealer finance facility is competitive, convenient and confidential.
One of the most common reasons people attend our F&I
training seminars is to learn more effective techniques to
convert the so-called ‘cash customers’ – and with practice
and discipline, it’s not difficult.
Before you even begin the process of trying to cash-convert, it’s important to learn as much as you can about your
customer by engaging in conversation with them, let them
talk more than you, learn as much as you can about them
and then try to gain some common ground.
Ask open ended questions like: “Where are you taking
your new car this weekend?” The value of this type of question is, not only do you learn something about them (to help
you build rapport) but it also reinforces ownership.
Ask: “How are you intending financing the purchase of
your new vehicle?” If they say cash you might express amazement or concern that they would consider using cash to
Continued on page 36
24 | AUTOTALK OCTOBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
STATSTALK
USED VEHICLES
Import growth
‘marginal’
T
he steady growth in
the market for used
import cars finally hit
the wall in October – growing just 0.4%.
The first half of the year
saw double-digit growth, but
the last two months saw that
drop to 8% growth, then 4%,
and now this flat-line result.
The result saw 11,149 vehicles registered, from 11,105
a year ago.
For the year, passenger
registrations remain up
13% at 119,312.
In the commercial market,
registrations were
up 5% to 736.
Toyota was the
most popular
import
brand, down 3.8% to 2565
passenger cars, 23% of the
market.
Nissan was second on
1940, down 8.1% for a 17.4%
share.
Mazda was next on 1867,
followed by Honda on 1261
and Subaru on 647.
In commercials, Toyota
lead on 376 units, up 10.5%
for a 53.9% share, fol-
MODEL
TOYOTA
MAZDA
NISSAN
TOYOTA
NISSAN
TOYOTA
TOYOTA
FIAT
NISSAN
TOYOTA
HIACE
BONGO
CARAVAN
REGIUS
VANETTE
TOYOACE
DYNA
DUCATO
NV200
ESTIMA
OCT
'15
247
51
51
32
25
25
24
20
20
20
lowed by Nissan
on 124 and Mazda on 57.
The Nissan Tilda, Mazda
Axela and Suzuki Swift were
the most popular passenger
models, the Toyota Hiace
topping the commercial
market.
Levin’s Ross McColl Motor Company is hoping for
the nice sunny weather that
draws out its core clientele
of retirees.
Its stock is focused
around the $10,000 mark,
with vehicles like Honda
Fits and Mazda Axelas, said
Nathan McColl, but some
“rainy, inclement weather”
hasn’t helped.
“Last month was okay,” he
said, “and enquiry rates are
Continued on page 26
USED IMPORT COMMERCIAL MAKES
USED IMPORT COMMERCIAL MODELS
MAKE
USED IMPORTS
BROUGHT TO
YOU BY:
OCT
'14
TOYOTA
HIACE
244
NISSAN
CARAVAN 54
TOYOTA
REGIUS
43
MAZDA
BONGO
37
NISSAN
VANETTE 30
TOYOTA
TOWNACE 17
TOYOTA
DYNA
16
NISSAN
NAVARA
15
ISUZU
ELF
14
MITSUBISHI CANTER
13
MAKE
MODEL
MAKE
TOYOTA
NISSAN
MAZDA
MITSUBISHI
FIAT
ISUZU
FORD
CHEVROLET
HINO
HOLDEN
OTHER
TOTAL
OCT
'15
378
124
57
31
21
21
17
16
11
11
49
736
OCT'
14
342
136
42
30
9
23
32
15
20
11
41
701
Movement
Up 1
Up 5
Down 3
Down 2
Down 1
%
Change
10.5
-8.8
35.7
3.3
133.3
-8.7
-46.9
6.7
-45.0
0.0
19.5
5.0
Mkt
Share
53.9
17.7
8.1
4.4
3.0
3.0
2.4
2.3
1.6
1.6
7.0
100.0
AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 25
STATSTALK
USED VEHICLES
USED IMPORTS
Import growth
‘marginal’
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Continued from page 25
definitely up - now all we need is some sun.”
He agreed the All Blacks’ World Cup win will help
the country generally.
“Even if you’re not a rugby fan, it’s good for the
economy,” he said, “and if the perception around the
economy is that it’s strong, the motor industry will
do well.”
West Auckland’s Vision Auto Sales has noticed
things aren’t quite as rosy as recent years, but has
been maintaining sales numbers.
“The halcyon period we’ve enjoyed for a few
years has gone away a bit,” says Vision’s Tim Marshall, “but we’re all in the same boat. You can sell
the same number of vehicles, but it’s what you’re
making out of each one that’s important - and it’s
getting harder.
“The changes in the exchange rate obviously
means fewer cars are coming in, and any idiot isn’t
as able to try and do it themselves. I actually prefer it
when it’s a modicum hard - it sorts the wheat from
the chaff.”
AROUND THE COUNTRY
DISTRACT
WHA
AUC
HAM
THA
TAU
ROT
GIS
NAP
NEW
WAN
PAL
MAS
WEL
NEL
BLE
GRE
WES
CHR
TIM
OAM
DUN
INV
TOTAL
OCT
'15
235
5496
676
79
456
116
31
233
182
73
281
64
941
187
54
27
7
1439
97
19
300
156
11149
OCT
'14
253
5460
782
58
466
114
50
202
159
73
271
53
811
187
63
25
8
1528
92
25
300
125
11105
%
CHANGE
-7.11
0.66
-13.6
36.2
-2.15
1.75
-38
15.3
14.5
0
3.69
20.8
16
0
-14.3
8
-12.5
-5.82
5.43
-24
0
24.8
0.4
USED IMPORT PASSENGER MAKES
MAKE
OCT'15 OCT'15 Movement % Change
TOYOTA
NISSAN
MAZDA
HONDA
SUBARU
SUZUKI
BMW
MITSUBISHI
VOLKSWAGEN
AUDI
MERCEDES-BENZ
FORD
VOLVO
LEXUS
HYUNDAI
MINI
HOLDEN
CHEVROLET
JAGUAR
LAND ROVER
OTHER
TOTAL
2565
1940
1867
1261
647
632
459
394
391
200
189
112
79
55
40
40
36
34
30
25
153
11149
2638
2110
1726
1085
517
691
457
408
427
207
228
131
72
28
61
38
25
43
26
29
158
11105
Up 1
Down 1
Up 1
Down 1
Up 1
Down 1
Up 4
Down 1
Up 3
Down 3
Down 3
-2.8
-8.1
8.2
16.2
25.1
-8.5
0.4
-3.4
-8.4
-3.4
-17.1
-14.5
9.7
96.4
-34.4
5.3
44.0
-20.9
15.4
-13.8
-3.2
0.4
Market
Share
23.0
17.4
16.7
11.3
5.8
5.7
4.1
3.5
3.5
1.8
1.7
1.0
0.7
0.5
0.4
0.4
0.3
0.3
0.3
0.2
1.4
100.0
USED IMPORT PASSENGER MODELS
MAKE
MODEL
OCT'15
MAKE
MODEL
OCT'14
NISSAN
MAZDA
SUZUKI
HONDA
MAZDA
TOYOTA
SUBARU
TOYOTA
MAZDA
MAZDA
VOLKSWAGEN
TOYOTA
MITSUBISHI
TOYOTA
BMW
HONDA
TOYOTA
NISSAN
NISSAN
MAZDA
TIIDA
AXELA
SWIFT
FIT
DEMIO
COROLLA
LEGACY
WISH
ATENZA
MPV
GOLF
ESTIMA
OUTLANDER
VITZ
3 SERIES
ODYSSEY
IST
NOTE
MURANO
PREMACY
520
506
501
458
451
360
327
324
290
252
249
188
184
169
167
149
146
145
144
139
SUZUKI
TOYOTA
NISSAN
MAZDA
MAZDA
SUBARU
HONDA
MAZDA
TOYOTA
VOLKSWAGEN
TOYOTA
MITSUBISHI
HONDA
MAZDA
TOYOTA
BMW
NISSAN
MAZDA
NISSAN
NISSAN
SWIFT
COROLLA
TIIDA
AXELA
DEMIO
LEGACY
FIT
ATENZA
VITZ
GOLF
WISH
OUTLANDER
ODYSSEY
MPV
ESTIMA
3 Series
DUALIS
PREMACY
NOTE
BLUEBIRD
568
553
528
504
377
292
291
278
272
254
236
201
198
193
184
178
178
168
153
148
• Interest rates from 11.95%
• Nichibo and non Nichibo cars financed
• Competitive commissions – no retention and no claw back
• Low and no deposit to approved purchasers
26 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
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STATSTALK
USED VEHICLES
USED IMPORTS
New and used car
arrivals still strong
T
here were 8623 new
car and 12,388 used
car arrivals across
New Zealand wharves in the
month of October. The 2015 year to date tally
is now 84,421 for new cars,
and 123,847 for used cars. It may be unlikely that
numbers for November
and December will better
last year’s results that saw
100,594 new and 136,797
used arrivals for the full 2014
year.
New and used light com-
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
mercial vehicle arrivals continue to flood in across New
Zealand wharves.
There were 2167 new light
commercial vehicles (under
3500kg GVM) that arrived in
October 2015 bringing the
year-to-date tally to 25,652,
only 207 vehicles behind the
full year’s tally in 2014. There was a total of
25,859 new light commercial
vehicle arrivals in 2014, so it
is more than likely that figure
will grow by the year ending
December 30, 2015.
TOTAL
OTHER
VW
TOYOTA
SUZUKI
SUBARU
PEUGEOT
NISSAN
MITSUBISHI
MERCEDES
MAZDA
HYUNDAI
HONDA
HOLDEN
FORD
DAIHATSU
CHEVROLET
BMW
AUDI
USED IMPORT PASSENGER MAKES – THIS YEAR
15-Jan
220
472
60
20
173
32
1160
59
1992
229
511
2012
24
618
775
2648
420
366
11791
14-Jan
208
328
54
25
139
23
920
16
1655
155
363
1779
6
425
549
2206
311
308
9470
% diff
6
44
11
-20
24
39
26
269
20
48
41
13
300
45
41
20
35
19
25
15-Feb
190
475
81
18
169
30
1120
38
1678
200
388
1779
18
561
684
2414
403
326
10572
14-Feb
189
346
54
20
98
20
1015
18
1510
142
350
1619
12
361
550
2258
298
295
9155
% diff
1
37
50
-10
72
50
10
111
11
41
11
10
50
55
24
7
35
11
15
15-Mar
276
585
58
12
167
29
1240
54
1942
250
479
2076
25
655
772
2804
486
403
12313
14-Mar
177
413
61
15
107
17
1124
41
1765
161
371
1842
10
433
617
2441
373
279
10247
% diff
56
42
-5
-20
56
71
10
32
10
55
29
13
150
51
25
15
30
44
20
15-Apr
246
527
67
13
138
47
1179
34
1805
227
431
1753
18
605
653
2468
448
379
11038
14-Apr
196
391
50
12
112
22
1057
36
1524
171
42
365
13
380
560
2217
368
1985
9501
% diff
26
35
34
8
23
114
12
-6
18
33
926
380
38
59
17
11
22
-81
16
15-May
253
599
56
10
153
33
1391
36
1989
264
427
2106
15
739
736
2721
495
392
12415
14-May
210
471
63
8
126
32
1226
44
1783
206
413
2120
18
421
680
2677
399
326
11223
% diff
20
27
-11
25
21
3
13
-18
12
28
3
-1
-17
76
8
2
24
20
11
15-Jun
286
585
40
16
105
36
1403
28
2048
258
482
2132
14
677
711
2746
484
364
12415
14-Jun
240
469
49
15
115
27
1119
38
1718
161
417
2128
10
415
661
2532
358
288
10760
% diff
19
25
-18
7
-9
33
25
-26
19
60
16
0
40
63
8
8
35
26
15
15-Jul
269
629
45
23
150
40
1422
31
2219
281
519
2453
22
797
850
3152
527
462
13891
14-Jul
233
483
41
18
130
22
1278
41
1881
201
440
2393
16
462
775
2871
408
359
12052
% diff
15
30
10
28
15
82
11
-24
18
40
18
3
38
73
10
10
29
29
15
15-Aug
255
588
51
26
121
41
1198
30
1962
213
446
2136
14
694
746
2725
446
369
12061
14-Aug
213
462
46
20
122
1182
40
1780
186
398
2208
19
488
688
2667
426
343
11288
% diff
20
27
11
30
-1
1
-25
10
15
12
-3
-26
42
8
2
5
8
7
15-Sep
217
526
46
11
116
43
1261
41
1876
199
388
2057
22
650
651
2745
445
373
11667
14-Sep
228
496
37
11
126
31
1097
44
1791
197
404
2183
15
452
660
2605
436
360
11142
% diff
-5
6
24
0
-8
39
15
-7
5
1
-4
-6
47
44
-1
5
2
4
5
15-Oct
200
459
34
23
112
36
1261
40
1867
189
394
1940
21
647
632
2565
391
338
11149
14-Oct
207
457
43
16
131
25
1085
61
1726
228
408
2110
21
517
691
2638
427
339
11105
% diff
-3
0
-21
44
-15
44
16
-34
8
-17
-3
-8
0
25
-9
-3
-8
0
0
YTD 15
2412
5445
538
172
1404
367
12635
391
19378
2310
4465
18665
193
6643
7210 26988
4545
3772
119312
YTD 14
2101
4316
498
160
1206
249
11103
379
17133
1808
3606
18747
140
4354
6431
25112
3804
4882
105943
%diff
15
26
8
8
16
47
14
3
13
28
24
0
38
53
12
7
19
-23
13
COMPETITIVE FINANCE.
PERSONAL SERVICE.
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AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 27
STATSTALK
NEW VEHICLES
Heat coming out
of commercials?
T
he previously explosive growth in the new commercial
market appears to be waning.
New commercial registrations, released today by the
NZ Transport Agency, were down 2% for the month to 3052
units from 3113 this time last year.
That is despite a big push by the Ford Ranger, and the Toyota Hilux running down towards its upcoming new model.
Registrations of passenger vehicles were up 8.1% against
October 2014 to 9634 units, from 8910.
The overall market for the month was up 7% to 12,686.
Passenger registrations are up 5% for the year to 79,872
vehicles. So far this year 32,498 commercials have been
registered.
The market for the year has now tipped over the 100k
mark, to 112,184 – meaning the market may see 140,000
units.
In the passenger market, Toyota leads on 2741 units, up
14.4% from 2395 a year ago for a 24.6% market share.
In second, Holden recorded 992 registrations, up 2.7% for
an 8.9% stake.
Mazda was third on 907, a huge 46.1% jump, followed by
Hyundai on 687 and Ford on 594.
NEW PASSENGER MAKES
In commercials, Ford leads off the back of the Ranger,
OCT
OCT
%
Market
but its volume was actually down 9.1% to 628 from 691.
MAKE
Movement
'15
'14
Change Share
The brand held 20.2% of the market.
TOYOTA
2741
2395
14.4
24.6
Toyota was second on 583 units, down 17.5% from 707
HOLDEN
992
966
2.7
8.9
last
year.
Up 2
46.1
8.1
MAZDA
907
621
Holden
was this on 313 commercials, followed by MitDown 1
2.1
6.2
HYUNDAI
687
673
subishi on 245 and Nissan on 210.
FORD
594
667
Down 1
-10.9
5.3
Continued on page 29
The Ford Ranger remained
SUZUKI
400
373
Up 1
7.2
3.6
NISSAN
395
336
Up 1
17.6
3.5
NEW COMMERCIAL MAKES
MITSUBISHI
366
427
Down 2 -14.3
3.3
%
Mkt
OCT OCT
HONDA
284
317
-10.4
2.5
MAKE
Movement
Change Share
'15
'14
KIA
265
244
Up 1
8.6
2.4
Down 1
-17.6
2.3
VOLKSWAGEN
253
307
FORD
628
691
Up 1
-9.1
20.2
Up 5
151.1
2.0
SSANGYONG
226
90
TOYOTA
583
707
Down 1 -17.5
18.7
HOLDEN
313
252
24.2
10.1
Up 1
24.0
1.7
SUBARU
191
154
MITSUBISHI
245
131
Up 2
87.0
7.9
Down 2 -7.0
1.7
BMW
185
199
NISSAN
210
142
47.9
6.7
MERCEDES-BENZ 178
134
32.8
1.6
Down 2 16.7
6.3
ISUZU
196
168
JEEP
161
132
22.0
1.4
Up 1
16.3
3.9
MAZDA
121
104
Down 4 -30.1
1.1
AUDI
121
173
Up 4
52.9
3.4
MERCEDES-BENZ 107
70
Up 5
76.4
0.9
FIAT
97
55
FIAT
98
81
21.0
3.1
Down 1
8.2
0.8
SKODA
92
85
Down 3 -48.8 2.0
VOLKSWAGEN
63
123
Up 2
42.9
0.7
LAND ROVER
80
56
Up 3
-4.7
15.7
OTHER
488 512
OTHER
419
506
-17.2
3.8
TOTAL
3052 3113
-2.0
100.0
TOTAL
9634
8910
8.1
100.0
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28 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
STATSTALK
NEW VEHICLES
segment with 34% market
share for the month of October and 34% year-to-date.
The small passenger vehicle
segment was the second
biggest segment on 20%
market share for the month
of October and 15% year-todate. The Pick-up/Chassis
Cab segment was the third strongest segment with 17% for
the month of October, but with 21% market share year-todate remains the overall second-strongest segment.
David Crawford, chief executive of the Motor Industry
Association notes the market is headed for a record finish.
“Registrations of new vehicles has averaged a staggering
11,237 a month year to date, and if this pace
continues, the industry is will smash last
NEW COMMERCIAL MODELS
OCT
OCT year’s record sales of 127,352 new vehicles
MODEL
MAKE
MODEL
by about 7,000 units,” says Crawford.
'15
'14
Crawford noted to AutoTalk that, while
RANGER
558
FORD
RANGER
627
commercial
sales have softened, they
HILUX
364
TOYOTA
HILUX
514
continue
to
drive
the market. He says the
COLORADO
296
HOLDEN
COLORADO
235
strength
of
the
dollar
has yet to bite the
TRITON
245
TOYOTA
HIACE
175
market, and with strong tourism, rental cars
NAVARA
210
NISSAN
NAVARA
142
are in demand.
HIACE
207
ISUZU
D-MAX
110
Continued from page 28
the monthly top-selling commercial vehicle model with 561
vehicles registered, followed by the Toyota Hilux with 364
vehicles and Holden Colorado with 296 vehicles.
Year-to-date the Ranger remains the top-selling commercial vehicle model with 17% market share (5,527 vehicles)
followed by the Hilux with 14% (4,521 vehicles) and the Colorado with 9% market share (3,006 vehicles).
Not surprisingly, given high volume of rental sales, the
Toyota Corolla was the top model overall for the month of
October with 1,334 vehicles followed by the Ford Ranger with
561 vehicles and the Toyota Highlander with 428 vehicles.
Year-to-date, the top selling models in order are the
Ranger, Corolla and Hilux.
Sports utility vehicles remain the dominant vehicle sales
MAKE
FORD
TOYOTA
HOLDEN
MITSUBISHI
NISSAN
TOYOTA
ISUZU
MAZDA
MERCEDES-BENZ
FIAT
D-MAX
BT-50
SPRINTER
DUCATO
124
121
92
88
MAZDA
MITSUBISHI
FIAT
SSANGYONG
BT-50
TRITON
DUCATO
ACTYON SPORT
104
103
79
75
NEW PASSENGER MODELS
OCT
'15
TOYOTA
COROLLA
1334
TOYOTA
HIGHLANDER 428
TOYOTA
YARIS
378
TOYOTA
RAV4
362
MAZDA
MAZDA3
278
HOLDEN
CAPTIVA
270
HOLDEN
COMMODORE 268
HYUNDAI
IX35
258
MAZDA
CX-5
230
SUZUKI
SWIFT
209
MAZDA
MAZDA6
165
FORD
MONDEO
153
HYUNDAI
SANTA FE
150
SSANGYONG KORANDO
145
HOLDEN
BARINA
143
HONDA
JAZZ
135
NISSAN
X-TRAIL
131
NISSAN
QASHQAI
124
HYUNDAI
TUCSON
123
MAZDA
MAZDA2
133
MAKE
MODEL
MAKE
TOYOTA
TOYOTA
HOLDEN
SUZUKI
TOYOTA
HOLDEN
TOYOTA
MAZDA
FORD
HONDA
MAZDA
HYUNDAI
HYUNDAI
MITSUBISHI
VOLKSWAGEN
MAZDA
MITSUBISHI
HOLDEN
NISSAN
MAZDA
OCT
'14
COROLLA
1257
YARIS
438
COMMODORE 294
SWIFT
266
RAV4
263
CRUZE
243
HIGHLANDER 243
MAZDA3
233
FOCUS
230
JAZZ
218
CX-5
211
IX35
181
SANTA FE
173
OUTLANDER
159
GOLF
149
MAZDA2
112
LANCER
112
CAPTIVA
111
QASHQAI
106
MAZDA2
114
MODEL
NEW AROUND THE COUNTRY
DISTRICT
OCT'15
OCT'14
WHA
AUC
HAM
THA
TAU
ROT
GIS
NAP
NEW
WAN
PAL
MAS
WEL
NEL
BLE
GRE
WES
CHR
TIM
OAM
DUN
INV
TOTAL
130
5032
479
46
271
108
40
146
127
70
185
44
557
86
54
18
3
1860
50
19
220
89
9634
143
4299
389
44
296
80
45
178
133
42
212
52
623
73
48
6
1
1888
55
11
192
100
8910
%
CHANGE
-9.09
17.1
23.1
4.55
-8.45
35
-11.1
-18
-4.51
66.7
-12.7
-15.4
-10.6
17.8
12.5
200
200
-1.48
-9.09
72.7
14.6
-11
8.13
Fixed Rates. Fast approval.
AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 29
STATSTALK
NEW VEHICLES
Australian market close
to record year
N
ew car sales in Australia were
strong again in October with
buyers taking home 94,321 new
passenger cars, SUVs and commercials.
Year-to-date sales are up 3.6%, reaching
957,153 and a 3.4% boost compared to
October 2014.
With just two months left of 2015
and needing 142,847 car sales in that
time, it is expected that car sales will
again top 1.1m for the year. There is also
a strong possibility that it will overtake
that number and hit the 2013 record of
1,136,227 units sold.
The Federal Chamber of Automotive
Industries today released its October
figures and said that this year’s strong
sales have again been led largely by the
growth of the SUV market, which is up
15.9% compared to sales in the period
January to October 2014.
The total SUV market increased
20.5% in October 2015, compared
to October 2014. Small SUV sales, in
particular, increased 37%, medium SUV
sales increased 20.1% and large SUVs
increased by 11.8%.
MINI
MITSUBISHI
PORSCHE
SKODA
SSANGYONG
SUBARU
SUZUKI
TOYOTA
VOLKSWAGEN
VOLVO
OTHER
116
337
1941
343
36
186
9010
78
158
527
1467
414
45
141
8293
14
-19
34
30
39
-5
2
33
19
1
68
19
12
-27
-36
32
32
9
123
247
47
56
674
155
54
472
371
71
30
75 106
172
289
906
372
46
157
7057
258
78
50
532
109
46
404
388
87
13
54
72
144
423
762
316
34
124
6572
-4 -40
12
27
42
17
17
-4 -18
131
39
47
19
-32
19
18
35
27
7
46
90 100
239
483
970
420
33
162
8075
359
48
152
7992
17 -31
7
1
HONDA
4
31
502
19
12
44
827
10
-56
-18
-24 -26
-67
-30
-39
-80
50
-1
12
3
151
193
2
44
514
0
765
252
694
523
13
782
230
616
84
-2 -100
-2
10
13
46
% diff
15-Feb
14-Feb
% diff
15-Mar
14-Mar
% diff
15-Apr
14-Apr
% diff
15-May
14-May
CHERY
14
195
16
2 1280
853
-17 -20
TOTAL
MERCEDES-BENZ
87
75
149
180
PEUGEOT
MAZDA
89
44
148
27
NISSAN
LEXUS
74
444 100
12
14-Jan
LAND ROVER
528 101
353
15-Jan
KIA
469
63
JEEP
64
200
HYUNDAI
191
521
96
FORD
HOLDEN
722
40
109
DODGE
GREAT WALL
52
92
746
665
BMW
CHRYSLER
198 123
243
356
360
AUDI
ALFA ROMEO
NEW PASSENGER MAKES
19
179
174
12
4
42
-84
-16
11
33
-50
5
9
181
165
31
9
54
461
0
794
434
669
129
304 108
63
732
217
64
611
434
602
11
764
367
774
100
277
78
65
621
157
46
640
408 114
17
83
83
184
505
1048
-23 -100
4
18
-14
29
10
38
-3
18
38
39
-5
6 -45
171
8
20
30
-4
-7
86
295
49
53
597
130
37
373
357
55
36
73
114
155
373
794
288
22
120
6373
231
66
28
485
120
48
334
469
308
37
123
6150
28 -26
89
23
8
-23
12
-6 -41
-2
4
34
30
113
6802
6347
26
205
171
23
10
54
-65
-12
-4
35
-10
0
7
155
195
36
6
34
509
0
576
261
587
441
13
662
200
571
115
15 -100
-13
31
3
-25
108
230
68
43
524
191
31
159
199
20
9
32
-77
-3
-2
80
-33
6
18
170
214
32
6
30
562
15
798
196
531
160
10
10
22
614
14
692
234
685
46
259
40
40
403
159
34 220
-40
36
-8
7
15
-16
-22
135
-11
70
8
30
20
4
86
466
0
870
285
773
146
292
70
47
697
173
58
691
281
714
17
960
165
940
104
299
84
47
543
183
41
617
-35 -100
-9
73
-18
40
-2 -17
0
28
-5
41
12
63
92
22
67
70
125
309
764
-24 -40
64
9
63
24
21
4
354
415
65
21
67
68
126
406
996
371
39
232
261
95
16
53
45
138
406
1072
301
21
107
-13
53
59 -32
31
26
51
-9
0
-7
23
43
6
7
30
117 145
245
404
2171
369
38
175
9021
307 103
36
90 120
153
475
1448
410
25
166
8517
-8 -53
-17
30
21
60
-15
50
-10
52
5
6
2
171
800
-1
16
163
144
17
14-Jun
12
196
174
54
3
31
% diff
33
-17
-17 -69
33
177
8
130
162
12
0
66
513
0
647
358
539
140
282
83
52
724
178
40
413
348
53
62
73
111
199
352
1179
312
39
197
7272
14-Jul
25
168
147
25
5
46
602
12
805
421
571
113
241
72
40
529
138
34
405
373
57
307
46
149
7071
% diff
-68
-23
10 -52 -100
43
-15 -100
-20
-15
-6
24
17
15
30
37
29
18
2
-7
2 -15
32
3
10
166
128
9
1
62
413
0
721
331
664
147
306
77
45
743
153
41
407
444
131
7752
147
34
6
61
494
7
837
372
599
134
217
83
40
487
160
47
380
7083
-13 -74
-83
2
-16 -100
-14
-11
11
10
41
-7
13
53
-4
-13
7
3
102
618
0 1068
353
700
131
265
71
57
891
194
63
604
425
479
37 1044
57
54
371
180
52
0 1550
-48
-65 1062
% diff
15-Jun
15-July
15- Aug
14-Aug
% diff
15-Sep
14-Sep
% diff
15-Oct
14-Oct
% diff
YTD 15
31
161
-68
3
5
187
182
12
181
28
6
71
1 -57
-50
44
7
40
594
667
12
184
-58
2
10
121
185
14
17
173
199
-41
-30
388
636
123
256
-66
80
-79
115
-72
0
992
284
687
161
265
23
966
317
673
132
-11 -100
3
-10
2
22
29 2786
48
20
76
68
152
394
1030
-7 210
-4
63
31
-11
14
62
33
93
172
210
332
1512
291
48
340 111
27
70
84
130
345
1169
289
46
175
31 -44
22
33 105
62
-4
29
1
4
-25
9
50
31
81
111
258
314
1471
314
56
218
8835
515
496 107
12
68 108
175
302
1582
327
34
497
8382
-17
-90 -71 575
63 139
79
387
-80
-83
29
92 226
191 400
2741
253
178
58
366
395
79
244
56
55
621
134
61
427
336
79
33
85
90
154
373
2395
307
32
161
8910
9
43
-9
46
33
-5
-14
18
0
-12
8
151
24
7
14
-18
28
17
8
15
58
-31
83 1576 1637 172
38
554 5047 1070 7776 3522 6135 1383 2481 774 1357 6685 1597 1069 4655 3536 627 466 914 1427 2015 4766 13486 3013
76
469 5911
218 1775 1801 274
-11
-9 -37
-50
33
-15
9634
907
-53
-62
188
50
27
%diff
5
41
80
-7 -48
YTD 14
-56
1679 79872
158 8471 3016 6576 1109 2496 734 462 5234 1572
472 4429 3976 915 245 735 841 1501 4059 12661 3408 377 1801
577
126
-8
17
-7
25
-1
5 194
28
2
Your first choice in
automotive lending.
Ph 0800 500 832 or visit www.udc.co.nz
UDC Finance Limited lending criteria applies.
30 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
5
-11 -31
90
24
70
34
17
7
-12
-7
75772
5
STATSTALK
SECONDHAND
Dealer trade up
T
17,698 units, while dealer
purchases were down 0.9%
to 12,416.
The public traded 42,304
vehicles during the month,
up 6.5% on October 2014.
In the bike market, dealer
sales fell 8.4% to 404 units,
he number of used
vehicles sold by traders rose in October
- as the used import market
slowed.
The number of dealerto-public registrations
rose 4.5% for the month to
Compliance made simple
...since 1999
while trade-in volume rose
5% to 315 bikes.
The public market was up
7.2% to 1527.
Dealer truck sales were
up a strong 12.8% to 2326
units, while dealer purchases jumped nearly a fifth - by
18.6% to 1756 units.
Public-to-public transactions rose 7.8% to 5908.
SECONDHAND REGISTRATIONS − OCTOBER 2015
SALE TYPE
WHA AUC
HAM
THA
TAU
ROT
GIS
NAP
NEW
WAN PAL
MAS
WEL
NEL
BLE
GRE
1152
80
592
97
WES
CHR
TIM
OAM DUN
INV
TOTAL
Cars 2015
Public to Trader 216
112
380
214
149
608
90
1131
235
137
35
1755
136
8
439
308
12594
Public to Public 1840 14750 3269 590
4720
2045 834
384
1350 954
527
1635
395
2906 915
416
173
98
5170
522
164
1878 985
41800
Trader to Public 560
26
2302 249
59
657
388
18062
6484
1469 233
995
318
160
550
389
206
716
154
1527
343
189
88
4745
1207
607
129
237
109
822
90
Cars 2014
Public to Trader 256
97
428
1174
241
106
44
1854 150
24
563
296
13282
Public to Public 1838 14181 3069 525
2035 680
362
1304 1029 398
1630 330
2761
983
383
218
104
5271
220
1774
887
40495
Trader to Public 564
945
160
587
27
2399 238
83
781
410
17904
5891
103
1453
231
Public to Trader -15.6 -0.5
-4.6
-22.3 -2.5
Public to Public 0.1
4.0
6.5
12.4
0.5
Trader to Public -0.7
10.1
1.1
0.9
Public to Trader 4
124
49
Public to Public 51
545
129
30
Trader to Public 17
146
45
Public to Trader 4
126
Public to Public 46
446
Trader to Public 13
133
267
513
422
182
797
181
1613
349
217
107
-24.8 15.5
-11.2 -9.7
36.7
-26.0 0.0
-3.7
-2.5
29.2
-20.5
-5.3
-9.3
-66.7 -22.0 4.1
-5.2
22.6
6.1
3.5
-7.3
32.4
0.3
5.3
-6.9
8.6
-20.6 -5.8
-1.9
1.8
-25.5 5.9
11.0
3.2
5.3
19.1
0.0
-6.3
-7.8
13.2
-10.2 -14.9 -5.3
-1.7
-12.9 -17.8 -3.7
-4.0
4.6
-28.9 -15.9 -5.4
0.9
26
1
1
5
3
2
19
5
67
7
4
26
1
1
14
4
363
114
46
11
62
70
15
56
11
131
72
16
12
1
251
32
7
67
30
1759
9
37
6
3
10
13
2
19
4
40
12
6
1
1
42
4
1
13
8
439
44
1
32
1
8
7
2
18
7
58
9
1
18
3
355
132
23
103
23
10
47
50
12
73
15
132
63
16
13
3
261
22
12
48
38
1588
42
5
26
9
4
12
13
9
18
8
46
11
7
1
2
37
3
3
17
3
422
-28.6 15.5
0.0
-22.2 33.3
0.0
-7.7
-66.7 -3.8
45.5
-41.7 39.6
-50.0 13.5
33.3
-66.7 -23.5 166.7 4.0
Cars % Change
19.7
Motorcycles 2015
Motorcycles 2014
16
Motorcycles % change
Public to Trader 0.0
-1.6
11.4
-18.8 0.0
-37.5 -57.1 0.0
5.6
Public to Public 10.9
22.2
-2.3
30.4
10.7
100.0 10.0
31.9
-23.3 -26.7 -0.8
Trader to Public 30.8
9.8
7.1
80.0
42.3
-33.3 -25.0 -16.7 0.0
-77.8 5.6
-50.0 -13.0 9.1
-14.3 0.0
Public to Trader 58
654
202
18
92
20
30
69
47
30
131
23
97
55
39
13
234
47
1
78
62
2000
Public to Public 366
1820
550
118
350
141
79
203
170
80
275
66
397
172
101
39
12
740
102
33
283
178
6275
Trader to Public 114
751
251
58
187
68
53
103
87
48
140
30
167
69
42
27
6
365
49
13
130
73
2831
Public to Trader 47
494
175
18
102
20
59
80
27
14
119
20
96
57
30
5
209
34
2
74
68
1750
Public to Public 357
1623
532
119
356
110
77
246
186
66
264
58
314
173
81
58
31
825
99
40
277
157
6049
Trader to Public 85
672
272
40
143
43
53
100
70
18
138
27
149
53
49
22
5
360
35
12
106
97
2549
Public to Trader 23.4
32.4
15.4
0.0
-9.8
0.0
-49.2 -13.8 74.1
114.3 10.1
15.0
1.0
-3.5
30.0
160.0
12.0
38.2
-50.0 5.4
-8.8
14.3
Public to Public 2.5
12.1
3.4
-0.8
-1.7
28.2
2.6
-17.5 -8.6
21.2
4.2
13.8
26.4
-0.6
24.7
-32.8 -61.3 -10.3 3.0
-17.5 2.2
13.4
3.7
Trader to Public 34.1
11.8
-7.7
45.0
30.8
58.1
0.0
3.0
166.7 1.4
11.1
12.1
30.2
-14.3 22.7
8.3
-24.7 11.1
40.0
25.0
-22.2
14.3
62.5
2.3
-21.1 10.8
Trucks 2015
Trucks 2014
Trucks % change
24.3
✓ Control & manage your Trader Network stock
✓ Paperless change of ownership transactions
✓ Create wholesale vehicle transactions
20.0
1.4
40.0
22.6
'Take control with Dealer
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AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 31
STATSTALK
BIKES
Bikes still up
B
ike registrations in
October did not quite
show the strength
they have shown in recent
months – but were still on
the rise.
New bike registrations
were up 3.8% to 791 units
from 762 in October last
year. For the year registrations have hit 7108 units.
Interestingly, usual market
leader slipped to second,
with Honda taking first spot
on 99 registrations, up 28.6%
for a 12.5% stake.
Harley Davidson was
second on 94, up 28.8% for
an 11.9% market share, with
Suzuki tied, down 2.1%.
Yamaha was fourth on 66,
Kawasaki fifth on 55.
The Honda NBC110 BN
was top new model on
47 bikes, followed by the
Yamaha YZF R3AF on 20 and
Harley Davidson Street 16
500 on 17.
Used motorcycle registrations were up 8.2% for
the month to 224 from 207.
Coleman Suzuki in
NEW BIKE MODELS
MAKE
HONDA
YAMAHA
HARLEY DAVIDSON
TNT MOTOR
SUZUKI
SUZUKI
APRILIA
KAWASAKI
FACTORY BUILT
KTM
MODEL
NBC 110BN
YZF R3AF
STREET 16 STREET 500
ROMA 2T
GW250 INAZUMA LAM
UZ50 X
ETX 150
ER 300A
LINTEX VIVA
200 DUKE
OCT'15
47
20
17
16
15
14
13
11
10
10
USED BIKE MAKES
MAKE
OCT'15
OCT'14
% CHANGE MARKET
HARLEY DAVIDSON
HONDA
TRIUMPH
BMW
SUZUKI
YAMAHA
KAWASAKI
DUCATI
VICTORY
KTM
OTHER
TOTAL
73
31
21
17
13
12
9
8
7
5
28
224
55
17
16
14
16
9
15
28
4
6
27
207
32.7
82.4
31.3
21.4
-18.8
33.3
-40.0
-71.4
75.0
-16.7
3.7
8.2
35.3
15.0
10.1
8.2
6.3
5.8
4.3
3.9
3.4
2.4
13.5
100.0
Auckland City misses out on
some of the dirt-bike sales
that the sunshine brings, but
self-proclaimed salesman
extraordinaire Craig Stephens
says they’re pretty happy
with recent performance. The bike that’s getting
the most interest is the
new GSX1000S - which he
describes as the most hightech bike the company has
ever made.
“It’s got more tech, it’s a
comfortable cruiser sports
with a really good 1000cc
four-cylinder and it’s only
available in matte grey,” he
said. “Worldwide demand has
been huge, but we catch up
on all the colours in Christmas.”
Riders coming off sportsbikes are its main market
- “none of us like to admit
it, but we do get old and
have to make more sensible
decisions occasionally,” jokes
Stephens.
The market is going strongly as the summer weather improves, he
says, noting that HarleyDavidson’s performing well
and that another Japanese
manufacturer has registered
a lot of “postie bikes.”
NEW BIKE MAKES
MAKE
OCT
'15
YTD
'15
OCT
'14
%
Market
Change Share %
HONDA
HARLEY DAVIDSON
SUZUKI
YAMAHA
KAWASAKI
TRIUMPH
BMW
FACTORY BUILT
KTM
APRILIA
MOPED
TNT MOTOR
VESPA
HYOSUNG
DUCATI
FORZA
PGO
INDIAN
ZNEN
PEUGEOT
OTHER
TOTAL
99
94
94
66
55
37
36
32
30
29
25
21
18
16
15
15
12
11
10
9
67
791
901
549
1196
611
442
376
266
238
250
210
138
238
122
124
167
143
96
103
44
86
808
7108
77
73
96
83
60
69
38
12
28
7
20
36
12
13
17
15
17
20
0
0
69
762
28.6
28.8
-2.1
-20.5
-8.3
-46.4
-5.3
166.7
7.1
314.3
25.0
-41.7
50.0
23.1
-11.8
0.0
-29.4
-45.0
-2.9
3.8
12.5
11.9
11.9
8.3
7.0
4.7
4.6
4.0
3.8
3.7
3.2
2.7
2.3
2.0
1.9
1.9
1.5
1.4
1.3
1.1
8.5
100.0
a fresh approach to dealer finance
www.MyFinance.co.nz 0800 385 385
61771 Auto File Banner Print Ad 180x56mm PRESS.indd 1
32 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
1/11/13 4:20 PM
STATSTALK
TRUCKS
Isuzu Trucks retains
new market dominance
despite slowing market
I
suzu Trucks has maintained its market leadership in the new heavy
truck market with 910
registrations in the year to
October 31, as opposed to
767 in the previous corresponding period.
Despite overall market
registrations dropping by 8%
from 468 units in October
2014 to 430 last month in
the heavy truck market,
Isuzu Trucks increased its
monthly share by 24% with
72 registrations as opposed
to 58 in the previous corresponding period.
New truck registrations
have slowed, and in the year
to October 31 there have
been 4156 registrations as
opposed to 4311 at the
same time in 2014.
The Hino truck brand
follows in second place with
550 registrations (down
from 620 in 2014) and
Mitsubishi Fuso takes third
place with 545 year to date
registrations (down from
581 in 2014). Fourth placed MercedesBenz has seen its registrations improve, its up from
327 registrations to 338 year
to date.
It was ahead of last October with 55 registrations as
opposed to 30. Used imported trucks,
however, have bounced back
up by 26% for the month,
there were 132 registra-
tions as opposed to 104 in
the previous corresponding
period.
Year-to-date used imported truck registrations have
NEW TRUCK MAKES
OCT
MAKE
'15
ISUZU
72
HINO
57
MERCEDES-BENZ 55
MITSUBISHI FUSO 54
UD TRUCKS
27
FIAT
26
DAF
21
KENWORTH
18
VOLVO
16
FACTORY BUILT
15
OTHER
69
TOTAL
430
OCT
'14
58
55
30
77
28
18
20
25
27
0
130
468
%
Change
24.1
3.6
83.3
-29.9
-3.6
44.4
5.0
-28.0
-40.7
-46.9
-8.1
% of
Market
16.7
13.3
12.8
12.6
6.3
6.0
4.9
4.2
3.7
3.5
16.0
100.0
Vehicle Inspection NZ
increased from 1165 to 1421.
Toyota leads this market with
271 registrations, followed by
Isuzu on 257, and Hino with
135.
USED TRUCKS MAKES
YTD
'15
910
550
338
545
221
188
178
166
221
51
787
4156
YTD
'14
767
620
327
581
212
158
171
145
234
32
1065
4311
OCT
'15
TOYOTA
41
MITSUBISHI
20
ISUZU
19
HINO
11
NISSAN
10
FIAT
5
DAF
4
MAZDA
4
ALEXANDER DENNIS 3
FACTORY BUILT
2
OTHER
13
TOTAL
132
MAKE
OCT
'14
18
15
17
20
11
3
1
1
%
Change
127.8
33.3
11.8
-45.0
-9.1
66.7
300.0
300.0
18
104
-27.8
26.9
% of
Market
31.1
15.2
14.4
8.3
7.6
3.8
3.0
3.0
2.3
1.5
9.8
100.0
YTD
'15
393
178
266
190
123
19
16
33
5
17
181
1421
YTD
'14
271
115
257
135
124
22
16
24
4
8
189
1165
Vehicle Inspection Specialists
Vehicle Inspection NZ
• Warrant of Fitness • Certificate of Fitness • Certification • Road User Charges
• Registration & Relicencing • Drivers Licences • Vehicle Information
• Vehicle Appraisal & Change of Ownership • Exhaust Emission Testing
TALK TO THE TEAM YOU CAN TRUST: 0800 GO VINZ (0800 468 469) / email: info@vinz.co.nz / www.vinz.co.nz
AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 33
TRIBUNALTALK
The serious damage
everyone missed
Guy v Glenfield Wholesale Limited t/a Real Wholesale Cars
I
n this case, the purchaser,
who lives near Palmerston
North saw the vehicle, a
2005 Toyota Estima, advertised on TradeMe in June
2015. The advertisement
listed among its features
‘AA Pre Purchase Inspection
done’, ‘AA Certified Mileage’
and ‘AA Appraised’.”
The purchaser says she
was attracted to the vehicle
because it had an AA Pre
Purchase Inspection and
because its mileage was AA
Certified.
The purchaser had a
friend in Auckland inspect
and test drive the vehicle and
he reported that it did not
appear to have any faults and
drove well. The purchaser
did not require the trader
to provide a copy of the AA
Pre Purchase Inspection
report. She agreed to buy
the vehicle for $9,500 and
collected it.
The vehicle had a new
warrant of fitness issued by
Autozone Services Ltd.
The following day the
NYK VEHICLE
EXPRESS SERVICE
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vehicle logistics
service JAPAN to NZ
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to Auckland, Christchurch,
Wellington, and Nelson
Full MPI inspection
service from Kawasaki,
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For eFFIcIent custoMer Focused servIce
contact NYK
Auckland Branch 0800 695 546
Christchurch Branch 0800 695 2424
email: nz_vehicleimports@oc.nykline.com
34 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
purchaser drove the vehicle
to her home in Palmerston
North. While driving on the
Waikato Expressway the purchaser noticed an unusual
road noise and stopped the
vehicle. On inspecting the
wheels, she found the left
front tyre was flat and the
right front tyre was half flat
and the spare tyre was also
flat.
The purchaser’s husband
bought a pump, pumped up
the tyres and the purchaser
drove the vehicle to North
Waikato Tyre Centre Ltd,
which found both front tyres
had perished valve stems
causing the tyres to go flat.
The space saver also had a
faulty valve and was flat. Before replacing the tyres, the
purchaser claims she sent a
text message to the trader’s
manager but received no
response.
The cost of the replacement tyres and an after
hours call out charge was
$440. The trader has refused
to reimburse the purchaser
with that sum and claims
the replacement of the tyres
should have been discussed
with it before the tyres were
replaced.
The purchaser says that
the vehicle’s brakes felt soft
and on July 10 she took the
vehicle to her mechanic who
bled the brakes and drew
the purchaser’s attention to
the vehicle’s damaged sub
frame.
On July 13 the purchaser
sent the trader an email
notifying it that her mechanic had found structural
damage to the sub frame at
the front of the vehicle and
that she had also taken the
vehicle to VTNZ who told
her the vehicle should not
have passed a border check.
The purchaser’s email
asked the trader how it
wished to proceed. Later
the same day the purchaser
emailed the trader photographs of the left side of
the sub frame showing the
damage.
In a written report VTNZ
says: “There is a substantial
amount of distortion to the
LH side of the lower front
sub frame. The metal is also
torn in two places.
In my opinion this should
have failed for Compliance
and a WOF as structural
damage. It appears to be
historic (sic) damage due
to the degree of corrosion
around the damaged area. I
have taken two photographs
which will be kept on file.
I am happy to be contacted regarding this.
Paul Dekker”
The purchaser produced
two photographs which she
says were taken by VTNZ
that show the vehicle’s sub
frame with what appears to
be impact damage, tears in
the metal and corrosion in
the torn metal sub frame.
On July 15 the purchaser
sent the trader an email
saying she wanted the
trader to take the vehicle
back because it was “not fit
for purpose” and informing
the trader it would need to
transport the vehicle back
Continued on page 35
TRIBUNALTALK
Continued from page 34
to Auckland because it was
not safe to drive due to the
structural damage.
The purchaser made contact with the AA, who initially
told her that the vehicle had
never had an AA Appraisal.
This has since been acknowledged by the AA to
be incorrect, one was done
on December 8, 2014, at
116,159kms and this appraisal
done for the trader expired
on February 8, 2015.
The AA informed the
purchaser that they had not
done an AA Pre Purchase Inspection of the vehicle. The
purchaser sent the trader an
email purporting to reject
the vehicle on July 17, and
another email on August
3 rejecting the vehicle for
structural damage including tears in the frame and
requested a full refund of
her purchase price.
The purchaser gained
an estimate of$1,552.73 to
repair the damage.
The purchaser says she
notified Autozone Services
Ltd - who had issued the vehicles Warrant of Fitness - of
the damage to the sub frame
and sent them photographs
of the sub frame.
She says that Autozone
promptly contacted her and
offered to pay to have the
sub frame replaced.
In reply to questions from
the Tribunal, the purchaser
said that she was the sole
driver of the vehicle and that
she had not been involved
in any accidents involving
the vehicle since she had
bought it.
Second, that apart from a
short distance into her rural
property near Palmerston
North the vehicle is driven
on sealed roads to take her
children to school and to get
to her work as an unsworn
employee workforce coordinator with NZ Police.
The trader’s representative says he gave a copy of
the AA Appraisal report to
the person who inspected
the vehicle for the purchaser.
He says that in the course
of compliance by Vehicle
Safety Systems on October
3, 2014, two used tyres were
replaced on the front wheels
and rear sill damage in the
jacking area was repaired, a
low volume vehicle certificate obtained and a wheel
alignment was done.
The trader’s representative says it is unlikely that
any damage to the sub
frame was missed as part of
either the border check or
during compliance inspection.
The vehicle also passed
a warrant of fitness inspection on June 10 before it was
supplied to the purchaser
and he says it is unlikely the
damage to the sub frame
was missed during all of this
checking. The trader thinks
the vehicle may have been
damaged by the purchaser.
In its decision, the Tribunal
accepted first, that at the
time of sale the vehicle’s tyre
valves had perished making
the tyres unsafe. Second,
that the vehicle has serious
structural damage that was
found to exist on July 10 a
little less than one month after the vehicle was supplied
to the purchaser.
The Tribunal considers the
purchaser to be a credible
witness.
The trader claimed that if
the damage to the sub frame
had been present when the
vehicle passed compliance
inspection it would most
certainly have been detected.
The Tribunal has taken
what may be seen as a significant position on this:
“This may be true but the
Tribunal has seen previous
instances of faults not being
detected during compliance
inspection and accepts that
faults can be overlooked
during compliance inspection.”
The Tribunal also noted
the willingness of the trader’s
warrant of fitness issuer, Autozone Services Ltd, to offer
to pay the cost of repairing
the sub frame and thinks this
tends to suggest that the
damage was present when
the WOF was issued.
The Tribunal’s Assessor
is confident that the corrosion the sub frame exhibits
around the damaged areas
is advanced and would take
at least several months to be
in its present state. It is also
possible that the damage
occurred while the vehicle
was being test driven by another potential buyer or by a
member of the trader’s staff
between October 2014 and
June 2015.
The Tribunal tends to
think the fault was more
than likely present when the
vehicle was supplied to the
purchaser by the trader.
The Tribunal upheld
the rejection, ordering the
trader to refund the cost
of the vehicle, the cost of
the tyres, the cost for the
purchaser to travel to Auckland, and collect the vehicle
from Palmerston North at
its cost.
Dealer Information Notice
Dealer Information Notice
MTA MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
Interests
of motor vehicle dealers a priority
Na ti ona l Subs cri pti on
$700 Excl GST & Bra nch fee
Yes No
Cost
Brand
Year
Capacity
Strong & nationally recognised
Since 1917
4000 members
MTA is NZ’s largest dealer representative group: Franchise
dealers, used dealers, motorcycle dealers, and truck dealers
Yes
Mediation
HR Advice
Yes
MTA stationery
Yes
IT Advice
Yes No
Industry
research
No
No
Market analysis - regular,
accurate and detailed
Advocacy - pushing the causes
for your industry
Benefits - save money with
No
key business partners
Business
Range of Need a mentor
Managers
newsletters Yes No
Specialist training
Business Advice
No
Yes No
Yes
FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT MTA
Events / get
Website
Free phone
togethers
Yes No
www.mta.org.nz
CONTACT US
Tony Everett 04 381 8827
AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 35
NEWSTALK
Is cash king?
Continued from page 24
purchase of a motor vehicle.
Your first objective is then to determine if they really are a
cash buyer or if they’ve just borrowed funds from somewhere
else (so you know if you’re dealing with a cash conversion or
a bank conversion).
Ask: “When you say cash are you talking about cold hard
savings or are you borrowing from somewhere else?”
If you establish it really is their own cash you can then
proceed with the cash conversion process, which includes:• understanding as much as you can about the customer
and their circumstances
• their possible future needs for finance
• helping them understand that you have a finance facility available in the dealership that is competitive and
convenient and that allows them the opportunity to
own their new vehicle without disturbing their cash (that
they may have saved hard for). NB Don’t always assume
though that cash necessarily means savings.
• implementing our cash conversion exercise to illustrate
the benefits of borrowing from you and maintaining their
returns on their cash in the bank.
It’s important to note that the benefit of a cash conversion exercise is not just to show a customer how little the
difference is between the interest paid on your credit con-
Anywhere. Anytime.
Your most important dealership information
accessible from any desktop, tablet or mobile
device. Faster. Easier. Smarter.
0800 623 687
www.motorcentral.co.nz
36 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
tract vs the interest earned on their savings, but more-so,
their possible asset strength after the loan has been repaid
due to the discipline of compulsory savings (via the payments on their credit card) vs voluntary savings.
If you’re interested in learning more about our cash conversion process and increasing your finance sales through
more effective techniques to convert cash/bank customers,
call me now and let me help you introduce the Provident
profit factor into your business.
A MONTH IN THE
LIFE OF…
Continued from page 17
Transport fuels and fleet management conference
We provided speakers and facilitators at this recent
two-day conference in Auckland, which was opened by
the minister of transport, and attended by industry representatives. It was an excellent opportunity to make the
case for used vehicles, particularly EVs, to be included in
fleet purchase and leasing decisions. Ports of Auckland: ‘Future Auckland’ study
We are part of the wider group informing this study,
representing the whole vehicle import industry.
Our role is to ensure that any recommendations and
decisions are based on facts, not just subjective opinions
about the vehicle import operations of the port. Too
many uninformed comments such as “the port is just
used vehicle parking lot,” can influence public opinion
and potentially Auckland council’s decisions, unless they
are put into perspective against the background of the
economic contribution made by the port and the vehicle
import industry. Plus, business as usual…
The issues and activities detailed above are just some
of our recent work; at the same time it’s ‘business as
usual’:
So, on reflection, a month in the life of the IMVIA is
varied, interesting, involves travel, and is at times very
pressured when we have multiple deadline to meet…and
all with only three staff!
The IMVIA has had to constantly change and reinvent
itself over its 27 years, in order to properly represent and
advocate for our industry, and our current activities are
quite different from the activities when the association
was formed.
But we’re arguably just as relevant, and just as necessary, as when the used vehicle import industry was first
getting started.
Max Pichon
or
AutoTalk’s seni
list
Aussie journa
oks
Max Pichon lo
ajor
m
e
th
at
ck
ba
past
stories in the
r
month on ou
Austrailian
ite
AutoTalk webs
m.au
– autotalk.co
October 5
Vehicle affordability
‘at all-time high’
Vehicle sales continued their
upward trend, with growth up
6.8% compared to the same
time last year.
Australians purchased
101,392 vehicles last month,
with the year-to-date total at
862,832.
Sales were on the up for
ACT, NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria, while NT,
SA and WA recorded drops of
13.2%, 3.9% and 8.8% respectively.
October 6
Personal loans fuel
new car sales
Aussies wanting new cars are
applying for personal loans in
their droves, according to a
new report.
With the car market sitting
a healthy 3.6% higher than
this time last year, with small
to medium SUVs growing at
over 20%.
FCAI chief executive Tony
Weber said that vehicle affordability is at an all time
high – and the marketplace is
certainly listening.
October 13
Japanese industry
group on Australian
tour
Leaders of the Japanese used
vehicle export industry visited
Australia to research the country’s automotive scene and its
potential as a market.
An 18-strong group from
AUSSIE TALK
DIARY
the Japan Used Motor Vehicle Exporters Association
(JUMVEA), were on the tour,
assisted by the Australian Imported Motor Vehicle Industry
Association, sponsors, and
other members of the used
vehicle trade.
Included in the delegation
were chairman Hiroshi Sato
and vice-chairman Yoshiharu
Warashina.
$50m for BMW
dealership
October 26
FOLLOW
AUSSIETALK
Australian dealer news
at www.autotalk.com.au
bane and begun underwriting
transport, logistics and marine
liability insurance in Australia
and New Zealand.
The announcement came
off the back of BHSI recently
introducing marine cargo
(ocean and inland), cargo stock
throughput (STP), carrier goods
in transit, carriers liability and
marine project cargo coverages
in both countries.
Carboodle cops ASIC
conditions
Surveillance by ASIC saw conditions imposed on Green Light
Auto Group, which trades as
Carboodle.
The Australian Securities
and Investments Commission
discovered that the systems
and procedures Carboodle had
in place were not sufficient to
comply with consumer credit
laws, including meeting its
responsible lending conditions.
It also failed to obtain written consent to enter a property when repossessing leased
vehicles.
October 29
Queensland puts
squeeze on lemons
The Queensland Government
looks set to introduce socalled ‘lemon laws’ to protect
consumers from buying faulty
vehicles.
Its final decision depends
on depending on recommendations to be handed to state
parliament at the end of November, following an inquiry
into their adoption.
October 28
Berkshire Hathaway
aims at Australia, NZ
BMW is to revamp a Rushcut- Berkshire Hathaway Specialty
ters Bay site the eye-watering Insurance Company (BHSI)
cost of $52.8 million.
opened its newest office in BrisThe huge figure is said to be
the largest-ever investment for
a Sydney dealership.The application to design and build the
new dealership was lodged,
and includes extensive demolition of existing buildings.
The application proposed
an 18m building envelope
featuring two showrooms, a
workshop area, parking, offices, parts storage, a training
centre and other ancillary
facilities.
 Full border inspections
Specialists in
pre‑shipment inspections
in Japan & UK
Cheaper Euro car
imports coming: MP
Minister Andrew Robb welcomed the overnight release
of the European Commission’s
(EC) new trade and investment
strategy, meaning cheaper
European cars.
The EC will seek authorisation from the EU’s member
countries to negotiate a Free
Trade Agreement (FTA) with
Australia.
Robb, Minister for Trade
and Investment, said the announcement is an important
initial step towards launching
an Australia-EU FTA.

Authorised MPI inspections

Authorised NZTA inspections

Odometer verification

Pre-export appraisal

Vehicle history reports
JEVIC NZ
09 966 1779
www.jevic.co.nz
AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 37
Robert Barry
DIESELTALK
itor
DIESELtalk ed
Robert Barry
onth
looks at the m
gone by on
.nz
dieseltalk.co
r the
-daily news fo
rt and
heavy transpo
ctors.
equipment se
October 1
Mainfreight ‘legend’
and co-founder dies
Mainfreight co-founder and
company ‘legend’ Christchurch
philanthropist Neil Graham
died after a long battle with ill
health.
The logistics company announced his death on its news
website
It said that 71-year-old
Graham had been a huge part
of the Mainfreight family since
1979 when he accepted an
invitation from Bruce Plested
to join the operation as joint
managing director.
October 2
Hellaby focuses
on automotive,
equipment, and
energy
Listed investment company
Hellaby Holdings says it will
narrow future investment into
automotive, equipment, and oil
and gas and will dispose of its
footwear division being Hannahs and Number One Shoes.
Among the automotive and
equipment brands owned by
Hellaby are AB Equipment,
Diesel Distributors, NZ Trucks,
BNT, Autolign, HCB batteries,
NZ Brake Co, and Truck and
Trailer Parts.
October 5
VW Amarok rolled
in diesel emissions
scandal
DIARY
tailed the number of vehicles
caught up in its international
emissions scandal, which includes the Amarok Pick up and
the Volkswagen Caddy van.
Volkswagen New Zealand
general manager Tom Ruddenklau told DIESELTalk that
4639 of its New Zealand sold
vehicles are included.
October 7
Top NZ Scania team
now head to Sweden
A team of workmates from
the Cable Price Christchurch
branch won the Scania Top
Team’s last regional semi-final
in Guangzhou, China.
The Christchurch team was
announced the winner, and
Team Kinetic from Singapore
was the runner-up. Both will
head to Sweden for the final
round of the global competition in December.
October 8
Truckometer report:
Foot back on the
gas?
The two ANZ Truckometer
indexes lifted in September;
traffic flows rose on all but
one road in the light and heavy
traffic indexes.
“If the strength in the
month of September can be
sustained, the economy may
well be in for a better second
half,” says the ANZ Truckometer.
“The main risks to this picture are out of New Zealand’s
control: the El Nino threat and
the global outlook,” it says.
Volkswagen New Zealand de-
38 | AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz
October 12
October 19
Smart container
weighing solution
wins design award
NZTA slams asbestos
allegations
Dunedin tech company
Bison was awarded the gold
pin award for its innovative
product design called Weighing Jacks at the Best Design
Awards.
The Bison Weighing Jacks
are the world’s first portable
solution for calculating the
weight of a shipping container in situ, rather than transporting the container by truck
to a weighbridge.
October 14
Direct shipping
service to Americas
and Europe from
Centreport
The Wellington port operator
has announced the start of a
new container shipping service
that will take goods from central New Zealand directly to
the Americas and Europe.
The new service offered by
CentrePort Wellington comes
on the back of a 19% increase
in the port’s container trade
over the last two years.
Commencing in November, Centreport Wellington
says that shipping companies
CMA-CGM and Marfret will be
operating the new ‘Panama
service’.
October 15
Autonomous trucks
will solve Singapore
driver shortage
The shortage of bus and
truck drivers in Singapore has
spurred its ministry of transport to research autonomous
vehicle operation to cope with
future demand for logistics
and public transport.
Reuters reports that Singapore recently revealed its
future vision of passengers
commuting in driverless buses
along roads and motorways
populated by platoons of
autonomous trucks following
a single driver.
New Zealand Transport Agency
bosses are fuming at accusations that practices around
asbestos handling and transporting aren’t safe.
Reports around work being
carried out unsafely at central
Christchurch sites were incorrect, said highway manager
for NZTA Colin Knaggs.
“The public’s safety has
never been at risk,” he said.
“The Transport Agency’s
contractors are scrupulous in
handling waste from all sites to
protect people using the state
highway system, the people
we employ working on or near
the material and people living
or working near these sites.
October 21
Fuel saving
programme used
by 7% of heavy fleet
diesel users
The Government will continue
to focus on trucks and heavy
commercial vehicles which
it says to use about a third of
transport energy.
The heavy vehicle sector
consumes about 20% of all
transport energy – about one
billion litres of diesel per annum, says Transport Minister
Simon Bridges.
“Many fleet operators are
not aware they can make
significant savings through fuel
efficiency,” he says
October 28
Jade terminal
operating system live
in Abu Dhabi Port
Jade Software’s Master Terminal is now running live at three
of seven planned installations
for Abu Dhabi Ports.
Abu Dhabi Ports is replacing
its legacy system with Jade’s
terminal operating system.
The recent implementation
at Musaffah Port is the third
port to go live with the new
technology.
EMPLOYMENTTALK
Disparity between needs
and resources L
ast month. we received
several calls from employers concerned that,
regardless of actions they
took, it was proving difficult
to secure skills. Common
concerns showed that shortages had spread to multiple
job descriptions and that
staff were hard to source. Job listings increased
and job boards also reported increased job listings.
A South Island job expo
reported there were more
jobs than job seekers. In complete contrast to
the experiences of employers, the unemployment
rate rose to 6.0 percent in
the September 2015 quarter; up from 5.9 percent
for the June 2015 quarter.
There were 3000 more
unemployed people in the
quarter, bringing the number
of unemployed to 151,000;
the highest number since the
June 2013 quarter. Tasman/Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast had the
only statistically significant
change in regional unemployment rates with an
increase to 5.7 percent (up
2.1 percentage points). While most of us will
share a concern for the unemployed, the release of the
current unemployment statistics needs to be kept into
perspective. Other wealthy
countries often compared to
New Zealand share similar
rates of unemployment. As an example, the most
recent statistics from Australia that I can locate show
6.2 percent unemployment,
USA 5.5%, UK 5.4%, and
Canada 7%. It will probably
be no surprise to learn that
all of these countries have
similar problems to New
Zealand in locating a variety
of skills staff for motor industry employers. Essentially, all these
countries share a common
privileged position in that
we all have relatively low
unemployment. While I cannot comment on the accuracy of
the breakdown of unemployment data held in other
countries, in New Zealand it
seems that the bigger issue
for employers is the accuracy of how the unemployed
describe their work skills. This is an issue because
many employers are dependent on supplementing
skill shortages with skilled
migrant workers. Work
permits/residency may not
be approved if Work and
Income NZ have incorrectly
categorised an employed
person’s skills. Last month, while once
again attempting reinstatement of automotive technicians on the skills shortages lists, the decades old
discussion of how many
unemployed technicians
there are surfaced. The figure
quoted this time was 146
unemployed technicians
nationally. When I challenged
this and asked whether the
Senior Manager had actually
viewed any of the employ-
an employer’s chances of
resolving an unfiled vacancy
with offshore workers. Clearly, the same issues could
occur with a variety of motor
industry occupations. In our opinion, the employment outlook for skilled
New Zealanders is extremely
bright if you are employed in
the motor industry. A candidate who is well skilled and
has a reasonable employ-
It will probably be no surprise to learn that
all of these countries have similar problems
to New Zealand in locating a variety of skills
staff for motor industry employers. ment backgrounds of the
claimed 146 unemployed
there was admission that,
no, he had not viewed the
backgrounds. The situation we therefore endure is that incorrectly categorised automotive technicians remain
showing on work and
income records as unemployed and nobody seems
to be interested in correcting the records. The scenario with technicians is but one example of
how incorrectly categorised
unemployed can impact
ment background seems to
be able to locate employment just about anywhere. In the motor industry, for
now, there seems little reason for being unemployed
aside from a lack of skill, or
an employment background
that is less than ideal. We
acknowledge that there are
plenty of exceptions to this
rule but an unemployment
rate of 6% is still low by
international standards. The
current politicking slamming
our latest unemployment
rates seems little more than
point scoring. Russell Phillips is New Zealand’s most experienced automotive
recruiter, and has operated a specialist recruitment company since
1991. He reports for AutoTalk on the employment market monthly.
www.automotiveemployment.co.nz
AUTOTALK NOVEMBER 2015 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 39
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South Island / Wellington
Business Development Manager
027 8765434
www.autohub.co
+64 9 411 7425
info@autohub.co