Autofile - 13 January

The trusted voice of the auto industry for more than 25 years www.autofile.co.nz

Issue 1-2014 13 January 2014

Road safety fears with new regime M

ajor concerns have been raised by New Zealand’s three transport service delivery agents (TSDAs) over the latest overhaul of the vehicle inspection sector.

The industry is likely to change beyond all recognition when the new certificate of fitness (COF) regime comes in.

Details are outlined in the NZTA’s service delivery regulatory model – a 51-page document on opening up the market – and come under the Vehicle Licensing Reform (VLR) following changes

to warrants of fitness (WOFs).

Key features of the new COF regime to be introduced on July 1 include:  More organisations inspecting and repairing vehicles.  Companies being able to “bundle” servicing, repairs and COFs.  More inspection sites and canning some site requirements.

The NZTA stresses the current system prevents other providers entering the industry, which has a

“relatively low level of competitive intensity”, but VTNZ, VINZ and the AA are unimpressed with the new COF model.

A handful of organisations have indicated they want to get into vehicle inspections as soon as possible, says Frank Willett, VINZ’s chief executive officer.

“A lot are more dubious or are awaiting more details,” he told Autofile. “Criteria for inspector and site approvals have to be confirmed, and some requirements could increase in complexity.”

[continued on page 4]

Kiwis’ Holden supply secure

T

he delivery of new vehicles to New Zealand should be unaffected by Holden’s decision to pull the plug on making cars in Australia in three years’ time.

Although there may be some issues with parts being supplied to this country when its two plants there close, the marque insists vehicles sold here will be supported.

However, General Motors’ (GM) decision has thrown more doubt onto the future of the automotive industry across the Tasman.

Ford Australia is due to stop production in 2016 and there are concerns Toyota may also exit the sector – and all this follows Mitsubishi closing its operations in 2008.

About 3,000 Holden workers at Elizabeth, South Australia, and in Melbourne will be affected, while the car component industry is expected to be severely hit.

At the moment, Holden New Zealand imports between 250 and 280 units per month from Australia split between four

[continued on page 7]

ACCESSORY BUNDLING CREATE AN EXCLUSIVE MODEL FOR YOUR BRAND VIEW VIDEO

MORE SALES MORE PROFIT CUSTOMERS FOR LIFE

WWW.DEALERSHIPEDITIONS.CO.NZ

In this issue p 10 Trade Me on buy-out p 11 Ferraris set for record p 12 Winning cars of 2013 p 14 Profile on VINZ chief p 18 Energy sources shift p 24 In-depth vehicle stats

Trusted for over 25 years Freephone: 0800 435 7868 contact@protecta.co.nz • www.protecta.co.nz

p21

Slice of American Pie celebrates 50th birthday

Retro Vehicle Enhancement

www.rve.co.nz 0800 RETRO 4 U Driving Solutions

Protect your investment with

M AY C O V E R EXISTING DAMAGE

 EASY TO INSTALL AND REMOVE  PREVENTS KERBING DAMAGE  RANGE OF COLOURS  COST-EFFECTIVE “Our dealership has installed the system on its loan vehicles. They’re prone to a bit of kerbing, so RimPro-Tec has saved us quite a bit of money. For owners of high-performance cars with alloys worth $7,000 to $8,000, it’s an economical way to save rims. We’re selling quite a few each month.” - Evan Lorezon, Jerry Clayton BMW

0800 4 RIMPRO

WWW .RIMPRO-TEC.COM

editor’s note

Silly season still in full swing delivery agents (TSDAs) work to keep the fleet safe. Or are we looking at change for change’s sake?

It’s an obvious question because it’s hard to see where the cost savings will come from.

One thing is more important than money though and that’s life.

The three TSDAs – the experts, in many people’s books – have predicted a drop in vehicle safety by opening up the COF inspection market along with “bundling” it with repairs and servicing.

You don’t have to be a crackerjack to realise the in-service failure of trucks is likely to be catastrophic.

Last year, the NZTA engaged with COF providers and the industry for three rounds of reference group meetings, and it’s no wonder TSDA representatives were banned from discussing the proposals during this so-called “consultation process”.

You can add “democracy” and “predetermined outcome” to the list of words “transport officials” need to get to grips with, along with the flawed mantra of “maintain or improve safety while cutting costs”.

The NZTA’s COF model states approach principles “have been underpinned by a process that’s inclusive and informed by feedback from stakeholders”.

So what right did the VLR team have to bar VTNZ, VINZ and the AA from talking to, or answering questions from, the media during the process?

It’s worth bearing in mind it wanted its views of the COF process represented in the press.

The NZTA can email editor@ autofile.co.nz if it wants to provide any answers. Why not have your say by writing in?

Darren Risby, editor

Editor

Advertising

Darren Risby editor@autofile.co.nz 021 137 5430

Brian McCutcheon brian@autofile.co.nz 021 455 775

Journalist & Online producer

Designer

Cameron Carpenter cameron@autofile.co.nz

Adrian Payne arpayne@gmail.com

Autofile is also available as an electronic copy via email. If you’d like to receive electronic copies please send an email with your name and organisation to: subscribe@autofile.co.nz.

Back copies are also available on request.

Copyright: Published twice monthly by 4Media, PO Box 6222, Dunedin 9059 All statements made, although based on information believed to be accurate and reliable, cannot be guaranteed, and no liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions.

Reproduction of autofile in whole or part, without written permission, whether by xerography or any other means, is strictly forbidden. All rights reserved.

HAPPY WITH YOUR CURRENT

ARE YOU

I

t’s been the time of year to show goodwill, but what happens now the festive season is over?

Should we display hostility to everyone, or continue exuding kindness and friendliness? It seems more appropriate to pay it forward all-year around.

The season to be jolly saw a government press release exclaim “summer is here” while promoting Bike Wise Month in February.

Its advice included it being important for drivers and cyclists to “look out for each other and share the road safely”.

“Be prepared” by checking brakes, tyres, lights and reflectors, “ride in a straight line” and “use cycle lanes when you can”.

Other pearls of wisdom from the agency charged with implementing road-safety initiatives were “try not to hold up traffic and use lights at night”.

It’s good to see road safety being taken so seriously because a cohesive approach is what Safer Journeys is all about.

But that’s where any consistency seems to end and where government policies crash into each other head-on.

Three words: Vehicle Licensing Reform (VLR). Three more words: certificate of fitness (COF). Two words: Safer Journeys. And the cohesion between those eight words? None, it would appear.

Three words could sum up the new COF regime’s service delivery regulatory model – “what a joke” – although it’s anything but funny.

Calls by VINZ, VTNZ and the AA to retain independence in this part of the inspection industry have fallen on deaf ears or have been brushed under the carpet.

Worse still, they could result from extensive lobbying and vested interests while the transport service

?

VEHICLE SUPPLIER

WHAT YOU GET WITH RELIABILITY

First choice for NZ dealers for 20 years

EXPERIENCE

Our buyers are knowledgeable about NZ dealers requirements

CHOICE

100,000 vehicles per week available through our auction search engine

STOCK READY FOR SHIPPING Extensive range of pre-purchased stock available for shipping NOW

PEACE OF MIND

All vehicles Ramp Inspected before departure

TRUE DEALER WHOLESALE

Fixed fee includes all Japan side: transport, documents and taxes

STRICTLY DEALER ONLY

Heiwa Auto never sell or export vehicles to private buyers

Reece McKerrow

Ph: 021 988 727

Greg Bardsley

Ph: 0279 363 595

www.heiwa-auto.co.nz

www.autofile.co.nz | 3

news [continued from page 1]

Approval criteria to be set Potential service providers with financial interests in vehicles may want to inspect them, but will be barred from doing so.

“Take COF A and taxis,” explains Willett. “Vehicles that are owneroperated cannot be COF inspected by the owner-operator. Rental companies will likely be unable to ‘self-inspect and certify’ either.

“My understanding is COF A and COF B will be ‘unbundled’, so a garage carrying out WOFs may be eligible to offer COF As.”

CAPACITY IN EXISTING SYSTEM Willett objects to the NZTA describing the current system as lacking competition. He says PriceWaterhouseCoopers looked into it about three years ago and reported services were well-priced for users.

“There was also a COF service

delivery review some time back.

It found inspection times to be reasonable although there was mention of associated additional costs in time and travel.”

The NZTA claims prices charged are unregulated and vary by provider and vehicle.

changes should lower barriers for new market entrants.

“Current requirements mean TSDAs have to provide premises to a prescriptive standard,” explains Willett.

“This has resulted in facilities commanding high rents and

“Current providers will be able to consider changes to business models.”

– The NZTA’s new COF service delivery model

About $36 million is paid in fees annually, but it says this doesn’t capture the full cost to vehicle operators because around $30m in time is spent getting COFs. It also says site requirement

requiring expensive fit-outs – all effecting facility viability.

“The new model recommends some site requirements are removed. There’s some common sense to this, but what grates is

it appears previous investment wasn’t needed in the first place.

“TSDAs have had to comply and now the rules get changed. We cannot just change our facilities to the new requirements, so we’ve got to work with these changes.”

Willett disagrees with the agency’s view on a lack of competition.

“Throughout this process, I’ve maintained test lanes are empty for hours at certain times and there’s always capacity.

“We offer different rates, discounts and flexible services.

For a regulated product, there’s only so much we can do. We can only compete on service and price, and are confined on what we can adjust on either.”

The NZTA recognises the TSDAs will be hit by the new regime.  “Current providers will be able

Is your desk limiting your sales opportunities ?

Use MotorWeb where and when it is convenient for you.

Our new mobile responsive website allows access from your smartphone while you are on the move.

Nothing to download or setup; just login to your MotorWeb account or scan the QR code at the base of this page. It’s that simple!

You will then be greeted by our login page with a handy ‘remember me’ function

Now you’re done!

ph 0800 668 679 4 | www.autofile.co.nz

news

The new COF model recommends canning some site requirements – despite VTNZ, VINZ and AA making huge investments in their facilities.

Photo: VTNZ

 to consider changes to business models,” it says. “They could remain inspection only or include maintenance and repairs.

“They may choose greater flexibility around site requirements to establish partnerships to provide bundled services to extend coverage.”

In regards to bundling repairs and servicing, people have chosen to become inspectors by exiting the repair industry.

“It’s not as feasible for TSDAs to change business models in such a manner as the document infers,” says Willett.

“When the changes kick in, there will be a possible uptake of inspectors by repairers, but it has to be at a pace the industry is comfortable with.

“New entrants to the inspection service arena will need staff training, technical support and other such mechanisms. These aren’t currently available.”

AGENCY AWARE OF RISKS Extra competition could threaten COF service viability in some areas, admits the NZTA. “Providers could exit markets,” it says. “This could pose risks to coverage in lower-volume areas and result in providers raising prices.”

Certain changes, such as “enforcement arrangements by NZ Police” and “criteria for issuing pink and green stickers” were deemed as out of scope for its delivery model.

But comments have been

made there will be no budget increase for on-road enforcement.

“The NZTA recognised there would be extra risks by opening up the COF system,” says Willett.

These were “somewhat mitigated by packages promised on driver education and more enforcement”, but there seems to be no more funding.

“This is deeply concerning.

People are asking ‘am I more likely to get squashed by a truck’.

It could come down to that.”

STACKING UP THE COSTS “We have to see how the market responds to what the NZTA is proposing,” says Mike Walsh, chief executive of VTNZ. “It has gone off with a different view of independence for integrity and road safety.”

He describes the new COF model as “a call regulators have made” and the industry will have to adjust – “that’s what we will be doing to still provide services”.

Walsh says the key is monitoring new entrants to ensure road safety doesn’t drop.

“The NZTA is designing an approval and auditing system, and enforcement will need to target areas of risk.

“The new system will cost more to run than the current one, which will result in costs being passed onto inspection organisations and end users.”

VTNZ has raised the issue of fees with the NZTA because it’s concerned the cost of the current

system has been pumped up and the future one underestimated.

“On average, the COF costs about $100 – for COF As it’s $45 and about $126 for COF Bs, plus GST,” says Walsh.

However, the NZTA claims TSDA fees are unregulated and estimates inspections average $150.

“I can see garages opting to

offer COF As and where a lot of taxis operate,” adds Walsh. “There will need to be extra NZTA enforcement.

“COF B is more complex and I don’t see many outside businesses coming in. We might see some, but there’s no aggregate of volumes to take a good chunk of the market.

“An average garage might see two or three trucks a day, but would

[continued on page 6]

WE TAKE PRIDE IN CALLING OURSELVES YOUR SOLID FINANCE PARTNER We’ve been providing Market-leading commission Flexible financial solutions Experienced lenders Consistent criteria Dealer support Fast approval

for more than 20 years...

AND OUR DEALERS AGREE! Ph Kim Dwyer on 021 595 124

Freephone 0800 808 058 or visit avantifinance.co.nz

www.autofile.co.nz | 5

news [continued from page 5]

Change for change’s sake? Opening market be lucky to get one or two COF Bs a day. They aren’t going to make the expenditure to do those repairs.”

COF A is a small part of VTNZ’s business, but Walsh emphasises it all comes down to how the market responds.

“These changes are NZTA driven and not because the industry is

concern we have, particularly in COF A where the barriers to entry aren’t as high as COF B,” says Stella Stocks, the AA’s general manager of motoring services.

“Financial interests cannot be inspected and we all know people find ways to get around these things.”

Stocks is concerned the COF

says. “Many heavy vehicles come for COFs through service providers.”

This means providers that fail vehicles at pre-COF inspections may be allowed to pass them in the future – with safety being compromised.

“The NZTA hasn’t been able to keep up with audits at the moment and will have to increase its

“Vehicle safety is the biggest concern we have.” – Stella Stocks, AA lobbying hard. The test will be how many people apply for COF B and go into the market in 12 months’ time, and how enforcement covers risks.”

SAFETY IS Main ISSUE “Vehicle safety is the biggest

process is being driven by cost efficiencies that will not deliver savings but will simply create the transferral of costs instead.

“It’s particularly complex with COF B because we aren’t dealing with vehicle owners often,” she

a fresh approach to dealer finance

we’re in this together www.MyFinance.co.nz 0800 385 385

6 | www.autofile.co.nz

resources,” adds Stocks.

“Change shouldn’t be for change’s sake. With COFs, the value of independence must not be underestimated.”

OVERVIEW OF COF SPACE The road-freight industry has more than 150,000 vehicles with an annual turnover of about $6 billion.

The light commercial sector has more than 55,000 units – 82 per cent are rentals and 18 per cent passenger service vehicles, such as taxis.

The COF fleet totalled 208,000 units in 2011, and 153,000 – or 73 per cent – were heavy vehicles.

There were 465,000 inspections, including rechecks.

Administering the new regime will increase with more organisations, inspectors and sites to approve, but the NZTA says this will be partially offset by gains from business process improvements.

The benefit from reforming the COF B market in net present value was estimated to be $160-$460m over 30 years.

But this has gone up $330$460m, while the benefit of the COF A package is put at $25-$45m.

The VLR changes include keeping the six-monthly default frequency for COFs, but varying them from three to 12 months depending on operators’ safety performances.

New COF rules - for analysis, log onto www.autofile.co.nz

T

he NZTA says providers are prevented from entering the inspection industry. With COF As, they include service and repair businesses delivering WOFs, and heavyvehicle organisations for COF Bs. “There’s scope for the system to be more responsive to owners’ and operators’ needs, and enhance fleet productivity.”

The NZTA claims the changes will ensure safety is maintained or improved, while optimising the balance between “customer responsiveness” and “regulatory risks and costs”.

But inspection variations could arise from new entrants being unfamiliar with standards and commercial pressure to “underserve”. They may also target clients or vehicle types and limit others’ access to COFs. The NZTA concedes the WOF reforms will result in that market contracting, which may further reduce TSDA site viability.

It will consider applications from businesses with financial and professional interests in repairs if they have effective quality-assurance systems, but operators will be unable to inspect their own vehicles.

Sites will have to be approved and applications will not be affected by existing operations in the area.

Requirements with no bearing on inspection integrity will be removed.

These include – but aren’t limited to – dedicated lanes, turning circles, inspection area lengths, door heights and site branding.

The NZTA will appoint qualified inspectors and develop a code of conduct, while sanctions for breaching standards will be reviewed.

It will work with the Motor Industry Training Organisation and stakeholders on qualifications and training.

From July 2012 to June 2013, the NZTA reports VTNZ held 62 per cent of the COF A market and 86 per cent of COF Bs. VINZ had 11 per cent of COF As and seven per cent of COF Bs. The AA carried out seven per cent of COF As and four per cent of COF Bs.

news [continued from page 1]

Pledge to support vehicles Holden NZ imports between 250 and 280 Cruzes, Commodores, VF Utes and Caprices per month from Australia

vehicles – the Cruze, Commodore, VF Ute and Caprice.

“It’s business as usual over here,” says Jeff Murray, managing director of Holden NZ. “The new structure in Australia will resemble New Zealand’s as a national sales company.”

Murray says the end of making cars there will have no impact on the delivery of vehicles here.

“Australia to New Zealand takes eight to 10 days, while from Thailand to New Zealand it’s between 20 and 25 days,” he told Autofile.

“Nonetheless given our stockholding policies, vehicle supply will remain the same. This would only be an issue if no manufacturer or distributor held stock locally.”

As a result of the plant closures, Murray says parts suppliers will need to contend with some issues, such as lower throughput and demand.

“It’s too early to determine this but Holden will ensure vehicles are supported on an ongoing basis.”

Reports indicate the Commodore could continue past 2017, but it’s rumoured to be a rebadged Buick built in China, while GM has announced it’s planning to boost production capacity at its Chinese operations by 30 per cent over the next three years.

“I appreciate concerns consumers have about the longevity of the Commodore nameplate,” says Murray. “But there will be a large car. We will retain our position in that market and stand

by those vehicles.”

Daniel Akerson, GM’s chief executive at the time of last month’s announcement and since replaced by Mary Barra, puts Holden’s manufacturing exit down to high production costs, the Australian market’s small size and what he describes as the world’s most competitive and fragmented car market.

On top of this, the strong domestic currency makes building vehicles there almost two-thirds more expensive than a decade ago.

Mike Devereux, soon to depart GM Holden chairman, has reaffirmed GM’s support for Holden in the region while expressing concerns.

He says: “What are we going to do with the workers who make automobiles that will need other work in this economy and how will it prosper going forward? Parliament should focus on these issues.

“We have a world-class product in the VF Commodore. The American media is raving about what’s one of the finest products to ever come out of Australia.”

Murray, who was export and production planning manager for Holden Australia before taking the reins at Holden NZ, adds: “I’ve got friends in engineering affected by the cuts.

“From my personal perspective, I’ve been with the company for 20 years and it’s a disappointing period for us.

“But at the end of the day we need

to effectively rearrange our business so it’s successful in the future.

“It’s incredibly sad especially for some of our colleagues but customers need not worry.

“Holden has graced our roads for 60 years and will continue to do so. We’ll continue to provide new and upgraded variants to allow our customers even greater choice.

“Last year was one of the busiest for Holden with a

significant number of new cars launched. We’re now one of the fastest-growing automotive brands in New Zealand and our line-up is the best it’s been.”

WRITING ON THE WALL Australia’s car-making industry has benefited from government subsidies for years.

Holden’s announcement to exit it came after Prime Minister Tony

[continued on page 8]

JAPAN to

AUCKLAND

KAWASAKI OSAKA NAGOYA NELSON

NEW ZEALAND

WELLINGTON

LYTTELTON

Full PORT to DOOR service RVessels arriving every two weeks RServicing Auckland, Wellington, Lyttelton & Nelson with ‘Direct Port Calls’ CALL ME NOW! Karla Sorensen Mob: 0276

796 981 09 373 5881 Fx: 09 303 0072 Email: karla@dolphinshipping.co.nz Ph:

w w w.d o l p h i n s h i p p i n g .co. n z www.autofile.co.nz | 7

news [continued from page 7]

Subsidies and sales drop Abbott warned there would be no extra money “over and above the support taxpayers have been giving the industry”.

GM has declined to comment if those comments had any effect on its decision, but Holden had reportedly negotiated subsidy arrangements with the ex-Labor government for it to carry on until the early 2020s.

But after seizing power in September, Abbott’s government pledged to slash subsidies.

Meanwhile, sales of locally made cars fell by 20 per cent in the eight months to August. Despite Australians buying more vehicles, Holden Commodore sales – for example – were down nine per cent from 2012.

Those hurting most will be the marque’s employees. More than 2,900 will lose their jobs with

many forced to retrain with few industry jobs left.

The government has announced a fund of A$100m to help create jobs in the states affected by the Holden closures.

Most of the losses will be in Elizabeth, Adelaide, which has one of the country’s highest unemployment rates at 21.3 per cent.

Jeff Murray, managing director of Holden NZ

LAST MARQUE STANDING Speculation about Holden’s future has been rife since Mitsubishi closed its Adelaide plant about five years ago, while Ford Australia will cease manufacturing in 2016.

Toyota says Holden’s decision

has put “unprecedented pressure” on its ability to continue to build the Camry and Aurion there.

Steve Prangnell, Toyota NZ’s general manager of sales, describes the plant in Melbourne



Sacking was ‘unfair’

A

Trans Future 6

Voyage 68

Osaka 10 Jan, Nagoya 14 Jan, Kawasaki 18 Jan, Auckland 5 Feb, Lyttelton 7 Feb, wellington 9 Feb, Nelson 10 Feb

Trans Future 7

Voyage 68

Osaka 27 Jan, Nagoya 28 Jan, Kawasaki 1 Feb, Auckland 20 Feb, Lyttelton 22 Feb, wellington 24 Feb, Nelson 25 Feb

Trans Future 5

Voyage 72

Osaka 10 Feb, Nagoya 11 Feb, Kawasaki 15 Feb, Auckland 5 Mar, Lyttelton 7 Mar, wellington 9 Mar, Nelson 10 Mar

8 | www.autofile.co.nz

former IT manager has been awarded three months’ pay of $19,878, $8,000 in compensation and $303 in costs after fighting claims he wasn’t eligible for redundancy.

The Employment Relations Authority (ERA) ruled on December 12 last year that Michael Stocker, who was headhunted in 2011, was unfairly dismissed from Car Giant Ltd (CGL), Lower Hutt.

CGL’s chief executive Craig Philpott told Stocker on May 2, 2012, he would be dismissed immediately and only paid up until that day because he was a contractor.

Philpott asked him to return the next day to retrain another employee in the work he did and in a letter dated May 3 said CGL was in a “precarious financial position”.

After joining the company in late 2011, Philpott implemented a plan to increase revenue and decrease costs.

He told the ERA that before he started, CGL “had been poorly

managed and run like a holiday camp”, and by April 2012 it was insolvent and unable to pay its debts.

Philpott believed he treated Stocker fairly and reasonably, given CGL’s situation.

Stocker said he had to adjust from a weekly income of about $1,656 to nothing. Shortly after being dismissed, his wife died so he cared for his two young children on his own.

He gave evidence other people who lost their jobs when he did received five weeks’ pay.

The ERA ruled Stocker was an employee, not a contractor, as reported first on www.autofile.co.nz.

Trish MacKinnon, ERA member, said he received no advance notice CGL was considering making his position redundant.

“CGL didn’t apply a fair procedure in dismissing Stocker,” she said. “Philpott embarked on a process with disregard for the requirements of natural justice and good faith.”

news  as the engine supply base for the Asia-Pacific region and says it needs government support to remain viable.

Nonetheless, if the marque does exit manufacturing the Camry can be sourced from other markets.

“My personal view is every established economy with a motor industry has government support,” Prangnell told Autofile.

“Melbourne provides many training opportunities and it will be a tragedy to see it go.”

Toyota wants to be competitive in every market it manufacturers in, but Prangnell stresses it’s not just up to the company – it’s up to the country too because Australia will be worse off with no car making.

Jeff Murray, of Holden NZ, believes it will be difficult for Toyota’s Australian car-making operations to survive the lion and stone’s departure.

This sentiment is echoed by an interim report released by Australia’s Productivity Commission just after Holden’s announcement.

It says the country’s assembly plants are operating wellbelow the scale needed to be internationally viable.

It also found global automobile production capacity exceeds demand for vehicles, leading to plant closures and rationalisation in developed countries.

For Toyota to remain viable across the Tasman, it needs to cut vehicle production costs – and a decision on the way ahead is likely to be made in the first half of this year.

The new Camry is due to be released in 2018 but Toyota Australia needs approval from Toyota in Japan to make the car, which is already built at eight other plants around the world.

Cutting costs also means reducing the wages and holidays of its 4,200 employees, who get a three-week Christmas break – the longest shutdown in the company’s global manufacturing operation.

Toyota had planned to put a list of cuts and changes to a workers’ vote, but the high court stopped it from doing so.

2016, in addition to the Territory.

Until then, a new Falcon XR8 variant will go on sale late this year carrying over the FPV GT’s The lion-and-stone marque dates five-litre supercharged back to 1856 when James Alexander V8 engine.

Holden started a Ford NZ says the saddlery business in company’s plans to end Adelaide. manufacturing in Australia In 1948, the FX by 2016 will have little sedan was the first effect in this country.

Holden to come off About 1,200 jobs will the production lines. be lost at its assembly By 1990, the plant at Broadmeadows marque had sold five near Melbourne and its million vehicles. Toyota overtook Geelong engine plant.

Holden as Australia’s top-selling The restructuring doesn’t brand in 2003, a position it extend to Ford NZ, which imports has held ever since. two models from Australia – the Falcon and Territory.

India with the new EcoSport.

“The Falcon accounts for The company is aiming to between three and four per cent strengthen its line-up with a 30 per of our sales,” Tom Clancy, of Ford cent increase in new vehicles offered NZ, told Autofile. “The Territory is across Australasia by 2016. popular and accounts for more.”

Ford NZ imports vehicles from The Holden decision was first Thailand, Belgium, Germany, Spain reported on www.autofile.co.nz Log on for breaking news and Turkey and, starting this year,

Aussie icon

“It will be a tragedy to see it go.”

– Steve Prangnell, of Toyota NZ, if the marque exits car making in Australia

It’s appealing the decision and chief executive Max Yasuda says it is within Toyota’s rights to vary workplace agreements if most employees are supportive.

“The company is doing everything it can to secure the future for our employees,” he says.

Only last year, more than A$330m was spent on upgrading the factory so it could produce the AR series four-cylinder engine, which is also exported and powers the RAV4 and Camry.

UK to NZ SPECIALISED DOOR TO DOOR

VEHICLE SHIPPING SERVICE We can provide:

FORD V8 TO BE CANNED Ford Australia has confirmed its V8 ute will be discontinued next year when its Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) division is killed off.

The FPV range – including the Falcon GT – will be shelved in late 2014 when the final updated Falcon hits the market.

The marque has, however, confirmed it will revive the XR8 sedan until Falcon production ends in 2016, but the V8-powered FPV GS ute will not be superseded by an XR8 variant.

Performance variants will continue only in XR6 and XR6 Turbo form and the decision to retire the V8 ute comes on the back of low demand.

The Mustang returns when the Falcon range is wound back in

UK Inland Transport

VAT returns

(weekly departures)

Shipping

Marine Insurance

Full Customs & MAF Clearance

Foreign Currency

Local NZ Delivery

Vehicle Compliance

Contact me today to discuss your requirements: Gerry Claudatos P: (09) 303 0075 M: 0274 400 734 E: gerry@mmnz.biz W: www.mmnz.biz

www.autofile.co.nz | 9

news

Traders to benefit from deal

T

rade Me is aiming to provide the automotive industry with more benefits following its cash-funded $19.5 million acquisition of MotorWeb. The Auckland-based company, which is an agent for the NZTA, packages and sells vehicle information and reports to finance companies, insurers, dealers and the public.

It’s recognised as a one-stop shop for the industry with its suite of more than a dozen products and services.

Jon Macdonald, chief executive officer of Trade Me, describes MotorWeb as a “good strategic fit” because of its reputation and expertise in data, and that will bring added value to the company and its customers.

He told Autofile: “Through Trade Me Motors, MotorWeb can help us with its expertise in

dealing with data to benefit the whole of our business and, from an economics point of view, this is an acceptable deal for us.

“We’re going from zero in this area to having something substantial and a meaningful addition to the motors part of our company.

As far as the two companies are concerned, Macdonald says “it’s very much business as usual” and there are no plans to change MotorWeb’s name or for it to share offices with Trade Me Motors staff in Auckland, although that may be considered in the longer term.

products and data we provide. It’s exciting to have them on-board.”

For any business, Macdonald says there are generally three ways to expand – start new ventures from scratch, work with partners or make acquisitions.

“We’ve had a long-standing

“We will be able to offer car dealers a fuller suite of products with more end-to-end services.” – Jon Macdonald, Trade Me “With Trade Me Motors, we will be able to offer more benefits and offer car dealers a fuller suite of products with more end-to-end services.

“We will be working to make things more convenient from the industry’s point of view. There will be nothing that’s disruptive to services.”

“The people at MotorWeb are experts and do a great job. We had the option to bring them on-board.

The vast majority of the team of 12 are coming across to Trade Me with a couple of exceptions.

“The business will give us the chance to broaden and deepen

business partner relationship with MotorWeb for many years and we know it runs an excellent business,” he says.

“By working with the people there, we have its vehicle reports on Trade Me, for example.”  Creating a new venture along

Fines triple in size WE TRANSPORT • MOTOR VEHICLES • FARM TRACTORS

p: 0800 4 JEFFS e: vehicles: service@jeffs.co.nz pleasure craft: boats@jeffs.co.nz w: www.jeffs.co.nz

• MACHINERY • AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT • CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT • PLEASURE CRAFT • CONTAINERS

OTHER SERVICES • VEHICLE STORAGE • VEHICLE DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT • HANDLING OF RARE AND RACE CARS • FILMING PROJECTS • ENCLOSED TRANSPORTERS • M.A.F & CUSTOMS FACILITIES • SECURITY & CONFIDENTIALITY

10 | www.autofile.co.nz

T

he Commerce Commission has issued a warning to businesses – it’s ready to enforce the Fair Trading Amendment Act 2013, which includes hefty fines.

Chairman Dr Mark Berry says there are major changes businesses and consumers need to get to grips with them.

He says some sanctions for breaching the Fair Trading Act (FTA) have tripled, while the commission has enhanced powers to investigate and enforce the law.

Penalties for misleading and deceptive conduct, false representations, unfair practices and product safety breaches have increased from $60,000 to $200,000 for individuals and from $200,000 to $600,000 for companies.

In the past, FTA breaches have included car dealers failing to comply with consumer information notice rules and shill bidding on Trade Me. Individuals who repeatedly break the law will face orders

that can see them banned from trading for up to 10 years.

The commission will also be able to issue infringement notices for more straightforward offences.

All of these provisions are in place now. Others will be implemented this winter, while legislation banning unfair contract terms will come into force 14 months from now.

Rules on substantiation are included in provisions coming into effect in five months’ time.

These make it an offence for traders to issue unsubstantiated representations without reasonable grounds.

With online transactions, car dealers who sell over the internet will have to make it clear they are traders, while buyers’ rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA) will include auctions and tenders.

With extended warranties, disclosure will be required of the buyer’s CGA rights and a comparison of the product’s benefits.

news  the lines of MotorWeb would have meant gaining all of the value and control, but a huge amount of work would be needed to get there.

“When you acquire another business, you part with the money upfront,” says Macdonald.

“The deal’s done quickly and you already have all of the skills, systems and relationships in place.

“Trade Me is good at some things but the company isn’t good at all things, and that was a key consideration for us.

“We have the expertise to create a business such as MotorWeb because we have lots of people and computers and the know-how.

“But we were already very busy and acutely aware that we’re quite thinly spread – and it would take a lot of resources to create something like MotorWeb.” Chris Knight, managing director of MotorWeb, says both companies understand the power of providing people with transparent and accurate data to

Chris Knight, managing director of MotorWeb

empower purchasing decisions.

“We’ve known the Trade Me team for a long time,” he says. “This is great news for our clients on both sides of the Tasman and our staff.

“It’s another exciting chapter in the life of MotorWeb and we’re looking forward to seeing it continue to grow as part of a great Kiwi company.”

INDUSTRY’S ONE-STOP SHOP MotorWeb was founded by chief executive officer Patrick Costigan in

Prancing horse power

P

etrolheads are gearing up for the largest gathering of Ferrari road and race cars in New Zealand when more than 130 converge on Hampton Downs.

Organisers of the NZ Festival of Motor Racing are aiming to break the existing record of prancing horses, which stands at 76.

The event runs over two weekends – January 17-19 and January 24-26 – with cars lining up on the Waikato grid at noon on the 19th.

A 1962 Ferrari 250GT

Three Formula One Ferraris will head the line-up, along with other competition machines and more than 120 vehicles belonging to members of the

Ferrari Owners’ Club of NZ. Most of the brand’s great cars will be represented, including the 250 GTO, 288 GTO, F40, F50 and Enzo Supercar models, and the 1955 Ferrari 750 Monza from Southward Car Museum in Paraparaumu will be there on the second weekend.

At least nine cars will race including two 1,500hp 1985 Formula Ones from Australia.

It will be the first time singleseater Ferraris have competed here since the days of the Tasman race series when McLaren, Hulme and Amon locked horns.

Another rare racer on show is a 308 GTB Challenge coming from the UK with motorsport personality and racer Frank Lyons.

The festival is this country’s biggest event of its kind, and also features Formula 5,000, Formula Ford and historic muscle cars.

1997 and started trading in 2000.

Its clients are registered dealers, insurance and finance companies, and organisations dealing with vehicles on a daily basis.

Services include riskmanagement tools when buying and financing cars, simplified Motor Vehicle Sales Act compliance and online NZTA transactions.

The company supplies documents, instant recall to transactions and documentation generation, and point-of-sale material, which includes user branding and contact information.

Online documents include valuation certificates, appraisal and loan forms, sale and purchase agreements, and warrant of fitness reminders.

Other services include mechanical breakdown insurance, Personal Property Securities Register verifications and checks to ensure buyers are legally allowed to drive.

Checking the numbers About MotorWeb

$3.7m: Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) for the 2013 financial year based on year to March 31. $4.1m: EBITDA forecast for the 2014 financial year based on year to March 31. $2.3m: Net profit after tax (NPAT) for the 2013 financial year based on year to March 31.

12: Staff as at December 12.

900: Clients on the same date.

About the transaction

$19.5m: Purchase price.

5.3: The EBITDA multiple for the 2013 financial year.

4.8: EBITDA multiple forecast for 2014 based on year to March 31.

8.3: The NPAT multiple.

Log onto www.autofile.co.nz for MotorWeb news over the years

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

Mediation

Yes

No

HR Advice

Yes

No

MTA stationery

Yes

IT Advice Yes No Industry research

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

www.autofile.co.nz | 11

new cars

Golf drives to awards double V

olkswagen netted a brace by winning the AMI Insurance NZ Autocar’s car of the year award to follow up its AA and NZ Motoring Writers’ Guild gong.

But the Golf didn’t have it all its own way in 2013, with the Range Rover being named the National Business Review (NBR) supreme car of the year.

The AMI winner was decided by NZ Autocar and Fairfax writers, and involved a day of testing the finalists.

The class winners were the Golf on 479 points, Mazda6 with 475, Range Rover on 470, BMW M135i with 469, Ford Fiesta ST on 463 and Ford Kuga with 456. The motorbike winner was BMW’s R 1200 GS. Each finalist was assessed out of 100 points for aspects, such as design, performance, safety, practicality, specification and

value, with the scoring weighted so cars could be compared.

The Range Rover scooped the NBR award for being “one of the most capable off-road vehicles, yet also one of the most luxurious passenger cars”.

The judges say: “In supercharged form, it even lays claim to super-sports performance. No other premium model can claim to be so many things to so many, yet still feel so special.”

The NBR’s small car was Mercedes-Benz’s A Class, while the Mazda6 won the business class and Subaru’s Forester the crossover title. Ford’s Fiesta ST and Jaguar’s F Type took out other classes.

TESTING STATION. Transport Service Delivery Agent for

See us first for

Specialists in Used Import Certification

FREEPHONE OR VISIT US ONLINE FOR A LOCATION NEAR YOU!

0800 GO VINZ

www.vinz.co.nz

12 | www.autofile.co.nz

The all-new Range Rover was the NBR’s car of the year

WINNERS ACROSS THE DITCH The Mazda6 Sport beat Holden’s VF Commodore and Toyota’s first locally produced hybrid – the Camry – to win Drive’s car of the year title run by Fairfax with imported cars taking out the other 12 categories.

It’s the first time an Australianmade car has failed to win one of the 13 categories.

Class winners included the Mitsubishi Mirage ES, Focus Trend, Mazda6 and CX-5 Maxx Sport diesel, Kia Sorento SLi diesel and Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo CRD. Others were the Honda Odyssey, Golf Cabriolet, Mazda BT-50 XTR, Toyota 86 GT, Porsche Cayman S, Lexus IS300h and Mercedes-Benz  E300 Bluetec Hybrid.

Bring on the new year

R

epresentatives of the automotive industry are delighted with how 2013 panned out and are predicting a happy new year.

The Motor Industry Association describes the increase in new vehicle registrations during last year as “significant”.

With 113,117 sales up by 12.2 per cent compared to 2012, chief executive officer David Crawford says 2013’s total was the best since 1984.

“SUVs continue to dominate, accounting for 27 per cent of the market with 30,478 registrations,” he says.

Meanwhile, 107,284 used passenger cars crossed the border last year, up from 72,837 in 2012. Even importers of used commercials had a good year, with 5,196 units coming in compared to 3,428 the year before.

David Vinsen, of the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association, says consumer confidence was up, imports were boosted by the

exchange rate and the supply side wasn’t “that bad”. He believes there will be growth in the market in 2014.

The Motor Trade Association (MTA) points out records were set in some segments and others recorded their best performances for years, while used imported cars outsold new by more than 16,500 units.

Spokesman Ian Stronach says: “The performance of the industry set the pace for overall economic recovery. This seems to be repeated overseas.”

On-road motorcycles sales rounded off the industry’s good year on 7,024, says the MTA. That was 1,259, or 22 per cent, up on 2012 making 2013 the strongest year for registrations since 2008.

Sales of units less than 60cc were up 28 per cent over 2012, with bikes of more than 60cc jumping by 19 per cent.

For in-depth coverage of industry statistics, go to the “news” section of www.autofile.co.nz

new cars

The McLaren P1 was Jeremy Clarkson’s hypercar of the year. James May’s supercar vote went to the Ferrari 458 Speciale. Richard Hammond chose the Porsche 911 GT3



Australia’s Best Cars judges’ choice was the Mazda6 Touring, which also won best medium car costing less than $50,000.

There was no winner in its people mover category, which was the first time in the 13 years an award has been withheld.

JAPAN LOSES OUT TO GERMANY VW’s Golf polled strongly from the outset at the Japanese Car of the Year awards, with the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show hosting the ceremony.

It ended up with 504 votes from 60 jurors. Honda’s Fit/Jazz came second with 373 and Volvo’s V40 placed third with 167.

Three awards were introduced this year. Mitsubishi’s plug-in Outlander PHEV picked up the innovation award. The Mazda Atenza / Mazda6 won the “emotional” award.

The jointly developed Suzuki Spacia and Mazda Flair Wagon mini-cars captured the small mobility award.

SHIFTING INTO TOP GEAR When it comes to silliness tempered with a dash of reality, it’s hard to overlook England’s Top Gear team – the Fiesta ST took out its top title and was hot hatch of the year.

The McLaren P1 was Jeremy Clarkson’s car of the year, while James May’s was Ferrari’s 458 Speciale. Richard Hammond opted for Porsche’s 911 GT3.

Some of the other winners were Hyundai’s i10 as bargain of the year, while BMW’s i3 took the green title.

Rolls-Royce’s Wraith was voted “rather splendid” car of the year, Mercedes-Benz’s SLS AMG Black the most “lairy” and the Honda Mean Mower was the best “thing”.

What Car? Magazine plumped for Audi’s A3 Sportback because “it mixes refinement and accomplished driving with fine cabin quality”.

As for the official UK Car of the Year, contenders are being shortlisted with an announcement coming in March.

on the shortlist for this year’s European Car of the Year, with seven models vying for the prize.

Tesla’s Model S and the BMW i3 will fly the flag, with the i3 also available with a range-extending two-cylinder petrol engine. If one wins, it will join Nissan’s Leaf and Opel’s Ampera on the list of EVs victors.

The other five finalists are the Citroen C4 Picasso, Mazda3, Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Peugeot 308 and Skoda Octavia.

Judges from 23 countries will

decide on the winner, which will be announced in the lead-up to the Geneva Motor Show in March.

The Golf won last year.

General Motors dominates the finals of the North American Car of the Year with two of the three spots.

Journalists from the US and Canada voted the Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and Mazda3 as finalists for this year’s award.

The Acura MDX, Chevrolet Silverado and Jeep Cherokee are in the truck/ute final.

BEST IN THE WORLD AWARD The Golf was last year’s world champion following in its siblings’ footsteps – the VW Up! won in 2012, Polo in 2010 and Golf VI in 2009.

The other finalists were the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Porsche Boxster / Cayman, and the combined entry of Scion FR-S, Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 and GT 86.

The award is starting to gain more prominence despite its newcomer status.

Its 11th event will culminate at the New York Auto Show in April when winners in the world, performance, design and green categories, plus a new luxury section, will be unveiled.

LOOKING AHEAD TO TITLES Two electric vehicles (EVs) are

Specialists in pre-shipment inspections in Japan & UK 

Full border inspections



Authorised MPI inspections



Authorised NZTA inspections



Odometer verification



Pre-export appraisal



Vehicle history reports

JEVIC NZ

Tesla’s Model S and BMW i3’s will fly the electric-vehicle flag for the European Car of the Year title

09 966 1779

www.jevic.co.nz www.autofile.co.nz | 13

industry profile

Chocks away and into cars T

rains, planes and “enthuse” him that much, so automobiles top most he completed his automotive teenagers’ wish-lists, but apprenticeship while serving.

Frank Willett managed to knock off “After all, you cannot work on two by the time he reached 20. an aircraft and then go for a quick And some folk may think it’s a test drive,” he quips. bit bonkers giving up aircraft for The job took him on two trips cars – unless you’re a petrolhead, away from New Zealand, but he was of course. mainly based at Woodbourne in Willett is known to many in Blenheim and then Te Rapa, Hamilton, the automotive sector as the big where the shopping mall is where the cheese at Vehicle Inspection New Zealand Ltd (VINZ) and North Island vice-chairman of the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association (IMVIA).

Last year, he went to Japan for the first time. He visited the offices of Yokohama-based JEVIC – VINZ’s parent company – as general manager of the transport service delivery agent (TSDA) and flew home as its chief executive officer.

Willett’s new title essentially reflects the focus on high-level issues he now oversees.

“More internal matters – Frank Willett are dealt with by operations manager Bob Hart, but a lot of my former general manager’s airbase was, which is why it’s called role has continued.”

The Base. Then it was Hobsonville and That comes as reassuring news Whenuapai in Auckland. to many in the industry, but what In 1994, some close friends left about his formative years? the air force and one joined VINZ. Willett attended St Kentigern Over some beers, they chatted College in Auckland and was about the company. geared up to become an apprentice “Being a vehicle inspector engineer for Air New Zealand sounded interesting,” recalls Willett. during his senior years of 1981-82.

“VINZ seemed to be peppered with But Air NZ’s intake at the time ex-armed forces people then, well dropped so the air force beckoned most of the Auckland contingent.” and it was chocks away for two years’ He remained with VINZ for basic training as an aircraft engineer. about three years and had a variety A few years later, Willett of jobs in the transport industry decided aeroplanes didn’t eventually before touching

down with the IMVIA in 2004.

“There are historical links between the IMVIA and VINZ. Being its technical services manager until 2008 put me into contact with VINZ staff and clients.

“A lot of VINZ’s board were also IMVIA members. I was relatively well-known to the board and management having previously worked for VINZ.

“You cannot work on an aircraft and then go for a quick test drive.”

Willett during his circuit-racing beginnings with a team-mate

14 | www.autofile.co.nz

“It was a dramatic shift from essentially a non-profit and support organisation to working for a commercial operation. It was a completely different role, a sideways move with pros and cons.”

Willett, who’s thankful to everyone who has helped him get through different parts of the industry, had almost gone full circle and, in doing so, followed his favourite phase – “what goes around, comes around”.

“I try my best to treat people how I’d like to be treated. It’s a good philosophy to have in life.

And you never know, the person who you are berating today might be your boss tomorrow.”

LOOKING INTO OPERATIONS Talking of bosses, the main focus of Willett’s recent trip to Japan was to see JEVIC’s operation in action, meet the management and find out about its services.

“It was my first trip there and a few people are surprised by this,” he says. “The used import business had taken to me Singapore and China, but I hadn’t managed to get to Japan.

“I was impressed by the scale of JEVIC’s operation, and its range of products and clients.

“It was fascinating to see how it operates and if its modus operandi could provide future opportunities here. You never know where the rules and changes due to the Vehicle Licensing Reform [VLR] will lead us.

“It was also interesting to see clients’ vehicles going through processes at the start of their journeys to New Zealand.”

Willett spent a day in Nagoya, which included a trip to the USS auction house. He was impressed by the bullet train, rail network and how services run on time, while the size of population seems – comparatively – to put Auckland on the scale of nearby Pokeno.

“Despite millions of people, there’s a feeling of openness and space with warm welcomes.

“Everyone in Japan is so calm compared to Aucklanders – friendly 

Willett spent several years in a Chinese rally team and often worked there

industry profile  and accommodating – and there’s no road rage. I only heard one car horn, which was sounded by a driver telling someone a vehicle they were waiting for had arrived.”

KEEPING EYES WIDE OPEN The VLR signals welldocumented issues for the inspection business and TSDAs, but what about the overall picture?

“I believe the VLR contains some of the biggest changes the industry has faced as they are cultural and ideological,” says Willett.

“The key focus for the Willett compares the used imports trade’s early days as battling through the jungle regulators, until now, has creates some time-constraint been on mitigating conflicts of issues, but its executive says what interest through approvals and he brings to the table is highly system structures. valued by the used import industry “But the VLR direction appears and IMVIA members. to be pushing certificates of fitness “There’s my broader into the ‘free market’ and that’s a understanding of compliance radical change. issues from the point of view of “The focus seems to be more a TSDA. I’m passionate about the about risk management through industry and have held many roles education, enforcement and audit rather than what we currently have. in it. It fascinates me.”

Being car crazy may have “That’s a fundamental shift and something to do with that. Willett’s it could lead to major changes to “hobby” is a convertible six-speed infrastructure.”

2006 Mazda MX-5 RS, with the He sees his role as looking company supplying a grown-up’s at how VINZ can evolve to vehicle – a Holden Captiva. follow that direction and seek Aged 16, his first set of wheels opportunities while embracing was a 1974 Australian-assembled the free-market concept, so “it’s a Morris Marina TC Coupe with a case of eyes wide open”.

1750cc engine.

LIVING FOR THE INDUSTRY “The favourite car I’ve owned Willett also works for the industry is a Ford Capri Mark 3 with a Rover through his involvement with the 3.5-litre V8 and the loudest body kit IMVIA. He wasn’t on its executive I could find, while I’d love to have an when he moved to VINZ but after Aston Martin DBS convertible today.” a few years, when a VINZ board Willett’s fascination with cars member left, he put himself extends to being technical adviser forward and was appointed. of the Federation of Motoring Being branch vice-chairman Clubs NZ, a position he’s held since

being approached in 2009 by its executive with an open invitation to attend.

“Due to time constraints, this hasn’t been as often as I would like. But it’s important for me and VINZ to back the federation and what it stands for – and support motoring enthusiasts across the country.”

WHAT’S IN A NAME? Willett’s proud of his heritage. When asked if there’s anything else he’d like to talk about he replies, “yes, a lot of people are unsure of my ethnicity”.

He’s three-quarters English and one-quarter Burmese, and he used to struggle with this a bit when younger. It was in the 1960s, when his father retired from British Airways, that his family migrated to New Zealand.

“Now I think it’s great and I’ve even taken advantage of it at times.

In California, some people think I’m Mexican. In New Caledonia, I’m mistaken for being French.

“If you saw the rest of my family in England, they’re pretty pale. But they don’t get much sun over there.”

There’s more. Willett isn’t officially Frank because his first name is Grenville and his middle name is Francis, which was shortened to Frank when he joined the air force.

“Some people in the forces can only remember names with one syllable,” he muses.

As he gets older, Willett’s philosophy on life changes. “I focus on maintaining energy to deal with things because everything seems to move faster.

“With VINZ, the challenge is to succeed and attract the next generation to our industry.

“The unknown is what direction the signalled changes will continue down, or if a change in government will see that path change again.”

Reliable fortnightly vehicle logistics service JAPAN to NZ PORT TO PORT / DOOR TO DOOR

to Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, and Nelson

Full MPI inspection service from Kawasaki,

Osaka, and Nagoya

Willett’s Pro7 race car

+ Marine Insurance available

FOR EFFICIENT CUSTOMER FOCUSED SERVICE CONTACT NYK Torhild Mellow

Anna Raina

021 2253749 or 09 918 4700 torhild_mellow@oc.nykline.com

09 918 1305 anna_raina@oc.nykline.com

F R E E P H O N E

0 8 0 0

8 0 8

SUN PHOENIX CO.,LTD.

2 6 2

www.autofile.co.nz | 15

new cars

Losing weight with bodyshell J

aguar says its all-aluminium F-TYPE Coupé is the most dynamically capable, performance-focused sports car it has produced.

The range-topping R Coupé is powered by a five-litre supercharged V8 engine with 404kW of power and 680Nm of torque that delivers acceleration to 100kph in 4.2 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 300kph.

The F-TYPE S Coupé and F-TYPE Coupé are powered by threelitre V6s in 280kW/460Nm and 250Kw/450Nm forms respectively for 0-100kph in 4.9 and 5.3 seconds and top speeds of 275 and 260kph.

Its aluminium technology has enabled lightweight and strong bodyshells, with torsional rigidity of 33,000Nm/ degree, with the Coupé’s body

side made from a single-piece aluminium pressing.

The ductile metal has low density and corrosion resistance.

Structural components made from it and its alloys are vital in the aerospace industry. Its most useful compounds – on a weight basis – are the oxides and sulphates.

To deliver assured, progressive handling in line with its

Jaguar’s F-TYPE Coupé R

CONNECT & ENGAGE O

N

L

I

N

E

Latest industry news relevant and when it happens

Industry directory

find all the services you’re looking for at the click of a mouse

Subscribe now for FREE and receive Autofile Insight, and Autofile magazine in hard copy or online

www.autofile.co.nz

404kW output, the range-topping R has a bespoke suspension set-up and dynamic technologies.

These include an electronic active differential (EAD) and torque vectoring, which work together for immediacy of response.

The EAD system redistributes torque between the rear wheels to ensure on-the-limit control, while the vectoring applies precise braking force to

First from the States T he all-new seven-seat Pathfinder large SUV has arrived and pricing starts from $54,990.

The Kiwi models are the first right-hand Nissans to be sold outside of the US where it’s made, with previous models built in Spain.

The three models have a 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine mated to a continuously variable transmission.

Available in two and four-wheeldrive (4WD), it’s able to go off-road “but with the comfort and technology buyers expect in this segment”.

The entry-level Pathfinder ST is 2WD. The mid-range ST costs $59,990 and the flagship Ti is $65,990, both coming with 4WD. The 3.5-litre V6 produces 193kW and 32Nm of torque for fuel consumption of 9.9l/100km for the 2WD ST, and 10.2l for

The flagship Pathfinder Ti

16 | www.autofile.co.nz

inner wheels during cornering.

Sports suspension with adaptive dynamics damping and configurable dynamic mode enhance the R’s response.

The R and S models have optional carbon ceramic matrix brakes for fade resistance and an unsprung weight saving of 21kg.

Every model has Jaguar’s eight-speed close-ratio quick-shift transmission, with full manual sequential control from the central sport-shift selector or steering wheel-mounted paddles.

The F-TYPE Coupé will be on sale in New Zealand from the third quarter of this year, with specification and pricing to be decided.

the 4WD ST and Ti. Their emissions output is rated at 233 and 240g/km.

All three sit on 18-inch alloys with tyre-pressure monitoring.

MacPherson strut front and multilink rear suspensions are used.

There’s speed-sensitive power steering with an 11.8m turning circle.

The four-wheel disc brakes have an anti-lock system with electronic brake-force distribution, and vehicle dynamic and traction control. The 4WDs have hill-start assist.

It includes the marque’s “clever” seating system, with a 60-40 split second-row seat and 50-50 split third row for different seating and cargo combinations.

Quality online presence adds value for dealers L

ast week I found myself in front of my laptop searching for somewhere to go for dinner with friends.

I had a list of all the local places I could think of scribbled down next to me – and I was subconsciously ranking them based on their websites and menus.

If a restaurant didn’t have a site or its menu displayed on it, it was instantly crossed off the list without so much as a second thought.

I couldn’t help but wonder how many other types of businesses suffer the same fate and don’t get a look-in because they aren’t online.

There’s nothing I can think of that I don’t look at online first. Even when I want to buy in-store, I look at my options online before heading into town to save going from shop to shop. It’s fast, easy and a natural instinct for most people.

But it doesn’t stop there. Not only do businesses need websites, they need to be great.

They should be fast to load, user-friendly and easy to navigate, and have good content, relevant information, plenty of decent photos, clear company branding and easy-to-find contact details.

It isn’t hard to create a great website. The key is to put yourself in users’ shoes, and think about sites you’ve been on and things

you liked or disliked about them because you want to keep visitors engaged and on your site as long as possible.

These people are there to buy from you, so create the site from the buyer’s perspective – not the seller’s.

Do the hard work for them because they don’t want to search for basic information. They want you to tell them everything they could ever want to know about an item.

When creating your website, think about issues such as colours.

Extensive web analytics have been collected on background colours and how they affect visitor session times. Here are some tips:  Make your website visually appealing so visitors want to stay.

 Have something on your home

page to act as a hook to draw them further into the site.  You don’t want the layout to be cluttered and busy – it pays to keep the focus clear.

With your website, you also have the option to sell yourself as a business – and bear in mind consumers are reputation conscious and want to feel secure with the business they’re dealing with.

If you’re constantly delighting customers, tell people by creating a testimonials page so buyers can read for themselves what it is that makes your company great to buy from.

The next step to think about

by Natalie Beckham dealer support manager natalie.beckham@trademe.co.nz

is how to get your website seen.

You can have a fantastic site but if customers don’t know it’s there, it can’t produce the results it’s capable of.

A great way to increase visibility and exposure is to link your website up to your Trade Me listings to give all those unique browsers an easy and one-click hyperlink to your site.

We live in a mobile society where the world is at our fingertips 24/7, literally within a couple of taps, and there’s nothing we can’t find out without reaching into our pockets or handbags.

This is why your website needs to works on mobiles, so don’t miss out on sales because you have an excellent site that doesn’t work on these devices.

While a great website shouldn’t cost the earth, it’s a very important part of company branding so an online presence does require thought and care.

If you would like to learn more about how to make your site work for you, contact your account manager for all the information you need.

Whether it’s a full build, an upgrade to your current site, a mobile website or a Trade Me site link, we have a full range of webbased features and products to help your business be seen.

Toyota’s Corolla, the Honda Civic and VW’s Golf made up the top three most viewed models on Trade Me Motors last month

Most popular car makes searched*

December

statistics

1 Toyota 2 Nissan 3 Ford 4 Holden 5 Mazda

Most popular car models searched*

1 Corolla 2 Civic 3 Golf 4 Legacy 5 Skyline

Most popular body styles searched*

1 RV/SUV 2 Ute 3 Sedan 4 Station wagon 5 Hatchback

Most popular makes of motorbike searched*

1 Honda 2 Harley-Davidson 3 Suzuki 4 Yamaha 5 Kawasaki

The seller of a Harley-Davidson Super Glide FX, a Wellie-G Factory boatail, jokes he is looking for Lotto winners or Kim Dotcom to stump up the $60,000 asking price. The 1972 and 1,200cc model has clocked up 62,329km.

*in December on Trade Me Motors

www.autofile.co.nz | 17

tech report The IMVIA Technical Report is proudly brought to you by leading certification service provider, VINZ

from the trade and for the trade

The paradigm is now shifting R

eporting on the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show in the previous issue of Autofile, I wrote: “The impression I’ve gained is our vehicle fleet is going to change.

“At the moment the biggest users of hybrid cars in New Zealand are taxi fleets, green corporates and people who have greyer hair than I have. This is going to change and the hybrid will become mainstream.”

In mid-December, the chairman of Japan Automobile Manufacturers’ Association released a statement.

Akio Toyoda says: “As part of its tax revision initiatives for the fiscal year from April 1, 2014, to March 31, 2015, the Japanese government has decided to reduce automobile acquisition tax and expand tax breaks on eco-friendly vehicles among other measures designed to mitigate Japan’s heavy tax burden on automobile owners.”

He adds: “On the other hand, we find it regrettable the ruling parties have also taken the decision to raise taxes on motorcycles and mini-vehicles, although in the latter case the scope of vehicles targeted for increases will be limited.”

From what I saw at the motor show and Toyoda’s statement, I’m firmly of the opinion we’re on the cusp of

 Full Border Inspections  Biosecurity Inspections New Zealand

18 | www.autofile.co.nz

Japan’s top-selling cars – Toyota’s Prius and Aqua – are hybrids

Then there are diesel-electric engines. I can recall one of the Lyttelton to Wellington ferries used to have these to generate electricity to power the propellers or thrust units.

A number of US Coast Guard icebreakers deployed in Antarctic waters have used this type of hybrid system as well.

And internal combustionhydraulic hybrid is when a petrol or diesel-power unit is connected to a hydraulic pump.

This supplies high-pressure hydraulic oil to traction motors and is more commonly seen these days in earthmoving equipment, although this technology is also being developed for the automotive industry.

Fuel-cell vehicles, which use hydrogen as the source, are also being advanced with different types of power units.

Mazda, for example, has been developing a rotary engine to run on hydrogen, while other marques are using hydrogen to generate electricity for use in hybrid systems.

In Europe, many manufacturers, including those of supercars, are supplying hybrids to the market.

The paradigm is shifting.

You will be driving a hybrid or alternativeenergy vehicle within the next 10 years and the uptake of hybrid technology here will be supply-driven, not consumer-driven.

Specialists in Pre Shipment Inspections

Japan

Singapore in ng

effect of narrowing a paradigm shift. our choices of motive The used Japanese power in the future. vehicles we will be So, we are all likely buying over the next to be driving hybrids in few years will see the future. This makes increasing numbers me wonder about what of hybrids on New MALCOLM YORSTON types we will see on Zealand’s roads.

IMVIA Membership and The top-selling Technical Services Manager Kiwi roads?

We all understand cars in Japan, the the convention of hybrid, petrol Toyota Prius and Aqua, are and electric vehicles with battery hybrids. Most production of the packs supplying electricity to next best seller, Honda’s Jazz, is power the traction motors under hybrid while many other popular light loading. models are available in hybrid and Petrol engines supplement the conventional options. battery power when needed for We will see more of the acceleration or heavier loading, popular model vehicles, such such as climbing hills, or to top as the Corolla, being produced up batteries these vehicles use as hybrids to take advantage of regenerative braking for recharging. the eco-friendly incentives in There are many Japan, which has the downstream more variations of hybrid and plug-in hybrid, such as LPGelectric in the case of Toyota’s Jpn Taxi concept.

JEVIC NZ

 Structural Inspections  Odometer Verification 09 966 1779

 Pre Export Appraisal  Vehicle History Reports www.jevic.co.nz

JEV

Auth IC NZTA orised B Inspec order t Agencion y

f & i stats

“PPP also stands for people, products and passion to drive your profits.”

December 2013 Finance

18%

Payment protection

31% 12% 23% New Used

GAP

13% 22% 10%

Insurance

veryone at vehicle traders for the Protecta past 26 years, providing Insurance mechanical breakdown wishes you all a happy, and other insurance busy and profitable products, point-of-sale new year. marketing, training and With 2013 now customer support. gone, we again start to All of this helps provide our customers you to increase your Ray Meharg with great service and profits and sell the best National sales manager products to help motor insurance products to traders to become more your customer. profitable in 2014.

Earlier this year we employed Last year was a good year for Erin Mills, who adds a new Protecta, and we thank all of our dimension to our team by customers for entrusting us as their concentrating on training and preferred insurance provider. results analysis, all of which is We take the privilege of looking designed to help your bottom line. after your customers’ insurance We have seen an increase in our needs seriously and also believe customers’ finance and insurance we provide the best support profitability, better engagement throughout New Zealand. from motor vehicle sales staff Our experienced and a higher claims team was very turnover rate busy during 2013 to the business and – as you can see manager. by the numbers below We’re also – why would you use continuing our another insurance business manager provider? breakfasts in 2014 We received 7,454 and the feedback claims and accepted we received 99.97 per cent of them. from these last Does your current year was very insurance provider encouraging. accept as many claims As you are as we do? aware, Protecta has a payment At Protecta, we understand and protection plan (PPP) policy, but pride ourselves with a high level of PPP also stands for people, products customer service. and passion to drive your profits.

We know many of our motor Protecta wants your business to traders have a high service ethic, grow and become more profitable so we want to ensure your clients – and we have the products, receive the same experience. people, systems and the passion to In 2013, all of our staff went help you grow your business. through a world-class Dale We anticipate 2014 will be Carnegie customer service training another great year. Once again, programme. thank you for your continued This investment in our people was support and we look forward to taken seriously so we can continue working with you this year. to provide our motor dealers with And contact us to find out who excellent customer service. the local sales person is in your area Our sales team has been with to find out if you qualify to become Protecta and servicing motor a Protecta preferred customer.

PROTECTA Nationwide F & I results

Best result $1,485 Worst result $420

13%

MBI

Training staff to world-class level E

41% 0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

55%

Committed to Adding Value to Your Business Freephone: 0800 435 7868 contact@protecta.co.nz • www.protecta.co.nz

www.autofile.co.nz | 19

Vehicles wanted dealers Buying now

News in brief Disputes tribunals’ threshold limit set to double

Audi VW

WE PURCHASE NZ NEW CARS AND COMMERCIALS FOR ALL OUR FRANCHISES

Brett Harris

029 293 1232

Brett@FarmerAutoVillage.co.nz

www.farmerautovillage.co.nz

The monetary threshold for disputes tribunals is to be increased so they can deal with claims of up $30,000. Currently, consumers can lodge civil claims for less than $15,000 – or up to $20,000 if all parties agree.

Other changes include new referees having appropriate qualifications or training. Hearings will be made open to the public and media, except when a referee is mediating an agreement or privacy is needed, and most disputes will only be allowed to be reheard once.

A bill for the proposed changes, which also covers the Motor Vehicles Disputes Tribunal, will be introduced this year. It will be referred to a select committee for submissions to be made.

Marque predicts 482km range for fuel-cell vehicle ALWAYS BUYING GOOD NZ NEW VEHICLES

Call Guy Walker 021 992 048

VEHICLES WANTED

ALL PORSCHE, LAND ROVERS, RANGE ROVERS, JAGUARS AND VOLVO MODELS

Simon O’Reilly I 021 31 9992 I simon.oreilly@armstrongs.co.nz I www.armstrongprestige.com

Honda is set to launch a new fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) next year. It will run on hydrogen gas and oxygen, which an onboard stack converts into electricity.

The marque says it will be the first FCEV with the powertrain contained in the engine bay to maximise space. Improved technology has increased output to more than 100kW with extra power coming from a smaller fuelcell stack to give a range of more than 482km.

Honda is also developing home energy stations to extract hydrogen from natural gas and work off solar power. The technology could be extended to hot-water heating and electricity in homes.

Motorbike licence option based on riders’ skills A licensing option to improve motorcyclists’ safety – the NZTA’s competency-based training and assessment (CBTA) regime – will be launched on March 1.

Instead of taking practical tests at each licence stage, bikers can have riding skills assessed and the system will have competency-based time reduction.

People can choose between the existing regime and CBTA, or a combination, to gain restricted or full bike licences. Visit www.autofile. co.nz for the full story.

Concept car built from ‘advanced materials’

www.inghamdriven.com

Karl Briggs 0274 721 551 karl.briggs@inghamgroup.co.nz

Mitsubishi • Mercedes Benz • Honda Hyundai • Isuzu Utes SsangYong • Great Wall We purchase NZ new cars & commercials.

All makes & models. Anywhere in NZ.

Buying: Vans, Utes, Light Trucks. Nationwide.

Contact Gareth 021660180

gareth@southcitymotors.co.nz

www.317.co.nz

To advertise here, contact:

Ph 021 455 775 advertising@autofile.co.nz

Hyundai will unveil its Intrado concept at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.

It’s built around a super-lightweight structure and is joined using a technique the marque claims has the potential to change the way cars are built.

The car has a hydrogen drivetrain smaller and lighter than the ix35 Fuel Cell’s.

More industry news online at www.autofile.co.nz Vehicle logistics company AUTOHUB has shifted its Auckland base to Kumeu from Waimauku. Managing director John Davies says: “The offices are five times bigger and we have lots of space for the future.”

The Citroen dealership in Greenlane, Auckland, has been officially opened after Sime Darby Automobiles took on distributing the marque.

The model line-up has since been cut from 22 to 12.

A new global crash-testing standard has been agreed by the UN World Forum. The global technical regulation sets performance criteria for cars and light commercial vehicles in pole-side impact tests.

An auto cluster is being built at Kapiti Landing. Dealership HMC Kapiti and mechanics A Grade Automotive are expected to be operating from the site by May.

new cars

Galloping pony gets facelift

T

here are about 2,000 Mustangs of all ages on Kiwi roads and more than 700 members of seven clubs, which hold annual drive days attracting around 150 to 200 cars.

Ford hopes its all-new model will excite enthusiasts and a wider range of buyers because its design – inspired by 50 years of heritage – is combined with power, performance and technology.

The Mustang will be sold in New Zealand with a choice of engines with manual or automatic transmissions.

It’s being released globally in coupé and convertible form with five-litre V8, 3.7l V6 and 2.3l EcoBoost engines, but the V6 won’t be available here.

Ford NZ will be talking to Mustang enthusiasts, some of whom have imported left-hand-drives, and FPV owners about its model mix.

“We’ll be doing research around younger and older people, who are perhaps driving European cars now,” says managing director Corey Holter.

The design of the new model includes a lower stance with a reduction in roof height and the return of the fastback. There are three-dimensional, tri-bar taillamps, a shark-nose front fascia and trapezoidal grille.

The Mustang has new front and rear suspension systems. A front perimeter sub-frame stiffens the structure while reducing mass for better wheel control.

There’s also an integral-link independent rear suspension.

The new Ford Mustang

SLICE OF AMERICAN PIE

The 227kW 2.3l EcoBoost engine

The geometry, springs, dampers and bushings have been modified for high performance.

The driver can tap toggle switches on the console to adjust steering effort, engine response, transmission and electronic stability control.

The intake manifold and turbocharger housing are optimised for better breathing and higher output with a projected 227kW at 5,550rpm and 407Nm of torque from 2,500-4,500rpm. The GT has a top speed of 249kph.

The 2.3l EcoBoost has direct fuel injection and twin independent variable camshaft timing, while the low-inertia twin-scroll turbocharger provides quicker boost response with lower emissions and better efficiency.

The V8 has larger intake and exhaust valves, revised intake and exhaust camshafts, stiffer valve springs and new cylinder-head casting to generate more than 313kW at 6,500rpm and 529Nm of torque at 4,250rpm.

The Mustangs are being released in North America later this year and in Europe in early 2015. Australasia will follow, with Ford here saying prices “will be competitive and people pleasantly surprised”.

The Mustang was based on the second-generation Falcon when it was introduced in the US in April 1964.

It created the pony class – sports car-like coupés with long hoods and short rear decks – and gave rise to competitors such as the Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac’s Firebird.

It’s also credited for inspiring the design of coupés, such as Toyota’s Celica and the Ford Capri.

Executive stylist John Najjar

Ferzely, a fan of the World War II P-51 Mustang fighter plane, is credited for the name.

The car has its own star on Hollywood Boulevard after appearing in more than 3,000 films.

A 1968 GT390 Fastback was driven by Steve McQueen in Bullitt and Farrah Fawcett was behind the wheel of a 1968 Mustang Cobra II in Charlie’s Angels.

Each 2015 model celebrates the car’s 50th birthday with a badge on the instrument panel. It includes the logo and “Mustang – since 1964.”

Vehicles wanted Mercedes Benz

Toyota

Volkswagen BMW Audi Lexus Kia

Nissan Chrysler Jeep Dodge

We are always looking to purchase late model

NZ NEW CARS AND COMMERCIALS PAUL CURIN

0274 333 303

pcurin@miles.co.nz

miles motor group www.autofile.co.nz | 21

disputes

Tribunal rules faults as acceptable for age of car buyer applied to reject

ruled the defe expected by a reasonable buyer considering the age and mileage of the vehicle. r Vehicle Disputes At: The Mototchu rch.

Tribunal, Chris

minor repairs carried out.

But it didn’t think a reasonable consumer would regard the presence of underbody rust as unusual or unexpected in a 22-year-old vehicle of this mileage.

It also said the vehicle failed to comply with the guarantee of acceptable quality because of the discovery of rust.

Munn claimed Popular Cars’ advert on Trade Me was misleading, The tribunal accepted on the but the tribunal found it was basis of the first invoice from nothing more than sales puffery.

Avonhead Motors in June 2012 There was no evidence the that the vehicle wasn’t free from statement he complained of minor faults or as durable as a – namely “great example, low reasonable consumer would kilometres, well-looked after, drives regard as acceptable, even well and won’t last long” – misled for a car sold for $7,990 with Munn because he test drove the 140,000km on its odometer. car before buying it.

But it was satisfied Popular The tribunal found that the Cars paid to repair those faults at vehicle wasn’t of acceptable quality Vantage Automotive. at the time of supply.

Munn used the vehicle for five But its faults were repaired months and drove 5,795km before it

by Popular Cars promptly at the failed a WOF when inspected by On trader’s cost and the car was then The Go (NZ) Ltd in November 2012. driven for another five months and The tribunal ruled no faults 5,795km by the buyer. identified on that check sheet It was ruled the defects found The TRUSTED online wholesale trading site. were serious and Munn paid to in this old vehicle were of a kind to autoport.net repair them. be expected by a reasonable buyer, h eHamiltoncThames tAuckland On The Go’s check sheet madeTaurangaWhangarei the tribunal said they reflected dRotoruaand Gisborne Napier NewoPlymouth Biggest increases/Decreases Wanganui Palmerston North Masterton Wellington By town year-on-year no mention of the surface rust Nelson Blenheim the age and Greymouth Whangarei and Auckland mileage of the car (OctOber 2013 vs OctOber 2012) Hamilton Thames Tauranga Rotorua Gisborne Napier New Plymouth underneath the vehicle. not a Palmerston lack North of durability.

Wanganui Masterton Wellington Nelson Blenheim Greymouth Westport Christchurch Timaru Oamaru Dunedin The tribunal accepted, on the Invercargill Whangarei Auckland Hamilton Thames Rotorua Gisborne Napier New Plymouth basis of VTNZ’s WOF, that the carTauranga Wanganui Palmerston North Masterton Wellington Nelson Blenheim Greymouth Whangarei AucklandoHamiltonThe Thames application Tauranga Rotorua was dismissed. needed rust treatment and other c

The finding

try

7500

n: The tribunal The decisio cts were to be

Order

2013

6500

2012

westport thames napier

wanganui gisborne timaru

t o b e r 2 0 13

7000

 100.0%  51.2%  34.1%

m am 1, th 1

e

Used

Blenheim nelson rotorua

 27.7%  26.8%  23.7%

  

westport Masterton timaru

Used

  

Used Vehicle RegistRatiOns

New versus used

North IslaNd versus south IslaNd

7000

6000

5000

JuL ‘13

JuN ‘13

MAy ‘13

FEb ‘13

South Island

Nov ‘12

Oct ‘13

JuL ‘13

SEP ‘13

JuN ‘13

AuG ‘13

MAy ‘13

1000

FEb ‘13

2000

APr ‘13

5000

4000

MAr ‘13

3000

JAN ‘13

6000

Oct Nov Dec y Jun Jul Aug Sep Jan Feb Mar Apr Ma

North Island

4000

APr ‘13

7962

MAr ‘13

8545

New

DEC ‘12

Used

7000

JAN ‘13

9000

8000

Nov ‘12

O hi

Biggest decreases

new

PassengeR Vehicle RegistRatiOns

10000

DEC ‘12

5500

S

Biggest increases

new

EXTENDED INDUSTRY ANALYSIS ONLINE 6000

I

un

Munn agreed to buy the car for $7,990 after a short test drive. In its Trade Me advert, Popular Cars described it as being well-looked after and a great example of a lowmileage SUV. The vehicle leaked oil soon after it was supplied and Munn took it to Avonhead Automotive Ltd, which assessed it on June 15, 2012, and found seven faults.

Munn purported to reject the SUV claiming it had serious faults and it had been misrepresented.

The trader had the faults fixed

by Vantage Automotive & Auto Electrical, which installed fuel, oil and air filters for $613.

The vehicle was returned to

The next day, without contacting Popular Cars, Munn had Haines & Son Tyres carry out this work for $449.

On December 16, he took the vehicle for another WOF. It failed because of rusty side plates, the inner sway-bar bushes needed replacing, a crack in the chassis and a new tyre was needed.

Munn emailed Popular Cars on December 17 listing faults from both WOF inspections.

He informed the trader the vehicle was unable to pass a WOF, he had paid $634 on repairs to date and other work would cost more than $2,000.

His email asked how Popular Cars proposed to remedy the situation. It replied on December 20 saying these were maintenance items that a vehicle older than 20 years would need and they should be expected given the state of Christchurch’s roads.

The dealer offered to replace 10000 bolts from the torsion bar missing as950 a gesture of goodwill.

0 Munn told Popular Cars its 9000 was unacceptable and response on850 March 0 21, 2013, he filed an application with the tribunal.

8000 At the tribunal’s request, Munn

had a WOF completed by VTNZ on May 10 at 146,445km.

The faults listed on the check sheet included a wornout tyre, left-hand lower outer ball joint, both running-board mounts rusty, crack in the gearbox mount to the chassis, a headlight alignment was needed and a tyre had a puncture.

Munn produced a quote from Shepherd & Kime 2008 Ltd for $1,213 to repair some of the items – and one from Pit Stop for a new tyre, a puncture repair and headlight adjustment for $471.

He also produced a quotation of $771 from Pit Stop dated February 5, 2013, for a throttle body and gasket.

SEP ‘13

The case

Munn, who drove it for 5,795km until November.

Munn took the car to On The Go (NZ) Ltd for a WOF on November 22, but it failed for five reasons.

These were:  Unable to open the left-front door from outside.  Exhaust leak and handbrake improvement needed.  Bolts missing from front torsion bar mounts.  Rear front-inner tie rod and end-of-drag link to be repaired.

AuG ‘13

Christopher Munn bought a 1990 Nissan Terrano from Popular Cars Ltd on June 8, 2012.

He applied to the tribunal to reject it under the Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA) after it failed a WOF because of rust.

Mr L Powell, director of Popular Cars, says the car was checked over

by Munn’s mechanic soon after he bought it and the dealer paid to have the faults found then repaired.

The vehicle was driven 6,000km over a five-month period by Munn.

Given its age, mileage and use of Christchurch’s roads, he said the faults were wear-and-tear items any reasonable consumer would expect with a 22-year-old car.

The dealer was prepared to supply missing bolts for the torsion bar as a gesture of goodwill.

However, that offer was rejected by Munn and Popular Cars considered it had no obligation to the purchaser.

second-hand rejected it after it leaked oil, but the dealer fixed the problem. After driving it another 5,000km, the purchaser attempted to reject the car again after it failed a warrant of fitness (WOF).

Aroun

Background

The buyer of a The case:Nissa n Terrano

Used imPORt PassengeR Vehicle RegistRatiOns by city

aucklaNd, wellINgtoN, chrIstchurch

22 | www.autofile.co.nz

4500

600

3500 3000

hamIltoN, tauraNga, duNedIN, PalmerstoN North

4320

4000 Auckland

500

Hamilton

disputes

Engine seized on vehicle’s first day of use after being bought sight unseen Background

workshop. It removed the rocker consumer by driving after the cover and reported “the engine oil light lit up. If she had called had been run with low oil causing when it came on, the damage exhaust camshaft failure and seizing”. could have been avoided.

It noted: “Engine has a bad oil Weeks offered to replace the sludge build-up consistent with a engine if Stack paid the labour, lack of servicing.” but she wanted the trader to pay Mr Monk, service manager, the full cost. told the tribunal the build-up was He produced an unsigned inconsistent with the car having letter from England Automotive, of only missed one or two services.

Auckland, which apparently hadn’t He believed it had been driven seen the engine. for thousands of kilometres It claimed sludge alone without being serviced. wouldn’t make an engine seize and Although the engine hadn’t the car should have been stopped been stripped to diagnose the when the oil light came on. failure, he thought the car lacked The problem might have been oil pressure causing one of the an easy fix by flushing the oil, cams to seize. cleaning the pick-up and filling up.

Monk said it was almost Under the Motor Vehicle impossible to remove oil sludge Sales Act, the tribunal can accept build-up from an engine. evidence or information whether Even if the sump is removed and or not it would normally be water-blasted or petrol-flushed, admissible in a court of law. particles are “stirred up” and get But it was unwilling to accept as into the engine to contaminate evidence an unsigned letter from critical components, such as the oil a mechanic who hadn’t seen the galleries, pump and pick-up. extent of the build-up.

Miles Toyota estimated $5,724 to supply and fit a second-hand engine.

In deciding if the car complied with Monk sent some photos of the the CGA’s guarantee of acceptable engine to the tribunal shortly after xxxxxxxxx quality, the tribunal considered its the hearing. Copies of them, which age, mileage and price. were sent to the trader, showed it It also took into account that been affected by sludge indicating the engine failed on the first day a lack of servicing. the buyer used it and it seized The assessor considered the within about 90km of supply. photos showed an engine that The tribunal considered no suffered a significant lack of oil reasonable consumer would and filter changes over a long regard the car as fit for purpose, 2013 period evidenced by a build-up of Dealer stock of used car imports in New Zealand - Oct defects or durable. contamination of upper-engine parts. free of minor 2012 It had to consider if the car was There was varnishing of the driven in a way consistent with the camshaft lobes and camshaft use of it by a reasonable consumer. journal bolts were largely The trader’s defence was obscured with sludge.

New Passenger Vehicle Sales

by Make - November 2013 the buyer used in an The trader believed Stack failed New Passe nger the Vehicle car Sales by Model - November 2013 unreasonable way by driving it to exercise the care of a reasonable

Tanaya Stack purchased a 2005 Toyota RAV4 sight unseen from Greg Weeks Motors Ltd for $15,990 on June 18, 2013.

She rejected it under the Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA) because the motor seized when she first drove it.

The buyer wanted to recover the purchase price and salvage costs of $182.

The trader said the engine seized because it was starved of oil due to insufficient oil pressure.

It claimed Stack should have stopped driving when the warning light came to avoid the damage being cause.

The case

The ruling

Annual high for stockpile

stock for too long.

“The industry tends to manage stock levels quite well and does this day in, day out,” he told Autofile.

“My data suggests this is a cyclical thing and levels were no higher in previous years, but they

NeW CArS SoLd

Imported

dAyS AVerAge SALeS per StoCk dAy - ytd At hANd

StoCk

VArIANCe

12,984

MIA stock estimate as at end of December 2011 Jan ‘12

5,026

7,499

(2,473)

10,511

242

43

Feb ‘12

7,368

5,633

1,735

12,246

223

55

Mar ‘12

7,228

6,499

729

12,975

218

59

Apr ‘12

6,285

5,430

855

13,830

209

66

May ‘12

7,742

5,942

1,800

15,630

205

76

‘12 Jun  95.5% ‘12 Jul  64.9%

8,870

7,142

1,728

17,358

211

82

7,894

6,208

1,686

19,044

209

91

 52.0% ‘12 Aug

8,589

5,959

2,630

21,674

207

105

Sep ‘12

6,828

6,637

191

21,865

209

105

Oct ‘12

8,155

7,336

819

22,684

211

107

Nov ‘12  41.7% Dec ‘12  20.0% ytd total  12.4%

8,953

6,484

2,469

25,153

212

119

6,102

1,714

26,867

211

128

76,871

13,883

StoCk

VArIANCe

26,867

20 Oct

30 Oct

30,322

220

130 21 Oct 80 138

31 Oct

34,559

220

34,293

222

1,654

4,237 Yokohama 6,828

USed ImportS VArIANCe SoLd

Mitsubishi

15 Nov

Honda

16 Nov

2012

Volkswagen

20

-

-

-

13- Nov

16 Nov

0

4 Dec

23 Nov

11 Dec

29 Nov

Kia

17 Nov

17 Nov

11 Dec

BMw

Subaru

Audi Mercedes-Benz

Peugeot Jeep

ISING ED ADVERT TARGET PORT TO DOOR SERVICE

SPACE

Ssangyong

Dodge GENEROUS REWAR DS

INCLUDING : WE BE LOOKING AT YOUR BUSINESS? SHOULDN’T PROGRAMMESkoda



MPI Border inspection

Lexus

Land Rover Ship your motor vehicles on

Dec

40

-

7 Nov

oct

158

-

8,826

1 Nov

154

226

-

nov

Lyttelton 82,380

157 22 Oct 60

35,693

-

sep

(266)

Wellington 68,612

2013

StoCk

dAyS AVerAge SALeS per StoCk dAy - ytd At hANd

was upheld. failure was of substantial character and the vehicle wasn’t fit for purpose. r Vehicle Disputes At: The Motoland .

Tribunal, Auck

after the oil warning light came on.

The tribunal thought if the buyer hadn’t checked the oil level and taken it to a service station, there would be grounds for misuse.

Stack’s evidence was accepted because she appeared to be a credible witness.

In the assessor’s experience, the failure of an oil sender unit occurs more frequently than an oil-pressure issue caused by sludge build-up.

The tribunal ruled the vehicle failed to comply with the guarantee of acceptable quality.

Its defect and lack of durability caused the engine to seize, which was a failure of substantial character.

Stack emailed the trader on July 9 rejecting the vehicle and her grounds for doing so within 11 days of supply, which was well within a reasonable time.

The trader had to refund Stack the purchase price and pay her $182 for the car to be salvaged.

The vehicle couldn’t be returned without major cost to the buyer, so the trader had to collect it from Miles Toyota in Christchurch at its expense.

8,579

Jan ‘12

3,191

6,375

(3,184)

5,395

206

26

Feb ‘12

4,920

6,000

(1,080)

4,315

210

21

Mar ‘12

6,504

6,429

75

4,390

209

21

Register now at www.autofile.co.nz for INSIGHT

Auckland 1,400 7,962 -

100

JUL

7,272

120

aUG

6,769

125

JUn

Oct ‘13

77,438

132

220

apr

-

214

28,668

may

9,362

Nov ‘13

216

28,159

509

Feb

7,006

Oct ‘13

495

Imported

Total stock at the end of December 2011

AUTOFILE.CO.NZ - made for dealers Jan

11,065

Sep ‘13

h

says Macdonald.

“Dealers then jump online to buy more from Japan, but that’s

always been the way.

“You can oversupply when buying conditions are good, but the marketplace normally corrects itself by pulling back from Japan or selling down. The numbers might drop for a month or two before trundling up again.

“There’s no magic supply-chain miracle. When it’s slow, it tends to be slow for everybody. If you can get good supply with a good exchange rate, everyone benefits.”

25 206 5,126 736 match demand.

5,877 6,613 Apr ‘12 29 208 6,026 900 6,793 “When the market’s down in 7,693 May ‘12 33 208 6,789 763 6,184 Japan, stock is hard to get. When 6,947 Jun ‘12 26 209 5,483 (1,306) 6,641 5,335 it’s buoyant, you tend to buy what Jul ‘12 oversupply issue.

21 210 4,402 (1,081) 6,621 5,540 you can because you don’t know Aug ‘12 “There was good buying in Japan 18 209 3,686 (716) 6,222 time. next 5,506 available be will ‘12 what Sep arrival high saw we and in March, 12 211 2,507 (1,179) 6,867 in bear 5,688 to need also ‘12 Oct “Dealers numbers in April, May and June.

18 213 3,810 1,303 7,183 to 8,486 Nov ‘12 mind it takes four to six weeks “The stockpile occurs more at 14 Nov '13 215 3,105 (705) Nov '12 7,119 Nov 6,414 ” Mkt +/- % Dec ‘12 stock from Japan. get'13 2013 certain times of the year. Since Mkt Share 2013 total (5,474) 78,311 Share 72,837 Model say 300 Make ytd total Larger operations, of in Nov '13 Nov '12 +/back into the I came1746 Nov Mkt 2013 2013 Mkt 1190industry46.7 % 23.4% Share total 14670 19.3% Share dAyS AVerAge Toyota Corolla 685 USed ImportS 673 StoCk SALeS per StoCk 1.8 35.5 Imported626 SoLd462 VArIANCe 9.2%import8102 cars 8.4% dAy5283 2013 Days stock in nZ - UseD hANd 10.7% - ytd At 6.9% Toyota RAV4 618 596 289 3.7 80 261.3 8.3% 3105 3.9% 2521 6519 at the end of December 2012 8.6% 3.3% 180 Holden Total stock Commodore 572 624 260 -8.3 0.7 171 239 7.7% 176 52.0 (2,929) 7,397 4,468 6695 3.5% 2399 8.8% 3.2% Mazda Jan ‘13Cx-5 160 512 6 243 485 1,501 1,325 6,922 239 8,247 5.6 141 Feb ‘13 6.9% 69.5 5447 3.2% 1989 7.2% 11 243 2.6% Toyota Mar ‘13 2,772 1,271 7,581 Liberty 140 382 8,852 yaris 281 35.9 227 267 5.1% -15.0 3342 4.4% 5,893 2235244 2.9%24 3,121 3.0% 7,418 10,539 Suzuki Apr ‘13 V1 Swift 120 376 405 -7.2 218 34 250 5.0% 254 8,400 2,507 2.9% 8,460 -14.2 4436 10,967 May ‘13 5.8% 2750 3.6% Ford 351 34 Mondeo 252 272 8,627 227 7,862 29.0 8,089 184 Jun ‘13 4.7% 29100Nov 98 87.8 3661 2.5% 1201 261 1.6%29 4.8% 7,621 (1,006) Hyundai Jul ‘13 9,629 310 8,623 ix35 312 -0.6 80 168 4.2% 81 107.4 (13) 2.3% 2994 263 1.8% 29 3.9% 7,608 8,648 1338 8,635 30 Nov ‘13 Mitsubishi Aug Lancer 288 261 10.3 29 168 262 3.9% 60 7,494 (114) 7,615 84 3527 7,501 100.0 Sep ‘13 4.6% 2.3% 894 Toyota 202 263 1.2% 35 240 9,323 1,829 8,545 -15.8 1 Dec 2013 10,374 ‘13 Oct Camry 2.7% 168 131 40 2563 28.2 3.4% - 1.7% - 2.3% - 1270 172 Holden ‘13 NovCaptiva 178 -3.4 2.3% 135 1861 319 20 2.4% 19 Dec - 1.8% - 2039 - -57.7 ‘13 2012 2.7% 165 Volkswagen DecGolf 153 7.8 2.2% 134 80,077 30.1 6,218 1645 86,295 103 ytd total 2.2% 0 1.8% 1469 1.9% 163 Toyota 26 Dec 150 Highland 96,145 8.7 er sales predicted 2013 2.2% 118 1748 79 2.3% 49.4 1.6% 1092 1.4% 128 Ford 82 Focus 56.1 1.7% 114 1398 29 Dec 212 -46.2 1.8% 1.5% 1429 108 1.9% Honda 60 80.0 Jazz 1.4% 113 1001 1.3% 1.5% COMMERCIAL STATISTICS76 48.7 922 92 OF THE NEW AND USED 1.2% 65 SPONSORSHIP Ford 41.5 Kuga 1.2% 775 1.0% 18 522.2 FOR YOUR BUSINESS 112 AVAILABLE NOW IS PAGES 1.5% 952 86 1.3% 49 Mazda 75.5 Mazda3 1.2% 724 109 1.0% 151 -27.8 1.5% 1537 64 2.0% 46 le.co.nz Toyota 39.1all enquiries 775 or email on 021 455 Aurionbrian@autofi107 0.9% contact For 478 Brian0.6% 23 365.2 1.4% 447 63 0.6% 56 Holden 12.5 Cruze 0.8% 654 106 0.9% 80 32.5 1.4% 1925 54 2.5% 44 Hyundai 22.7 0.7% Santa Fe 508 103 0.7% www.autofile.co.nz | 27 261 -60.5 1.4% 1847 51 22 2.4% mar

Aug ‘13

2013 predicted sales

with 30 to 40 cars.

“They can suddenly be selling without having bought for a few weeks and being 10-15 units down makes them more susceptible,”

Days of stock

8,423

27,077

1,082

6,347

7,542 Nagoya

Dec

Jul ‘13

1,483

5,908 Osaka

Hyundai Mazda

oct

8,051

25,594

26,065

Make

Toyota

Holden

Ford

nov

7,429

Jun ‘13

ytd total

normally does.

“If the monthly stockpile was 10,000 on a regular basis it means there are solid holding numbers,” he told Autofile. “North of that and we would be looking at an

Nissan Morning Miracle Suzuki V5

sep

7,391

May ‘13

(471)

6,800

JUL

Apr ‘13

Port 1,228 5,799Calls

Sepang Express V9

aUG

6,329

January to 131 in October.

Last year 90,754 units were imported and there were 76,871 sales for a variance of 13,883.

LATEST SCHEDULE

160 104 Hoegh Xiamen 117 223 140 115V20 222

238

apr

7,027

Mar ‘13

180

24,837

(2,030)

7,385

may

Feb ‘13

Dec ‘13

Christchurch.

“If you add in Dunedin and Wellington, these centres cover a large proportion of the population and all have strong economies.”

Year to date, 77,438 new cars have been imported and 68,612 have been registered to give a variance of 8,826 so far this year.

Days with stock at hand has been steadily increasing from 78 in

Days stock in nZ - new cars

Feb

5,355

dAyS AVerAge SALeS per StoCk dAy - ytd At hANd

Jan

Imported

Jan ‘13

1805

other centres.

“But 80 per cent of New Zealand’s population is in Auckland and

JUn

NeW CArS SoLd

mar

90,754

Total stock at the end of December 2012

6740

7,494 in September.

There have been two other major increases during 2013 – with variances between imports and sales of 3,121 in April and 2,507 in May. Graeme Macdonald, chairman of the North Island branch of the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association, says the current stockpile should correct itself – as it

has gone up.

“October and November are normally difficult for the industry, so the stockpile tends to go up,” says Macdonald. “But trade swings up over Christmas and the holidays, so it goes down.

“December and January are good months for sales because people take time off work, the kids are off school and people may have Christmas bonuses or holiday pay.

“It’s a time when Kiwis tend to make financial decisions, so dealers need to have plenty of stock to

TWO SAILINGS PER MONTH JAPAN TO NZ

7,816

Days of stock

2013

during 2012.

There were 54,404 sales in 2009, 62,029 in 2010, 64,019 in 2011 and 76,871 in 2012, and the MIA is predicting about 82,000 passenger vehicle and SUV sales this year.

“We’re looking at about 30,600 light commercials and we’re on track for 112,000 or 113,000 new vehicle sales overall.”

Business confidence being high and strong regional economies in Auckland and

T

hot, SUVs are.

“People in the housing market are refinancing their mortgages to buy big-ticket items especially when they are confident about keeping their jobs.”

All that said, some of the regional centres, such as Hawke’s Bay and Palmerston North, aren’t showing as much growth as

units, are more static with their holding not changing too much.

A drop of 50 units may not be too drastic. But stock can vary enormously by proportion on yards

Finance

ighest of 2013.

There were 7,962 sales last month, also this year’s biggest mount, while the variance was ,400 with 9,362 units imported – he second highest amount after 11,065 imports in August.

The total stock figure at the end of December was 20,683 and

1996, it has ebbed and flowed.”

Used car stock levels are traditionally based on what’s happening in Japan and what consumers are buying here.

Conditions there have improved recently and the exchange rate

he amount of stock held by used car dealers during October was the highest monthly total of the year.

There were 10,374 units imported last month with a variance of 1,829 on 8,545 sales.

The number of cars in stock amounted to 9,323 compared to

n: The rejection The decisio The tribunal ruled the

Orders The rejection was upheld. The trader was ordered17% pay the buyer $16,172 and collect the car from Miles Toyota.

850 wds

Payment protection

S

did come down after the global financial crisis [GFC].

“Stocking levels then increased again and they respond to the number of new vehicles sold and the rate at which they are sold.

“They basically go up when sales go up, but I’m not so sure about the days stock is held for being longer and can’t explain that.

“Average sales per day came down during the GFC and before that they were much higher.”

If 80,000 vehicles are sold one year and 100,000 are sold the following year, the average sales per day should be higher – and the MIA is expecting more new vehicles to be sold this year than

that dropped to this year’s low of 18,653 in January.

David Crawford, chief executive officer of the Motor Industry Association (MIA), says current models aren’t sitting around in

tock levels of new cars have increased every month except one this year, with October’s total of 29,509 being the

Christchurch are boosting sales.

“Trades people are upgrading their vehicles,” says Crawford.

“Although passenger cars aren’t so

was bought sigh its engine seized on the first day it was driven by the buyer. The trader claimed the purchaser should have stopped when a warning light came on to avoid damage being caused.

41

12% 14% 13%

GAP

Industry manages levels well

surance

Stack, of Christchurch, agreed to buy the car without having it inspected when its odometer was on 116,280.

The price included delivery and she received it on June 28.

She had another vehicle and didn’t drive the RAV4 until 2am on July 5 when she went to work. After starting it, the oil warning light flickered on and off.

Stack checked the oil level, which xxxxxxxxxxx was correct, drove to a service station and told the attendant about the light.

The attendant checked its level, which was satisfactory, and told her the light was probably caused by a faulty oil sensor unit or lamp.

Stack drove to Timaru. When she reached Dunsandle, about - Oct 2013 ZealandChristchurch, cars in New Dealer stock of new 40km from the 2012 engine stopped and warning lights came on.

She called Mr K Weeks, the trader’s director, and he told her to have the car towed to Christchurch.

Miles Toyota took it to its

nd-hand car The case: A seco t unseen before

22% 9% 8500

New Passenger registration

s-2

The TRUSTED online wholesale trading site.

 4.4%

Nelson Blenheim Greymouth Whangarei Auckland Hamilton Thames Tauranga Rotorua Gisborne Napie r New Plymouth Wanganui Palmerston North Masterton Wellington Nelson Blenheim Greymouth Westport Christchurch Tim aru Oamaru Dunedin In vercargil l Whangarei Auckland Hamilton Thames Tauranga Rotorua Gisborne Napie r New Plymouth Wanganui Palmerston North Masterton Wellington Nelson Blenheim Greymouth Whangarei D e Hamilton Thames Tauranga Rotorua Auckland 3

Total Used Cars 9534 2012: 7119

c e m b er 2 0 1

Whangarei  34.1% 2012: 92  90.2%

NEW: 122

Thames NEW: 56

2012: 91

175

53

162

NEW: 37 Used:

NEW: 158

247

2012: 180

USED:

2012: 284

319

Rotorua NEW: 51

71

USED:

80

Gisborne

New Plymouth  3.1% 2012: 123  31.7%

NEW: 99

 93.1%  60.6%

NEW: 229

2012: 265

585

Used:

2012: 33

Hamilton  21.9% 2012: 386  51.6%

NEW: 323

 33.9%

2012: 29

Tauranga

2012: 2705

4767

Used:

USED:

Auckland  10.2% 2012: 3729  27.8%

NEW: 2981

Used:

Aroun

2012: 6102

Used:

co

try

Total New Cars 6371

d

un

autoport.net

Used:

he

Whangarei tAuckland Hamilton Thames Tauranga Rotorua Gisborne Napier New Plymouth Wanganui Palmerston North Masterton Wellington

NEW: 22

2012: 96

USED:

Wanganui  41.3% 2012: 39  82.1%

54

Napier

NEW: 126

2012: 63

USED:

Palmerston North  35.0% 2012: 146  69.2%

162

NEW: 42

42

USED:

NEW: 465

Used:

NEW: 2 Used:

NEW: 12 Used:

28

3

163

2012: 61

2012: 34 2012: 34

2012: 118 2012: 120

2012: 29 2012: 30

Wellington

NEW: 75

2012: 46

Masterton

2012: 243

USED:

Nelson  25.0% 2012: 104  56.7%

757

 27.2%  12.3%

2012: 429 2012: 537

 10.9%  31.1%  35.3%  58.8%

 6.8%  35.0%

 44.8%  40.0%

 8.4%  41.0%

2012: 60

Blenheim NEW: 55

Westport 2012: 3  33.3% 2012: 2  50.0%

USED:

37

2012: 39 2012: 27

Christchurch NEW: 1213

Greymouth 2012: 14  14.3% 2012: 20  40.0%

USED:

Timaru

NEW: 50 USED:

Oamaru NEW: 13 USED:

Dunedin

NEW: 161 USED:

250

Invercargill NEW: 79 USED:

92

2012: 64 2012: 74

15

73

2012: 14 2012: 15

2012: 140 2012: 174

1399

2012: 44 2012: 64

2012: 1396 2012: 1025

 41.0%  37.0%

 13.1%  36.5%

 13.6%  14.1%

 7.1%  0%

 15.0%  43.7%

 23.4%  24.3%

UK, Japanese and local vehicles.

Finance available.

The TRUSTED online wholesale trading site.

www.

24 | www.autofile.co.nz

autoport.net

0800 7000 44

TWO SAILINGS PER MONTH JAPAN TO NZ LATEST SCHEDULE Morning Miracle V6

Liberty V2

Sepang Express V11

Morning Miracle V7

Osaka

28 Dec

16 Jan

29 Jan

16 Feb

Nagoya

29 Dec

17 Jan

30 Jan

17 Feb

Yokohama

30 Dec

18 Jan

31 Jan

18 Feb

Auckland

16 Jan

5 Feb

17 Feb

8 Mar

Wellington

23 Jan

9 Feb

24 Feb

15 Mar

Lyttelton

7 Feb

7 Feb

22 Feb

22 Mar

Port Calls

PORT TO DOOR SERVICE

GENEROUS REWARDS PROGRAMME

MPI Border inspection  Odometer certification  Digital Photography for prior sales in NZ  NZ Customs clearance  Delivery Nationwide  Insurance

Ship your motor vehicles on Armacup vessels and you can earn seamiles points for air travel (only applicable to used imports)

INCLUDING: 

PHONE

0800 ARMACUP (276 2287) or 09 303 3314 EMAIL enquiries@armacup.com www.armacup.com

YOUR FIRST CHOICE IN SHIPPING www.autofile.co.nz | 25

www.heiwa-auto.co.nz

Imported Passenger Vehicle Sales by Make - December 2013 Dec '13 Mkt Share

2013 Total

2013 Mkt share

22.0

23.7%

24450

1550

24.2

20.2%

1712

1143

49.8

Honda

890

679

Suzuki

493

Subaru

Make

Dec '13

Dec '12

Toyota

2261

1853

Nissan

1925

Mazda

+/- %

Imported Passenger Vehicle Sales by Model - December 2013 Make

Model

24.7%

Nissan

17923

18.1%

18.0%

16990

31.1

9.3%

312

58.0

372

326

Mitsubishi

358

Volkswagen

2013 2013 Mkt Total share

Dec '12

Tiida

546

554

-1.4

5.7%

4651

4.7%

Mazda

Demio

499

294

69.7

5.2%

4751

4.8%

17.2%

Suzuki

Swift

428

257

66.5

4.5%

4497

4.5%

10141

10.2%

Mazda

Axela

405

294

37.8

4.2%

4310

4.4%

5.2%

5354

5.4%

Honda

Fit

291

154

89.0

3.1%

3261

3.3%

14.1

3.9%

4347

4.4%

Mazda

Atenza

254

190

33.7

2.7%

2741

2.8%

289

23.9

3.8%

4371

4.4%

Toyota

Wish

253

171

48.0

2.7%

2428

2.5%

327

209

56.5

3.4%

3348

3.4%

Toyota

Corolla

249

259

-3.9

2.6%

3246

3.3%

Bmw

282

164

72.0

3.0%

3109

3.1%

Mazda

Mpv

236

167

41.3

2.5%

2291

2.3%

Audi

205

129

58.9

2.2%

1962

2.0%

Toyota

Vitz

227

179

26.8

2.4%

2486

2.5%

Mercedes-Benz

146

66

121.2

1.5%

1525

1.5%

Subaru

Legacy

212

206

2.9

2.2%

2619

2.6%

Ford

137

80

71.3

1.4%

1257

1.3%

Volkswagen

Golf

199

123

61.8

2.1%

1928

1.9%

Chevrolet

62

46

34.8

0.7%

676

0.7%

Nissan

March

192

110

74.5

2.0%

1760

1.8%

Volvo

57

17

235.3

0.6%

543

0.5%

Nissan

Note

185

137

35.0

1.9%

1575

1.6%

Land Rover

30

33

-9.1

0.3%

347

0.4%

Toyota

Estima

170

177

-4.0

1.8%

1537

1.6%

Lexus

29

10

190.0

0.3%

199

0.2%

Honda

Odyssey

155

137

13.1

1.6%

1597

1.6%

Holden

28

17

64.7

0.3%

209

0.2%

Mitsubishi

Outlander

137

96

42.7

1.4%

1650

1.7%

Jaguar

24

25

-4.0

0.3%

325

0.3%

Nissan

Presage

134

96

39.6

1.4%

1085

1.1%

Mini

24

17

41.2

0.3%

186

0.2%

Mazda

Premacy

133

89

49.4

1.4%

1222

1.2%

Daihatsu

18

16

12.5

0.2%

188

0.2%

Nissan

Bluebird

132

118

11.9

1.4%

1695

1.7%

Hyundai

18

19

-5.3

0.2%

174

0.2%

Toyota

Ist

131

121

8.3

1.4%

1834

1.9%

Dodge

16

9

77.8

0.2%

125

0.1%

Nissan

Teana

127

91

39.6

1.3%

1124

1.1%

Morgan

15

1

1400.0

0.2%

16

0.0%

Toyota

Avensis

109

73

49.3

1.1%

1102

1.1%

Peugeot

9

8

12.5

0.1%

129

0.1%

Honda

Accord

98

89

10.1

1.0%

1233

1.2%

Porsche

8

14

-42.9

0.1%

136

0.1%

Honda

Stream

98

74

32.4

1.0%

1058

1.1%

Jeep

6

3

100.0

0.1%

65

0.1%

Mitsubishi

Colt

98

89

10.1

1.0%

1251

1.3%

Renault

6

7

-14.3

0.1%

82

0.1%

Toyota

Caldina

93

86

8.1

1.0%

955

1.0%

Chrysler

5

8

-37.5

0.1%

79

0.1%

Toyota

Blade

90

57

57.9

0.9%

736

0.7%

Maserati

5

2

150.0

0.1%

23

0.0%

Nissan

Murano

89

30

196.7

0.9%

669

0.7%

Bentley

4

17

-76.5

0.0%

50

0.1%

Toyota

Auris

84

71

18.3

0.9%

1030

1.0%

Citroen

4

2

100.0

0.0%

27

0.0%

Toyota

Passo

82

37

121.6

0.9%

615

0.6%

Ferrari

4

3

33.3

0.0%

28

0.0%

Nissan

Wingroad

79

90

-12.2

0.8%

1073

1.1%

Smart

4

1

300.0

0.0%

23

0.0%

Mazda

Verisa

78

41

90.2

0.8%

656

0.7%

Alfa Romeo

3

4

-25.0

0.0%

35

0.0%

Toyota

Ipsum

71

96

-26.0

0.7%

966

1.0%

Cadillac

3

2

50.0

0.0%

34

0.0%

Subaru

Outback

70

45

55.6

0.7%

663

0.7%

Others

44

38

15.8

0.5%

495

0.5%

Others

3100

2221

39.6

32.5%

32676

33.0%

9534

7119

33.9

100.0%

98971

100.0%

Total

9534

7119

33.9

100.0%

98971

100.0%

Total

+/- %

Dec Mkt Share

Dec '13

RELIABLE. 26 | www.autofile.co.nz

www.heiwa-auto.co.nz

Small cars take out top three O

nly 441 sales separated the four most popular used imported passenger vehicles in 2013, with three being in the small segment.

Mazda’s Demio came top of the podium with 4,751 units and a market share of 4.8 per cent – 100 ahead of the Nissan Tiida, which took 4.7 per cent of the total.

Suzuki’s Swift was third on 4,497 and 4.5 per cent with Mazda’s Axela securing 4.4 per cent with 4,310 sales.

There were 98,971 used passenger imports sold in 2013, up by 20,660 units – or 26 per cent – on 2012.

And last year finished with a flurry of activity. There were 9,534 sales in December, up by 34 per cent on 7,199 units in the same month of 2012.

Rod Milner, of Rod Milner Motors in the Greenlane, Auckland, says business has been strong across all segments but trade-ins are down with some buyers handing their vehicles onto family members.

“We’re not being rushed off our feet, weekends are quiet and during the week it’s steady.”

Milner is looking forward to a strong 2014 and is experiencing no problems sourcing stock locally or from Japan.

“I think it could be bigger because there has been such a vacuum to fill with people having to replace their cars and more confidence in the market.

“They haven’t been spending, they have been saving with people paying with cheques.”

He says buyers are smiling again and there’s a more positive sentiment in the air.

“The only thing that could shift the market is increasing interest rates. The interest rate I had to pay when I first started this business was 35 per cent and

I couldn’t afford to do that now.”

Milner says many people have been increasing their mortgages to buy vehicles, but if interest rates go up he believes they will hold back from doing this.

The strong New Zealand dollar also means the quality of used vehicles being imported is improving.

“We’re buying cars we normally might not be able to. Instead of buying a 2004 model, we might be able to buy a 2006 or 2007 – and we know they will sell quicker.”

As far as issues facing the industry are concerned, Milner doesn’t support the mandatory

Stock that has been selling well includes the Tiida and Nissan’s luxury mid-size Teana.

“We keep a fair mixture, not so much commercial stuff though,” says Patterson. “You are best to concentrate at what your best at doing. Ford and General Motors have the commercial market covered down here.

“When the yen was low, cars were dearer to buy. The yen’s now in our favour and stock’s easy to get.

“You’ve got to bid on the right stuff though. You might bid on quite a few cars before you get what you want. There’s no sense in

Used Import Passenger Registrations - 2012-2013 10000 9500 9000 8500 8000 7500 7000 2013

6500

2012

6000 5500

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

introduction of electronic stability control (ESC) on used imports.

He believes this will distort the market and force some buyers to stay in their older and more unsafe vehicles, instead of upgrading to a vehicle with ESC because they are out of their price ranges.

Allan Patterson, of Derwent Car Sales in Oamaru, says trade during 2013 was patchy.

“You have a good run and you think everything is going well, but then it stops again,” he says. “It’s just the way the market is.”

bidding on something because it’s cheap, you buy to suit your market.”

Patterson says there has been talk about 2014 being a great year on the currency front and “there are a lot of cars on the roads – they have to wear out sooner than later”.

Many sheep farmers around the Oamaru region have been making the conversion to dairy.

“The dairy industry started here about 10 years ago and there are new conversions going on all over the place,” he says.

“Our local economy is usually

fairly steady and Oamaru is quite a positive town.”

Patterson put in the hard yards over Christmas because the town gets a bit quiet after the festive season. “I like working through that period because people are a bit more relaxed.”

Martin Harcourt, of Value Cars Warehouse in the Garden City, says: “We’re not buying at the moment because we stocked up for Christmas.

“We had a good year in 2013.

Christchurch is going well and the whole country is in a pretty good state.”

The dealership had been buying a number of used vehicles from Japan, which Harcourt says have been selling well.

It also purchased about 18 utes from Ireland and only had one left when Autofile called.

Andrew McKendry, of McKendry Motors in Blenheim, told Autofile: “The used market in 2013 was an improvement on previous years but it hasn’t recovered as quickly as the new car market.”

He says finding late-model New Zealand-new stock has been a challenge. “People have held off buying and are looking at new vehicles.”

There has been minor growth in finance but “not as good as I’d like”, with the banks offering competitive rates.

More used imported Toyotas were sold than any other marque in 2013 with a total of 24,450 sales. Its market share was 24.7 per cent.

Nissan was second on 17,923 and an 18.1 per cent share of the market. Mazda came third on 16,990 and 17.2 per cent.

Fourth spot went to Honda on 10,141 units and 10.2 per cent. Suzuki was fifth on 5,354 and 5.4 per cent.

Reece McKerrow

Servicing New Zealand for 20 years

Ph: 021 988 727

Greg Bardsley Ph: 0279 363 595

www.heiwa-auto.co.nz www.autofile.co.nz | 27

www.heiwa-auto.co.nz

Promising year ahead beckons

T

he chief executive of the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association (IMVIA) believes the signs for growth are in place for this year to improve on the boom witnessed in 2013.

“Last year went very well for the trade,” David Vinsen told Autofile.

“What we experienced was better than expected with more than 100,000 units imported.

“That represented about a 30 per cent increase on 2012 and part of that was due to coming out of the latest part of the exhaust emissions rule.”

A total of 107,284 used passenger cars crossed the border last year, up from 72,837 in 2012.

Vinsen adds: “There was more consumer confidence in this country, used imports have been assisted by the strong exchange

rate and the supply side hasn’t been that bad.

“We are aware of the car park of unsold stock and we’re monitoring it. There has been an upsurge but that should be self-correcting in the first quarter of next year.

“A self-levelling exercise will take place, with stock sold through price reductions.

“I believe 2014 will be even stronger because of increased confidence, it being an election year and there are no political interventions on the horizon. These are all signs for continued growth.

“We are now in a good position to have a good look at what the industry wants in regards to services.”

Talks are continuing between the association and government on end-of-life product stewardship schemes, electronic stability

control (ESC) and the exiting older vehicles from the fleet.

Vinsen says the IMVIA has come out of four years of “hunkering down” and can now pay more attention to investing in services for members rather than being concerned about costs.

The number of used imports last year included 100,784 from Japan, up from 67,442 in 2012 for a market share of 93.2 per cent, as first reported by www.autofile.co.nz.

The UK was second with 2,908 units compared to 2,730 in 2012, while Australia’s total jumped from 1,199 to 1,990.

Arrivals from the US last year came in at 1,205 compared to 976.

The figures for Singapore were slightly down from 154 in 2012 to 146 in 2013.

Meanwhile, the numbers of

used commercial vehicles being imported are tracking upwards – last year’s 5,196-unit total compares with 3,428 in 2012.

The vast majority – 4,688 – were imported from Japan during 2013. Next was the UK with 221 with Australia third on 117.

The numbers of used commercial vehicles crossing the border are steadily rising after dropping off in recent years because of the emissions rules.

Last year, the total was 5,200 but this was still behind 2007’s by 3,488 units, according to statistics published by NZ Customs.

In 2007, the total was 8,688 but plummeted to 3,639 in 2008, reaching their lowest levels in 2009 and 2010 – 1,924 and 1,932 respectively.

But the totals then climbed in 2011 and 2012 to 3,017 and 3,428.

Used import passenger vehicles arrivals 11000 10000 9000 8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000

2010

2013

2011

2012 2009

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Used Import Passenger Vehicles By Country Of Export Country of Export

Australia

2013

2012

JAN ’13

Feb ’13

Mar ’13

APr ’13

May ’13

Jun ’13

Jul ’13

Aug ’13

Sep ’13

Oct ’13

NOV ’13

DEC ’13

109

122

154

175

171

118

189

166

148

191

205

242

Monthly 2013 TOTAL Mrkt Share

1990

2.4%

2012 TOTAL

Market Share

1199

1.6%

281

191

192

219

297

200

240

262

235

238

283

270

2908

2.7%

2730

3.7%

3939

7809

8400

10001

10380

7488

8042

8074

6956

9797

10516

9382

100784

93.2%

67442

92.6%

Singapore

11

14

6

8

9

9

17

14

10

9

22

17

146

0.2%

154

0.2%

Usa

94

89

83

106

63

79

96

98

113

115

132

137

1205

1.4%

976

1.3%

Great Britain Japan

Other countries Total

33

21

11

22

25

17

26

18

19

14

26

19

251

0.2%

336

0.5%

4467

8246

8846

10531

10945

7911

8610

8632

7481

10364

11184

10067

107284

100.0%

72837

100.0%

STRICTLY DEALER ONLY AND TRUE WHOLESALE 28 | www.autofile.co.nz

Reece McKerrow Ph: 021 988 727

Greg Bardsley

Ph: 0279 363 595 www.heiwa-auto.co.nz

Proud to sponsor the SecondHand Car Sales Statistics

Festive cheer with high sales S

ales of second-hand cars last month ensured there were seasonal celebrations among some dealers.

There were 16,829 trade-topublic sales in December – up by 9.7 per cent from 15,346 units, in the same month of 2012.

The trade-in market also returned brisk trade, with 11,974 sales compared to 10,848 for a 10.4 per cent rise, while private sales increased by 5.5 per cent from 35,060 to 36,992.

Martin Harcourt, of Value Cars Warehouse, believes that compared to anywhere else in the country, Christchurch is the place to be with millions being invested in the rebuild following the earthquakes.

The Garden City recorded a 12.8 per cent increase in dealerto-public sales last month to 2,471

units from 2,191 in December 2012.

It also saw a 23 per cent jump in trade-ins from 1,410 to 1,734 over the same period.

“We’re lucky because the town has come to us,” Harcourt told Autofile. “All of the new developments are right where we are and just a stone’s throw away.

“We can spend all day buying and we’ve got a staff of 18 people because the more hooks you put out, the more you can catch.

“We don’t worry about what other competitors are doing because we just focus on what we have been doing well for the past 22 years.”

John Paddy, of Mainly Cars – a Palmerston North dealership specialising in stock priced less than $8,000 – has seen the effects of the exhaust emissions legislation

driving up some vehicles’ prices.

“Take 1994 RAV4s – they were $3,990,” he says. “Now you can’t buy one for less than $4,990.

“The big 1995-96 Pajeros with 200,000-300,000km on the clock that no one has ever wanted to know about in the past are going for $12,000.”

Paddy stresses Palmerston North is diverse enough to weather storms – if one sector starts to struggle other parts of the market will fill the gap, so overall sales there tend to stay consistent.

The city saw a 14.9 per cent rise in dealer sales in December to 765 units from 666 in the same month of the year before.

John Clough, dealer principal of Rotorua Kia, says there has always been good demand for good clean utes in the city.

“They tend to have hard lives,” he adds. “Most tend to have higher kilometres as well.”

The Bay of Plenty centre recorded a modest rise of 1.62 per cent in dealer-to-public transactions last month and a 7.2 per cent drop in trade-ins.

Blenheim reported the largest percentage rise in dealer sales last month compared to December 2012 for areas with in excess of 10 transactions. The total went up by 49.6 per cent from 135 to 202 units.

Transactions in New Plymouth went up from 358 to 468, or 30.7 per cent, to claim second spot.

Invercargill was third on 30 per cent from 363 to 472.

Wanganui had the highest rise in trade-ins on 32.3 per cent – up from 96 to 127.

Secondhand car sales - December 2013 Dec '13

Dealer-To-Public Dec '12 +/- %

MARKET SHARE

Dec '13

Public-To-Public Dec '12

+/- %

Dec '13

Public-To-Dealer Dec '12

+/- %

Whangarei

549

474

15.8

3.26

1636

1478

10.7

240

211

13.7

Auckland

5394

5155

4.6

32.05

13017

12560

3.6

4216

3790

11.2

Hamilton

1321

1295

2.0

7.85

2886

2761

4.5

1035

981

5.5

Thames

185

178

3.9

1.10

428

438

-2.3

90

72

25.0

Tauranga

812

741

9.6

4.83

1776

1636

8.6

533

494

7.9

Rotorua

272

237

14.8

1.62

645

647

-0.3

129

139

-7.2 16.7

Gisborne

192

145

32.4

1.14

375

284

32.0

126

108

Napier

566

452

25.2

3.36

1213

1173

3.4

381

364

4.7

New Plymouth

468

358

30.7

2.78

920

866

6.2

250

238

5.0 32.3

Wanganui

148

185

-20.0

0.88

410

394

4.1

127

96

Palmerston North

765

666

14.9

4.55

1430

1359

5.2

584

580

0.7

Masterton

164

153

7.2

0.97

317

291

8.9

94

81

16.0

Wellington

1449

1307

10.9

8.61

2619

2623

-0.2

1053

999

5.4

Nelson

292

324

-9.9

1.74

926

774

19.6

199

222

-10.4 23.3

Blenheim

202

135

49.6

1.20

331

304

8.9

143

116

Greymouth

88

78

12.8

0.52

198

189

4.8

41

40

2.5

Westport

23

28

-17.9

0.14

105

83

26.5

3

0

300.0 23.0

2471

2191

12.8

14.68

4681

4344

7.8

1734

1410

Timaru

Christchurch

261

208

25.5

1.55

520

457

13.8

142

136

4.4

Oamaru

70

67

4.5

0.42

198

157

26.1

26

23

13.0

Dunedin

665

606

9.7

3.95

1486

1459

1.9

455

440

3.4

Invercargill

472

363

30.0

2.80

875

783

11.7

373

308

21.1

16829

15346

9.7

100.00

36992

35060

5.5

11974

10848

10.4

NZ total

 Consumer Guarantees Act 1993  Motor Vehicle Sales Act 2003  Sale of Goods Act 1908  Fair Trading Act 1986  Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act 2000

Compliance made simple... since 1999

www.autofile.co.nz | 29

New Passenger Vehicle Sales by Make - December 2013 Make

Dec '13

Dec '12

Toyota

1512

2202

Holden

979

467

Dec '13 Mkt Share

2013 Total

-31.3

23.7%

16182

109.6

15.4%

9081

+/- %

New Passenger Vehicle Sales by Model - December 2013

2013 Mkt share

+/- %

Dec Mkt Share

1125

-36.7

11.2%

5995

7.3%

140

160.0

5.7%

2763

3.4%

Make

Model

Dec '13

Dec '12

19.6%

Toyota

Corolla

712

11.0%

Holden

Commodore

364

2013 2013 Mkt Total share

Ford

621

534

16.3

9.7%

7140

8.7%

Holden

Captiva

226

178

27.0

3.5%

2265

2.7%

Hyundai

491

377

30.2

7.7%

7186

8.7%

Suzuki

Swift

222

245

-9.4

3.5%

2972

3.6%

Mazda

383

344

11.3

6.0%

5830

7.1%

Toyota

Rav4

222

99

124.2

3.5%

2743

3.3%

Mitsubishi

327

188

73.9

5.1%

3988

4.8%

Mazda

Cx-5

202

118

71.2

3.2%

2191

2.7%

Nissan

303

337

-10.1

4.8%

3645

4.4%

Toyota

Highlander

185

184

0.5

2.9%

1277

1.5%

Suzuki

296

411

-28.0

4.6%

4732

5.7%

Ford

Focus

173

131

32.1

2.7%

1602

1.9%

Volkswagen

242

176

37.5

3.8%

3769

4.6%

Holden

Cruze

169

90

87.8

2.7%

2094

2.5%

Kia

192

170

12.9

3.0%

2755

3.3%

Mitsubishi

Lancer

159

43

269.8

2.5%

1053

1.3%

Honda

136

134

1.5

2.1%

3130

3.8%

Toyota

Yaris

149

226

-34.1

2.3%

2384

2.9%

Subaru

104

126

-17.5

1.6%

1749

2.1%

Hyundai

ix35

145

43

237.2

2.3%

1483

1.8%

Peugeot

92

67

37.3

1.4%

1093

1.3%

Volkswagen

Golf

133

72

84.7

2.1%

1602

1.9%

SsangYong

88

59

49.2

1.4%

812

1.0%

Ford

Mondeo

132

200

-34.0

2.1%

1333

1.6%

Mercedes-Benz

84

68

23.5

1.3%

1482

1.8%

Ford

Kuga

123

16

668.8

1.9%

1075

1.3%

Audi

73

53

37.7

1.1%

1821

2.2%

Holden

Barina

98

30

226.7

1.5%

692

0.8%

Jeep

70

51

37.3

1.1%

845

1.0%

Ford

Territory

95

62

53.2

1.5%

1283

1.6%

Dodge

63

40

57.5

1.0%

541

0.7%

Nissan

Qashqai

94

139

-32.4

1.5%

978

1.2%

Bmw

49

72

-31.9

0.8%

1910

2.3%

Hyundai

Santa Fe

88

115

-23.5

1.4%

1935

2.3%

Lexus

44

37

18.9

0.7%

552

0.7%

Mitsubishi

Outlander

87

82

6.1

1.4%

1345

1.6%

Skoda

36

39

-7.7

0.6%

690

0.8%

Toyota

Camry

82

266

-69.2

1.3%

1352

1.6%

Renault

33

1

3200.0

0.5%

131

0.2%

Kia

Sportage

73

21

247.6

1.1%

751

0.9%

Fiat

31

7

342.9

0.5%

173

0.2%

Mazda

Mazda3

72

100

-28.0

1.1%

1609

2.0%

Chery

19

35

-45.7

0.3%

370

0.4%

Toyota

Land Cruiser Prado

72

32

125.0

1.1%

629

0.8%

Land Rover

17

14

21.4

0.3%

460

0.6%

Ssangyong

Korando

68

42

61.9

1.1%

548

0.7%

Citroen

16

3

433.3

0.3%

302

0.4%

Dodge

Journey

63

40

57.5

1.0%

539

0.7%

Mini

16

23

-30.4

0.3%

490

0.6%

Ford

Falcon

61

31

96.8

1.0%

896

1.1%

Alfa Romeo

13

6

116.7

0.2%

195

0.2%

Nissan

X-Trail

60

52

15.4

0.9%

839

1.0%

Porsche

7

5

40.0

0.1%

189

0.2%

Holden

Trax

54

-

-

0.8%

198

0.2%

Great Wall

6

4

50.0

0.1%

217

0.3%

Nissan

Pulsar

54

-

-

0.8%

618

0.7%

Chrysler

5

9

-44.4

0.1%

125

0.2%

Volkswagen

Tiguan

52

23

126.1

0.8%

741

0.9%

Mahindra

5

-

-

0.1%

11

0.0%

Hyundai

i30

45

49

-8.2

0.7%

1300

1.6%

Volvo

5

3

66.7

0.1%

234

0.3%

Jeep

Grand Cherokee

45

32

40.6

0.7%

547

0.7%

Can-Am

3

8

-62.5

0.0%

78

0.1%

Mazda

Mazda2

44

39

12.8

0.7%

756

0.9%

Daihatsu

3

26

-88.5

0.0%

261

0.3%

Toyota

Prius

44

75

-41.3

0.7%

549

0.7%

Jaguar

2

1

100.0

0.0%

130

0.2%

Honda

Jazz

42

24

75.0

0.7%

964

1.2%

Lotus

2

-

-

0.0%

6

0.0%

Hyundai

Accent

42

29

44.8

0.7%

614

0.7%

Chrysler Jeep

1

-

-

0.0%

2

0.0%

Mazda

Mazda6

41

69

-40.6

0.6%

1001

1.2%

Ferrari

1

1

0.0

0.0%

20

0.0%

Holden

Barina Spark

40

4

900.0

0.6%

347

0.4%

Morgan

1

-

-

0.0%

6

0.0%

Hyundai

Elantra

40

59

-32.2

0.6%

273

0.3%

0

4

-100.0

0.0%

100

0.1%

Others

1499

1777

-15.6

23.5% 28297

34.3%

6371

6102

4.4

100.0%

82433

100.0%

Total

6371

6102

4.4

100.0% 82433

100.0%

Others Total

Seal the deal with UDC. Ph 0800 500 832 or visit www.udc.co.nz 30 | www.autofile.co.nz

UDC Finance Limited lending criteria applies.

Strong finish to great year S

ome people might remember 2013 as the year when the economy finally made the first steps on the path to recovery.

Setbacks in recent years have included the 2008/09 global financial crisis, while two natural disasters in 2011 – the floods in Thailand and Japan’s tsunami – limited the supply of new vehicles to New Zealand.

But brisk business during December resulted in 113,117 overall sales during 2013 – the highest total since 1984.

Last year’s figure was up by 12,322 new vehicles – or 12.2 per cent – on 2012’s, while 6,371 new passenger car registrations was the highest December total since 1976.

Autofile contacted some franchises to get a take on how businesses fared last year and to look into crystal balls for 2014.

Shaun Moses, dealer principal of Manukau Hyundai, says 2013 was the best year the franchise has ever had.

“We try to differentiate ourselves by focusing on selling vehicles around people and matching them to buyers. We’ve been doing a lot of referral business and the trust is really there.

“Someone has got to be the one who stops the discounting to focus on the customer instead.”

Moses describes Hyundai’s range as “desirable”, and one of the most comprehensive with its compacts and SUV. “The i35 and the i30 have been going exceptionally.”

He says the Kiwi market is becoming more like Australia with consumers preferring new cars.

“When you’re buying a vehicle, you could get a $20,000 used car.

But for $30,000 you can purchase a new Hyundai, which will keep its value for longer.

“New cars will become more

prevalent and 70 per cent of our sales are new vehicles.”

Moses believes the Auckland property market is driving people south, especially working-class families.

“You can buy a beautiful home for $500,000 in Papakura. The traditional idea of the family living close to the city centre is going away. People are more prepared to travel.”

He says the SUV and compact segments have been driving demand.

“We’ve written more finance this year, but margins aren’t as good, and we’re focusing more on the back-end of the dealership.

“There’s more certainty here and a lot of money from construction floating around.

“Last year was challenging for used cars and it’s a struggle to get good vehicles. The price of new cars has become a factor – we’re selling a new Peugeot for $21,990.”

Most of the dealership’s used stock comes from trade-ins. The market at the cheaper end is going well “but the stock isn’t there”.

Ken Williams is the dealer principal of Ignition Motor Group, which was Guthrie Motors when he bought it in 2012. It’s a franchise for Holden, Mitsubishi and Kia. “Trade has its highs and lows,

New Passenger Registrations - 2012-2013 8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000 2012

5500

2013

5000 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

“We roster sales people to welcome customers and engage in conversation with them. We also offer valet parking – everybody gets it and customers love it.

“We love giving them surprises, such as a packet of mints or even a USB drive with music loaded onto it.”

Steve Hammond, general sales manager of Armstrong Motor Group in Christchurch, says: “There are more mum-and-dad buyers in the market and fleet has been busy.

and it’s quite a volatile market,” he told Autofile. “The business is there, but it can be difficult to push it over the line.

“People want a wide selection of choice. I can’t keep every car in stock in a small town such as Wanganui and there are 60-odd models on the market. I think there would be the same difficulties right across New Zealand.”

Williams says a surge in Mitsubishi sales meant he ran out of Lancer GSR stock in

December, but he notes he’s “very conservative” with his outlook.

Sales of the Outlander have been a bit slow with other SUVs, such as the Kia Sportage and Holden’s Captiva, proving more popular on the local market.

After a two-year withdrawal from the town, Williams has brought Mitsubishi back to Wanganui – four different dealerships had the franchise in the 10 years prior to its departure.

“It’s a good Japanese brand and gives me a wide range,” he says. “It’s good for my workshop because there are lots of Mitsubishis in the car park.”

Williams says the market for used cars in Wanganui is for stock priced below $20,000.

“We’ve found that the light commercial vehicles have been generally good. It’s a farming-induced industry and manufacturing is still in the city down at the port end.

“There have been people out there buying commercial property.

Things are happening and it’s busier. But for me it’s just getting people to push across the line and stay there.”

With Palmerston North only an hour away, he adds it’s very important to back local businesses and support the local economy.

Toyota dominated the new vehicle market last month by taking 23.7 per cent – or 1,512 units – of passenger car registrations.

Holden secured second place with 979 sales – and 15.4 per cent market share – followed by Ford on 621, or 9.7 per cent.

Toyota topped the overall market for the 26th consecutive year with combined total registrations of 23,705 – 16,172 passenger cars and 7,533 commercials.

Your first choice in automotive lending.

Ph 0800 500 832 or visit www.udc.co.nz

UDC Finance Limited lending criteria applies.

www.autofile.co.nz | 31

Passenger Car Sales by Private/Business split - MIA statistics Make

Private

% Private

3

23.1

10

76.9

13

Audi

51

69.9

22

30.1

73

BMW

34

69.4

15

30.6

49

Chery

18

94.7

1

5.3

19

Chrysler

3

60.0

2

40.0

5

Citroen

8

50.0

8

50.0

16

Daihatsu

1

33.3

2

66.7

3

Alfa Romeo

Business % Business

Total

Dodge

42

66.7

21

33.3

63

Ferrari

1

100.0

0

0.0

1

Fiat

13

41.9

18

58.1

31

Ford

106

17.2

512

82.8

618

6

100.0

0

0.0

6

Holden

403

41.0

581

59.0

984

Honda

99

72.8

37

27.2

136

124

25.3

367

74.7

491

1

50.0

1

50.0

2

34

48.6

36

51.4

70

Great Wall

Hyundai Jaguar Jeep

123

64.4

68

35.6

191

9

52.9

8

47.1

17

Lexus

27

61.4

17

38.6

44

Lotus

1

50.0

1

50.0

2

124

32.4

259

67.6

383

Mercedes-Benz

46

55.4

37

44.6

83

Mini

12

75.0

4

25.0

16

Mitsubishi

183

56.0

144

44.0

327

Nissan

211

69.6

92

30.4

303

Peugeot

61

66.3

31

33.7

92

Porsche

4

57.1

3

42.9

7

Renault

5

15.2

28

84.8

33

Skoda

15

41.7

21

58.3

36

SsangYong

21

23.9

67

76.1

88

Subaru

39

37.5

65

62.5

104

Suzuki

189

63.9

107

36.1

296

Toyota

259

17.1

1253

82.9

1512

Volkswagen

143

59.6

97

40.4

240

2

40.0

3

60.0

5

Other

1

20.0

4

80.0

5

Total

2422

38.1

3942

61.9

6364

Kia Land Rover

Mazda

Volvo

*Business sales include rental and government sales, and the totals include passenger cars and SUVs. SOURCE: MIA

Toyota ends year with record sales T

he writing was on the wall almost from the start of 2013 and there was simply no stopping Toyota from topping the chart for new vehicle sales in New Zealand.

The Corolla finished the year as the country’s most popular car, the Hilux took out the light commercials title and the marque had five vehicles in the top 10.

“The Corolla’s success comes on the back of a full year,” says Steve Prangnell, general manager of sales at Toyota NZ. “We’re the only brand in double digits and we have increased our private share.

“We are seeing growing sales in the lease market and the Corolla is also strong in the government segment.”

Prangnell puts the growth in business sales during the final months of 2013 down to seasonal reasons.

“We’ve pulled forward a huge number of rental cars, in-bound tourism is up and it’s all counted as business fleet,” he told Autofile.

“The economy’s booming and the fact of the matter is there’s a lot going on.”

Motor Industry Association (MIA) statistics show that last month Toyota sold 1,512 passenger cars, including SUVs, and of those 1,253 – or 82.9 per cent – were business sales.

Holden, which came second in December, had a more even split.

Out of 984 registrations, 403 – or 41 per cent – were private.

But Ford, third on 618 units, had an almost identical split as Toyota.

Business sales made up 512 units, or 82.8 per cent, of its total.

Seal the deal with UDC. Ph 0800 500 832 or visit www.udc.co.nz 32 | www.autofile.co.nz

UDC Finance Limited lending criteria applies.

Hyundai was fourth on 491 sales with Mazda fifth on 383 – their business registrations amounted to 74.7 and 67.6 per cent respectively.

The strong finish to the year resulted in 6,364 passenger cars and SUVs being sold in December and 3,942 – or 61.9 per cent – were business, according to MIA figures.

Prangnell says Toyota doesn’t target one part of the market – private or business – over the other.

“We’ve got a strategy for the whole market. The strategy is to be number one in every channel when you’re a volume distributor.

We don’t look at it segment by segment, we look at it by what the customer wants.”

Overall, the manufacturer notched itself up a record in 2013, with new car sales up by 8.9 per cent on 2012 – it sold 24,262 Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

The Corolla has been the country’s favourite passenger car in its segment for 16 out of the past 26 years, and its line-up is being boosted this year with an all-new sedan.

As for the RAV4, Prangnell puts its success last year down to it being a new model, and its design and packaging.

He’s predicting strong growth in the SUV segment next year with a new Highlander, Prado and Land Cruiser to be released, and describes this part of the new vehicle market as “going nuts”.

“We were predicting 104,900 sales for last year and the overall market hit 112,000. If the growth continues, we will be heading for a 120,000 new car market this year.”

Commercials set benchmark L

ast year’s new commercial vehicle registrations of 30,862 broke all records since the industry started to collect data on the market in 1981.

The strongest segments included two-wheel-drive utes – which were 48 per cent ahead of 2012 – and fourwheel-drive utes, up by 30 per cent.

When it came to models, Toyota’s Hilux retained its 30-plus year reign as Kiwis’ most popular ute with 5,046 sales compared to Ford Ranger’s on 4,928.

That was a difference of just 118 units, according to NZTA statistics.

SUVs accounted for 27 per cent of the new vehicle market in 2013 with 30,478 registrations.

The other top-selling segments were small cars on 21,511 and pick-

ups and chassis cabs on 21,236.

“The market last year was probably not as buoyant as 2012,” says Richard Brown, chief executive officer of Rangiora, Kaiapoi and Ashburton Toyota, who has owned the business since 1986.

“The volume was there, but 2013 was more challenging with competition from other marques.

“The Hilux is our most popular vehicle with builders and business people in a lot of different areas, so it’s not just a farmer’s ute.

“There are now more people living in Rangiora, but they’re still Christchurch people at heart and tend to do business in the city.

They seem to spend more time in Christchurch than at home.”

Andrew McKendry, of McKendry

Dec '13

Dec '12

Mth %

2013 YTD

2012 YTD

% YTD

Passenger

3,932

4,266

-7.8

51,621

50,384

2.5

Private

1,490

1,065

39.9

18,864

17,061

Business

1,269

1,493

-15.0

22,388

105

131

-19.8

2,250

Rental SUV

1,068

1,577

-32.3

8,119

Dec '13

51,621

50,384

2.5

10.6

SUV

2,432

1,820

33.6

30,478

26,011

17.2

22,832

-1.9

Light Commercial

2,131

1,415

50.6

26,975

20,778

29.8

2,815

-20.1

Heavy Commercial

249

203

22.7

3,594

2,873

25.1

32

41

-22.0

509

529

-3.8

Total market

8,776

7,745

13.3

113,177

100,575

12.5

Light

1,001

1,009

-0.8

14,722

13,903

5.9

Small

1,795

1,997

-10.1

21,511

21,070

2.1

Medium

471

731

-35.6

7,852

7,760

1.2

Large

476

325

46.5

5,064

5,209

-2.8 5.2

7,676

5.8

Other

33.6

30,478

26,011

17.2

42.5

11,239

9,009

24.8

1,001

871

14.9

16,042

14,003

14.6

Gov’t

31

51

-39.2

590

652

-9.5

Rental

468

244

91.8

2,607

2,347

11.1

2,131

1,415

50.6

26,975

20,778

29.8

Upper Large

484

274

76.6

5,686

4,005

42.0

People Movers

1,460

1,014

44.0

19,080

14,709

29.7

Sports

Gov’t

96

90

6.7

1,344

1,500

-10.4

Rental

91

37

145.9

865

564

53.4

SUV Medium

8,495

7,501

13.3

109,074

97,173

12.2

SUV Large

Private

2,906

1,993

45.8

35,789

30,075

19.0

SUV Upper Large

Business

3,730

3,378

10.4

57,510

51,544

11.6

Light Buses

232

272

-14.7

4,184

4,967

-15.8

Business

Sub Total

Gov’t Rental Heavy Commercial

1,627

1,858

-12.4

11,591

2012 YTD % YTD

-7.8

654

Private

2013 YTD

4,266

1,820

Light Commercial

Dec '12 Mth% diff

3,932

932

Business

Visit www.autofile.co.nz for in-depth industry statistics

Passenger

2,432

Private

says there can still a bit of brand snobbery around the city.

But sales of SsangYong’s Actyon Sports WorkMate show the ute is a popular choice among priceconscious commercial buyers.

“Members of the public prefer to buy from dealers they trust,” he says, adding the workshop was fully booked towards to end of last year while and people have a bit more money in their pockets.

“The distributors have ramped up our targets, so there’s no sign of a slowdown here.”

Toyota completed the one-two in 2013’s models chart with 5,995 Corollas followed by the Hilux. Ford came third with the Ranger.

NEW VEHICLE MARKET SEGMENTATION - December 2013

NEW VEHICLE SALES BY BUYER TYPE - December 2013

Gov’t

Motors in Blenheim, says the CX-5 had an impressive year, the Jazz was by far the most popular Honda and the Mazda 6 was the leader in its class.

“We’re 20 per cent ahead on new car sales,” he told Autofile. “The local economy is moving ahead nicely and the commercial sector is spending.

“We’re selling more commercial stock and people are moving from larger passenger cars into utes.

They’re finding they are better propositions and utes now feel more like cars.”

McKendry predicts more growth in passenger cars this year. He’s looking forward to the new Mazda 3 and Mazda 6 being released, which he believes will push up sales.

Steve Hammond, of Armstrong Motor Group in Christchurch,

10,587

9.5

SUV Small

12

17

-29.4

265

252

116

102

13.7

1,037

987

5.1

61

85

-28.2

1,170

1,203

-2.7

564

464

21.6

6,869

5,609

22.5

1,020

560

82.1

12,603

9,140

37.9

824

773

6.6

10,569

10,902

-3.1

24

23

4.3

437

360

21.4

37

22

68.2

478

433

10.4

Vans

367

300

22.3

5,261

4,722

11.4

Pick Up/Chassis Cab 4x2

617

383

61.1

7,897

5,324

48.3

Pick Up/Chassis Cab 4x4

1,110

710

56.3

13,339

10,299

29.5

249

203

22.7

3,594

2,873

25.1

32

41

-22.0

509

529

-3.8

8,776

7,745

13.3

113,177

100,575

12.5

249

203

22.7

3,594

2,873

25.1

Other

32

41

-22.0

509

529

-3.8

Other

Total

8,776

7,745

13.3

113,177

100,575

12.5

Total market

Heavy Commercial

Your first choice in automotive lending.

Ph 0800 500 832 or visit www.udc.co.nz

UDC Finance Limited lending criteria applies.

www.autofile.co.nz | 33

commercial sales New Commercial Sales by Make - December 2013 Make

Dec '13

Dec '12

+/- %

Dec '13 Mkt Share

New Commercial Sales by Model - December 2013

2013 2013 Full Year Mkt share

Make

Model

Dec '13

Dec '12

+/- %

Dec '13 2013 2013 Mkt Share Full Year Mkt share

Ford

619

177

249.7

25.7%

5709

18.5%

Ford

Ranger

573

132

334.1

23.8%

4928

16.0%

Toyota

603

500

20.6

25.1%

7541

24.4%

Toyota

Hilux

458

320

43.1

19.0%

5046

16.4%

Holden

171

116

47.4

7.1%

2656

8.6%

Holden

Colorado

152

97

56.7

6.3%

2462

8.0%

Volkswagen

138

71

94.4

5.7%

1456

4.7%

Nissan

Navara

133

178

-25.3

5.5%

2695

8.7%

Nissan

133

187

-28.9

5.5%

2768

9.0%

Toyota

Hiace

124

141

-12.1

5.2%

2264

7.3%

Mitsubishi

110

158

-30.4

4.6%

2026

6.6%

Mazda

Bt-50

89

69

29.0

3.7%

1279

4.1%

Isuzu

108

47

129.8

4.5%

1545

5.0%

Mitsubishi

Triton

73

105

-30.5

3.0%

1282

4.2%

Mazda

89

69

29.0

3.7%

1279

4.1%

Volkswagen

Crafter

66

6 1000.0

2.7%

372

1.2%

Great Wall

64

64

0.0

2.7%

810

2.6%

Isuzu

D-Max

58

15

286.7

2.4%

816

2.6%

Mercedes-Benz

61

38

60.5

2.5%

568

1.8%

Great Wall

V240

49

33

48.5

2.0%

560

1.8%

Mitsubishi Fuso

51

70

-27.1

2.1%

526

1.7%

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

47

33

42.4

2.0%

413

1.3%

Hino

36

39

-7.7

1.5%

500

1.6%

Ford

43

40

7.5

1.8%

704

2.3%

Transit

Ssangyong

35

13

169.2

1.5%

448

1.5%

Volkswagen

Amarok

41

48

-14.6

1.7%

799

2.6%

Fiat

25

14

78.6

1.0%

282

0.9%

Mitsubishi

L300

37

52

-28.8

1.5%

740

2.4%

Hyundai

25

16

56.3

1.0%

583

1.9%

Ssangyong

Actyon Sport

35

13

169.2

1.5%

448

1.5%

Man

23

-

-

1.0%

120

0.4%

Hyundai

iLoad

25

15

66.7

1.0%

546

1.8%

Ud Trucks

18

5

260.0

0.7%

187

0.6%

Fiat

Ducato

24

14

71.4

1.0%

278

0.9%

Ldv

10

-

-

0.4%

45

0.1%

Isuzu

F Series

24

12

100.0

1.0%

273

0.9%

Daf

9

5

80.0

0.4%

212

0.7%

Hino

500

23

11

109.1

1.0%

275

0.9%

Foton

8

-

-

0.3%

154

0.5%

Volkswagen

T5

22

11

100.0

0.9%

169

0.5%

Others Total

69

60

15.0

2.9%

1447

4.7%

2405

1649

45.8

100.0%

30862

100.0%

Used Commercial Sales by Make - December 2013 Make

+/- %

Dec '13 Mkt Share

Others

309

304

1.6

12.8%

4513

14.6%

Total

2405

1649

45.8

100.0%

30862

100.0%

Used Commercial Sales by Model - December 2013

2013 2013 Full Year Mkt share

Dec '13

Dec '12

Make

Model

Toyota

274

150

82.7

48.8%

2811

46.1%

Toyota

Hiace

Nissan

115

54

113.0

20.5%

1379

22.6%

Nissan

Caravan

+/- %

Dec '13 Mkt Share

2013 2013 Full Year Mkt share

Dec '13

Dec '12

193

114

69.3

34.3%

2095

34.4%

57

24

137.5

10.1%

653

10.7%

Isuzu

31

12

158.3

5.5%

263

4.3%

Nissan

Vanette

36

8

350.0

6.4%

453

7.4%

Ford

29

26

11.5

5.2%

315

5.2%

Toyota

Regius

25

8

212.5

4.4%

219

3.6%

Mazda

23

11

109.1

4.1%

308

5.1%

Toyota

Dyna

23

13

76.9

4.1%

249

4.1%

Mitsubishi

13

9

44.4

2.3%

130

2.1%

Mazda

Bongo

19

8

137.5

3.4%

247

4.1%

Chevrolet

12

18

-33.3

2.1%

135

2.2%

Toyota

Estima

14

-

-

2.5%

27

0.4%

Holden

12

2

500.0

2.1%

84

1.4%

Ford

Transit

12

6

100.0

2.1%

159

2.6%

Fiat

10

8

25.0

1.8%

81

1.3%

Isuzu

Elf

11

9

22.2

2.0%

149

2.4%

8

1

700.0

1.4%

41

0.7%

Nissan

Atlas

11

7

57.1

2.0%

128

2.1%

Dodge Hino

8

5

60.0

1.4%

142

2.3%

Isuzu

Como

10

1

900.0

1.8%

36

0.6%

Volkswagen

5

4

25.0

0.9%

51

0.8%

Nissan

Navara

10

13

-23.1

1.8%

105

1.7%

Iveco

3

-

-

0.5%

18

0.3%

Fiat

Ducato

9

8

12.5

1.6%

77

1.3%

Man

3

1

200.0

0.5%

55

0.9%

Holden

Colorado

9

-

-

1.6%

57

0.9%

Citroen

2

1

100.0

0.4%

5

0.1%

Dodge

Ram

8

1

700.0

1.4%

33

0.5%

Mercedes-Benz

2

3

-33.3

0.4%

51

0.8%

Ford

F150

7

2

250.0

1.2%

33

0.5%

Volvo

2

-

-

0.4%

18

0.3%

Toyota

Hilux

7

4

75.0

1.2%

66

1.1%

Cadillac

1

-

-

0.2%

2

0.0%

Chevrolet

Silverado

5

7

-28.6

0.9%

45

0.7%

Daihatsu

1

-

-

0.2%

7

0.1%

Toyota

Toyoace

5

8

-37.5

0.9%

89

1.5%

Land Rover

1

1

0.0

0.2%

16

0.3%

Ford

F100

4

1

300.0

0.7%

16

0.3%

7

22

-68.2

1.2%

182

3.0%

562

328

71.3

100.0%

6094

100.0%

Others Total

Others

87

86

1.2

15.5%

1158

19.0%

Total

562

328

71.3

100.0%

6094

100.0%

TARGETED ADVERTISING SPACE SHOULDN’T WE BE LOOKING AT YOUR BUSINESS? 34 | www.autofile.co.nz

dealer stock levels Dealer stock of new cars in New Zealand Variance

NEW CARS

2012

Imported

Dealer stock of imported used cars in New Zealand

Stock

SOLD

Stock estimate as at end of December 2011

Average Days sales per stock day - YTD at hand

12,984

USED IMPORTS

2012

Imported

Variance

SOLD

Total stock at the end of December 2011

Stock

Average Days sales per stock day - YTD at hand

8,579

Jan ‘12

5,026

7,499

(2,473)

10,511

242

43

Jan ‘12

3,191

6,375

(3,184)

5,395

206

Feb ‘12

7,368

5,633

1,735

12,246

223

55

Feb ‘12

4,920

6,000

(1,080)

4,315

210

26 21

Mar ‘12

7,228

6,499

729

12,975

218

59

Mar ‘12

6,504

6,429

75

4,390

209

21 25

Apr ‘12

6,285

5,430

855

13,830

209

66

Apr ‘12

6,613

5,877

736

5,126

206

May ‘12

7,742

5,942

1,800

15,630

205

76

May ‘12

7,693

6,793

900

6,026

208

29

Jun ‘12

8,870

7,142

1,728

17,358

211

82

Jun ‘12

6,947

6,184

763

6,789

208

33 26

Jul ‘12

7,894

6,208

1,686

19,044

209

91

Jul ‘12

5,335

6,641

(1,306)

5,483

209

Aug ‘12

8,589

5,959

2,630

21,674

207

105

Aug ‘12

5,540

6,621

(1,081)

4,402

210

21

Sep ‘12

6,828

6,637

191

21,865

209

105

Sep ‘12

5,506

6,222

(716)

3,686

209

18

Oct ‘12

8,155

7,336

819

22,684

211

107

Oct ‘12

5,688

6,867

(1,179)

2,507

211

12

Nov ‘12

8,953

6,484

2,469

25,153

212

119

Nov ‘12

8,486

7,183

1,303

3,810

213

18

Dec ‘12

7,816

6,102

1,714

26,867

211

128

Dec ‘12

6,414

7,119

(705)

3,105

215

14

90,754

76,871

13,883

72,837

78,311

(5,474)

YTD total

Variance

NEW CARS

2013

Imported

YTD total Stock

SOLD

Total stock at the end of December 2012

Average Days sales per stock day - YTD at hand

26,867

USED IMPORTS

2013

Imported

SOLD

Variance

Stock

Total stock at the end of December 2012

Average Days sales per stock day - YTD at hand

3105

Jan ‘13

5,355

7,385

(2,030)

24,837

238

104

Jan ‘13

4,467

7,397

(2,930)

175

239

Feb ‘13

7,027

5,799

1,228

26,065

223

117

Feb ‘13

8,246

6,922

1,324

1,499

243

6

Mar ‘13

6,329

6,800

(471)

25,594

222

115

Mar ‘13

8,845

7,581

1,264

2,763

243

11

Apr ‘13

7,342

5,907

1,435

27,029

216

125

Apr ‘13

10,531

7,418

3,113

5,876

244

24

May ‘13

7,400

6,347

1,053

28,082

213

132

May ‘13

10,945

8,460

2,485

8,361

250

33

Jun ‘13

8,051

7,541

510

28,592

220

130

Jun ‘13

7,919

7,862

57

8,418

252

33

Jul ‘13

8,423

6,768

1,655

30,247

220

138

Jul ‘13

8,609

9,629

(1,020)

7,398

261

28

Aug ‘13

11,065

6,828

4,237

34,484

220

157

Aug ‘13

8,632

8,648

(16)

7,382

263

28

Sep ‘13

6,996

7,272

(276)

34,208

222

154

Sep ‘13

7,481

7,615

(134)

7,248

262

28

Oct ‘13

9,362

7,962

1,400

35,608

226

158

Oct ‘13

10,364

8,545

1,819

9,067

263

34

Nov ‘13

9,591

7,453

2,138

37,746

228

166

Nov ‘13

11,184

9,360

1,824

10,891

268

41

Dec ‘13

8,826

6,371

2,455

40,201

226

178

Dec ‘13

10,067

9,534

533

11,424

271

42

95,767

82,433

13,334

107,290

98,971

8,319

YTD total

82,433

Full year sales for 2013

Days stock in NZ - Used Import Cars

180

180

160

160

140

140 Days of stock

2013

100 80 2012

100 80 60 2013

Dec

Nov

Oct

Sep

AUG

JUL

Jun

2012 May

Dec

Nov

Oct

Sep

AUG

JUL

0 Jun

0 May

20

APr

20

Mar

40

Feb

40

Feb

60

120

JAN

120

JAN

Days of stock

Days stock in NZ - New Cars

98,971

APr

Full year sales for 2013

Mar

YTD total

0.7

SPONSOR THIS SPACE NOW CALL BRIAN ON 021 455 775 www.autofile.co.nz | 35

OK Holiday’s over.

Back to work.

Use AUTOHUB, UK to NZ. Fixed price, no stress.

www.autohub.co.nz

+64 9 411 7425