Autofile December 2016

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December 2016

Dealer fined $105,000 for false representation Manurewa car dealership gets slapped with a massive fine for falsely representing its cars as being AA appraised

A

massive fine of $105,000 has been handed down to car dealership, Zodiac Motor Company Limited (Zodiac).

The court case took place at the Manukau District Court and was attended by sole director of Zodiac, Nezam Anwer.

The company was charged for making false claims that the dealership’s cars were AA appraised and that the company was an AA Appraised Used Dealership. Anwer entered into undertakings with the Commission that he would pay any part of the fine that the company did not pay.

“A large fine demonstrates that the Commerce Commission takes seriously any elements of false representation when selling used cars and [the Commission] understands the trust that consumers put into the AA Appraisal scheme,” says AA general manager motoring services, Stella Stocks.

Anwer pleaded guilty to six charges brought by the

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IMVIA get the lowdown on ITS Connect p 5 Customs & Excise Bill updated

Stella Stocks, of the AA, says Zodiac Motor Company should not have been promoting itself as an AA Appraised dealer

Commission under the Fair Trading Act 1986, which related to false representations over the course of a year that vehicles advertised for sale by Zodiac were AA appraised and that Zodiac was an AA Appraised Used Vehicle dealer when neither statement was true.

Although Zodiac became an AA Appraised Used Vehicle Dealer in 2012, it was removed in 2014 due to the management’s failure to ensure that at least 70 per cent of the stock was AA appraised, as required under the programme.

“The dealer had been removed from the AA Appraisal scheme some time earlier, because it didn’t comply with the requirements of the programme. At that point they should not have been promoting [the dealership] as an AA Appraised dealer in any way,” says Stocks.

Even after Zodiac became aware that AA had cancelled its membership as an Appraised Used Vehicle Dealer, the company continued to promote itself on radio advertising as an authorised dealer. Zodiac also

p 8

E-Class wins 2016 AA Car of the Year p 15

New and used commercials at record sales level p 36

[continued on page 4]

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Keep left to tackle congestion Malcolm Yorston is technical services manager for the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association

I

’m sure that many were pleased to hear recently from Associate Transport Minister, Craig Foss, that the speed limit will increase to 110kph on certain New Zealand roads.

I recently returned from a month in the UK, where we travelled more than 4,000km – mostly on the open road, where the speed limit is 70mph (117kph). The majority of roads we used were two-lane roads with opposing traffic; minor roads and farm entrances were off these roads, and the speed limit was still 70mph.

So why doesn’t New Zealand go to 120kph? My answer is that Kiwi drivers need to learn the attitudes and driving habits of UK drivers, and the police need the direction from government to enforce the rules on keeping left.

On multi-lane carriageways in the UK, all heavy motor vehicles must stay in the left lane unless they are overtaking. They may move to the second lane to overtake, but once they are a safe distance ahead they must pull back into the left lane. Likewise, all other traffic is required to keep left unless overtaking and drivers do just that; the only time you see vehicles in the third or fourth lane is when they are overtaking. We travelled on “A” and “M” roads, similar to Auckland motorways, that were carrying more traffic – they flowed a lot more smoothly and it was a pleasure to drive on them.

Do we need new legislation to make this happen here?

Not completely! All we need is for our present rules to be

enforced, and a clause to be added to the Road User Rule permitting trucks to use lanes one and two only on a multilane roadway.

The Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004 Part 2 states: 2.1 (1) “A driver, when driving, must at all times drive as near as practicable to the left side of the roadway unless this rule otherwise provides.”; and, 2.3 (1) “A driver, when driving, must not use - … (c) on a two-way roadway marked in 3 lanes, (i) the lane on the right side of the roadway; or (ii) the centre lane unless the driver is turning right into another roadway or vehicle entrance or is passing another vehicle travelling in the same direction;” These two clauses give us clear direction that drivers are required to keep left on a roadway that may be made up of numerous lanes (separated by broken white lines).

I would like to see a public education campaign by NZTA reminding motorists to keep left, along with Police warnings for errant motorists, and Traffic Offence or Infringement Notices for repeat offenders.

Whilst our motorways are always going to have their choke points, it’s my view that more consistent compliance with our present rules would be an inexpensive way to achieve considerably better traffic flow and reduced congestion.

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news [continued from page 1]

advertised individual vehicles on its website as having been AA appraised when they were not.

“The AA appraisal scheme exists in order to enable used-car traders to reassure consumers that the car they plan to buy is in good working condition. It provides the consumer with some peace of mind before they part with their money.

An appraisal will alert the dealer to any issues with the vehicle that need to be addressed before it even goes on the yard.

The used-car traders in our scheme are those who already know they sell good vehicles and use the AA endorsement to help satisfy this in the mind of their customers,” says Stocks.

Judge Field said in sentencing that there were a number of aggravating features of the offending, including that through this false advertising Zodiac gained an unfair advantage over its competitors.

“There is a significant degree of recklessness in relation to the

“Zodiac provided consumers with a measure of comfort that the vehicle they were considering purchasing had been inspected by an impartial, reliable body when it hadn’t.”

- Anna Rawlings, Commerce Commision

offending… The statements were a complete departure from the truth,” he said.

According to senior communications advisor for the Commerce Commission, Michelle Vieira, there are currently no other investigations into dealers for incorrectly associating themselves with the AA brand.

“An AA appraisal is an important selling point as it provides consumers with an assurance that an impartial body has assessed the critical characteristics of a used

vehicle - safety and mechanical integrity. Similarly, an AA affiliation gives the impression that the vehicle dealer is reputable.”

Commissioner Anna Rawlings said that Zodiac’s misrepresentations were serious because they appealed to consumers by giving the dealership an air of trustworthiness.

“Zodiac provided consumers with a measure of comfort that the vehicle they were considering purchasing had been inspected by an impartial, reliable body – when it hadn’t,” she said.

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Rawlings adds that a car is an important purchase for most consumers and for many low income consumers it will be their most significant asset.

“Purchasing an unreliable vehicle can cause a lot of stress and many consumers take steps to avoid that. Most consumers are not in a position to make their own safety and mechanical assessments of a vehicle so traders must ensure representations about the condition of a vehicle and any inspections are accurate,” she said.

news

Successful joint visit to Japan I

Japan is definitely ahead of the world in deployment of intelligent transport technologies (ITS), especially with connected vehicles. Japanese car makers are actively embracing advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) which help drivers drive more safely and efficiently.

Several groups talked of high voluntary uptake of ADAS technologies like autonomous emergency braking, including on heavy vehicles. Other features, such as lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control are becoming more common, although mainly on higher specification cars.

We found there is a growing awareness in Japan of the need to consider other countries (including New Zealand) in their deployment of ITS. Previous visits by New Zealand delegations, including by the Minister of Transport in 2015, are likely to have helped with this. There was a good level of awareness about New Zealand’s unique situation of being at risk from diverging standards, especially among car companies and government departments.

We don’t know if this increased awareness will lead to long-term solutions. However, we did find that

New Zealand will need to consider when we start to deploy connected vehicle technology.

Units to display the information cost up to NZ$1,500 to install. This has limited the uptake, with reports of only a few hundred thousand units deployed so far.

ETC 2.0 uses a band of frequency in the 5.8GHz range. It is legal to use this frequency in New Zealand and import of vehicles with these units fitted poses no problems. However, there won’t be any information transmitted to the vehicle. companies are at least working on solutions. For example, Panasonic, which makes components for the big car companies, are producing prototype 760MHz transmitters that could be easily retrofitted to work on the 5.9GHz frequency planned to be used in New Zealand.

Connected vehicles Japan clearly leads the world in deployment of connected vehicle technology and we spent a lot of time investigating how this technology is being deployed.

There are currently two competing connected-vehicle technologies in Japan. One, branded as ETC 2.0 builds on the Japanese Government’s existing traffic information system (known as VICS).

ETC 2.0, which combines electronic toll collection (ETC) with limited infrastructure to vehicle (I2V) communications, is a uniquely Japanese deployment of ITS. As part of our trip Kit and I were driven in a vehicle fitted with an ETC 2.0 system on a stretch of Tokyo motorway where the technology is deployed. The one genuinely novel element of ETC2.0 was that it sends real-time still images of specific spots on the road ahead to a screen in the car.

The driver can literally see how congested (or in other cases, snow covered) the road ahead is.

So far ETC 2.0 transmitters are only deployed on highways, not local roads, limiting its usefulness and uptake. While our host on the drive said some of the information

transmitted by the ETC 2.0 system was unique, it was not significantly better than the existing and much lower cost VICS system. His view was that if he didn’t have it for work, he probably would not have bothered to install it, although the addition of information about local roads would probably change his view. This is clearly something

ITS Connect The other connected vehicle technology being deployed is Toyota’s 760MHz vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology branded as ITS Connect. At present ITS Connect is an option buyers can select when ordering the vehicle and is installed at the factory. It is only an option on [continued on page 6]

happy WITH YOUR CURRENT

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ain McGlinchy from the Ministry of Transport (MoT) and Kit Wilkerson of the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association (IMVIA) have recently returned from a week-long trip to Japan to look at intelligent transport systems (ITS) issues.

Although, as reported in Autofile last month, part of the reason the two organisations went to Japan was to investigate issues associated with the use of 760MHz frequency transmitters that are illegal in New Zealand, discussions covered a much broader range of issues. The trip included meetings with key government departments, vehicle and component manufacturers, and industry organisations.

Iain McGlinchy filed the following report for Autofile:

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news [continued from page 5]

2016 model Prius and Crown Toyotas and 2016 Lexus RX. ITS Connect is also the name of a consortium of some Japanese car companies including Mazda, Subaru and various technology providers such as Denso, Panasonic and Alpine. However, Toyota is the only company deploying or looking to deploy ITS Connect systems.

ITS Connect is primarily a V2V system. Of interest is the inclusion of cooperative adaptive cruise control, where vehicles synchronise speeds based on information transmitted by a lead vehicle. It can also connect to traffic lights (V2I), though this is only available on less than 20 intersections across Japan.

ITS Connect information is displayed on a standalone screen, in the middle of the odometer console. It is quite separate from ETC 2.0/VICS systems and there are no plans to merge the two systems at this time. This means car buyers need to purchase both systems separately. ITS Connect costs an additional NZ$300 on top of roughly NZ$1,000 for the ‘Safety Sense’ package, which

ITS Connect is marketed being a part of. Official figures on total sales of ITS Connect are not available, but we were told by third parties that that they would be less than 50,000 units so far.

Automated vehicles The three vehicle manufacturers we spoke to were very interested in developing and selling highly automated vehicles. All planned to deploy level 3 automation (limited self-driving on highways, including lane changing) in the next few years, but had very different plans after that. For example, Nissan intends to produce fully autonomous vehicles and soon, while Mazda essentially said that they would not produce fully automated vehicles: their current focus was to use technology to keep human drivers safe.

All parties said their self driving technology would need to be recalibrated to operate in New Zealand as we have very different road markings from Japan. This has implications for 

What is the issue with 760MHz? Connected vehicles communicate, either with each other, or with infrastructure like sensors using dedicated radio frequencies over a range of about 500m. The technology is sometimes called Cooperative-ITS, or by acronyms like V2I (vehicle to infrastructure) or V2V (vehicle to vehicle) communications. Research in America where the technology is expected to be made compulsory, has shown it could significantly reduce vehicle crashes by providing advance warning of vehicles approaching that a human driver can’t see.

In Europe and the US connected vehicles are expected to broadcast over the 5.9GHz frequency band. However, the Japanese Government has formally allocated a portion of the radio spectrum in the 760MHz band for use by (connected) vehicles sold in the Japanese domestic market. This is a concern for New Zealand for two reasons.

The primary concern is that the 760 MHz band has already been allocated to other users in New Zealand, and so cannot be used for connected vehicles. Under existing radiocommunications legislation it is illegal to import vehicles fitted with 760MHz transmitters. If technology relying on the 760MHz band is widely deployed, it has the potential to impact New Zealand’s imports of used vehicles from Japan.

There is also a secondary concern that to get the greatest benefit from connected vehicles, all vehicles must use the same frequency band and communication protocols. New Zealand has already indicated through the Intelligent transport Systems Technology Action Plan 2014-2018 that it would follow Australia and adopt the European 5.9GHz frequency and communication protocols. Diverging standards for connected vehicles would diminish the beneficial impact of the technology, so companies looking to make their technology convertible is a step in the right direction.

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news

t the importation of used self-driving vehicles and the Ministry is looking at this as part of its work under the ITS Action Plan on deployment of automated vehicles.

Maps Highly accurate maps (possibly down to centimetre accuracy) are going to be important for deployment of most forms of automated driving.

For example, automated vehicles will need to know exactly where temporary obstacles are, such as road works, potholes or slippery surfaces, so they can be avoided.

Maps may also be needed to provide extra information to assist driving, in case sensors can’t see the road ahead clearly.

No one we spoke to had given thought as to how maps could be created for outside of Japan. We were advised that Japan is trying to work through ISO TC 204 to create a global dynamic map standard, based on their own current standards.

Kit Wilkerson is currently seeking to engage directly with the ISO group to represent New Zealand interests.

An ISO standard is not a guarantee that maps will be made for New Zealand, but at least, if implemented, the standards won’t be proprietary.

Detection of 760MHz transmitters As reported, we were especially interested in the ITS Connect technology and wanted to understand how easy it would be to establish whether it had been fitted in a vehicle. We also wanted to know whether a practical system could be developed to accurately detect the presence of a 760MHz transmitter.

Unfortunately, attempts by Kit Wilkerson to detect the signal emitted by a Toyota vehicle using a purpose-built instrument were not successful. (The experiment conditions probably didn’t help

as we were in an unlit car parking building at night in temperatures around 12 degrees).

However, we did establish that all vehicles fitted with ITS Connect have an English language sign in the features menu indicating it has been installed. The vehicle ignition must be on for the menu to be accessed, but the vehicle does not have to be moving, which means it could, in theory, be checked for at an auction site.

At present, the best advice to potential importers of near new vehicles is not to import any that might be fitted with ITS Connect.

The ITS Connect transmitters are fitted at the Toyota factory and we were told it would be necessary to remove the whole dashboard to get at them to decommission a unit.

This risks significant damage to the interior trim. However, once open, actual decommissioning would be as simple as cutting a cable, at least with the current installation.

Future of ITS The trip has established that we can clearly identify vehicles fitted with ITS Connect 760MHz transmitters.

This solves a short term problem with the potential to import a technology that is already illegal in New Zealand, but not the longer term one of how can New Zealand get the benefit of connected vehicle technology. Ideally, all connected vehicle systems should, simply work in other countries by automatically altering settings.

Alternatively, they should at least be easily retrofittable, like the example Panasonic demonstrated.

The Ministry will continue its work set out in the Intelligent transport Systems Technology Action Plan 2014-2018 to seek these long term solutions and this visit has certainly contributed to development of these long term solutions. www.autofile.co.nz

7

news

Update to Customs and Excise Bil A

n updated version of the Customs and Excise Bill is currently underway. According to Minister of Customs, Nicky Wagner, the new Bill is set to strengthen border management and make life simpler for business.

“The Bill will take the place of the out-dated Customs and Excise Act 1996, which is difficult to understand and apply, creating unnecessary compliance costs for business,” Wagner says.

This will particularly impact dealers who are also importers, with processes around duty assessments being simplified and access to valuation rulings given greater certainty over duty obligations.

Wagner says the current act is over 20 years old and in some parts, the origins are between 50 and 100 years old. “It has been extensively amended over the years to reflect changes in the border environment, which has created a complex piece of legislation that is difficult to use. The prescriptive style of the Act also means that frequent amendments are needed to respond efficiently to changes in technology and business practices.”

The updated document has been modernised to

make it simple to understand and interpret. “It is also less prescriptive and more principlesbased, to give the flexibility needed for future technology or business practice changes.”

The Excise Bill exists in order to make life easier for traders to do business, reducing the burden on businesses and compliance costs. “It also enables Customs to deal with the considerable growth in trade

the final value of the goods at the date of import will be allowed to declare a ‘provisional value’ for imported goods, and then provide Customs with the final value once it is known.  Customs will have the ability to issue binding rulings on the valuation of imported goods.  Business records will be allowed to be stored offshore or in the Cloud, which will

 The maximum administrative

penalties will be reduced to recognise lower levels of offending, and some other penalties will be increased in order to maintain relativity with other penalties, and so penalties retain their deterrent value.  An infringement notice scheme for minor offending to replace petty offences and increase fairness and transparency.

“The Bill will take the place of the out-dated Customs and Excise Act 1996, which is difficult to understand and apply” – Nicky Wagner, Minister of Customs

and travel, and the security challenges such growth brings.”

The Bill will increase flexibility in the import and revenue collection system by making some processes simpler and businesses’ obligations clear. The Bill proposes a number of changes that support the movement of travellers and goods across the border, protect New Zealand from harm and support the collection of Crown revenue, including:  Importers who do not know

 As a last resort, Trade Single

make compliance with Customs’ rules a lot easier.  A new Customs process for appeals over duty assessments will be simpler and cheaper for those wanting a less formal way to resolve disputes over Customs’ decisions about how much duty is owed.  Administrative penalties will be extended to include all export entries to ensure that Customs has accurate information to provide assurance to trading partners.

Window users who persistently make errors in entering information may have their registration suspended or cancelled.  Sensitive personal and commercial information will be protected in new provisions, and arrangements for disclosure of information to other government departments, other countries will be developed in consultation with the Privacy Commissioner. [continued on page 10]

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news [continued from page 8]

 Disclosure arrangements for

the provision of information to non-Government organisations may also be put in place to avoid repeated Official Information Act requests.  Confirming the majority of Customs existing powers – balancing the need to protect privacy and ensuring that Customs can continue to protect our border.  Customs’ power to examine and access electronic devices have been restricted by the addition of thresholds requiring reasonable suspicion to suspect offending for a preliminary search and reasonable belief of offending for a comprehensive search.

Wagner says they have also addressed concerns, raised by the public, relating to Customs’ powers to search e-devices at the border. “Customs’ powers to examine and access electronic devices will be restricted

The new bill will enable Customs to deal with the considerable growth in trade and travel, and the security challenges such growth brings

through a two-stage search threshold. This means that Customs will only be able to search a device if they have a reasonable suspicion or belief of offending under the Act. “The new search powers strike a balance between protecting privacy and ensuring that Customs can continue to protect our borders.

She says that there will also be greater assurance for all New Zealanders that border risks and non-compliance will be identified and minimised.

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“The Bill modernises but does not substantially change most of the provisions in the current Act, and will provide Customs with modern flexible legislation needed to protect the border.”

Managing director of Jacanna Customs and Freight, Ken Quigley is very familiar with the changes and says he doesn’t believe it will change the status quo. “To me there’s not many implications.

The last Bill was only amended in 1996 and there’s been a lot of changes since then, in particular with technology. We have to

IMVIA issue ITS Connect warning

T

he Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association (IMVIA) has just released guidelines for dealing with imported vehicles operating on the 760MHz frequency, which in New Zealand, is a prohibited Import. Currently there are only one Lexus and two Toyota models with the potential to contain this technology The 760MHZ frequency is already being implemented in Japan

by Toyota with technology called ITS Connect, which can be ordered at the point of sale, but installed at the factory. It costs around NZ$300.

The technology that Toyota is using operates on the 760MHz frequency that is owned by telecommunications companies in New Zealand and it is illegal to broadcast on this frequency band without a licence. This means that the possession of a device (such as a

Toyota's Crown 10 www.autofile.co.nz

move with the times and at the moment, the Bill is out of date.”

Director of Online Logistics, Daniel Hepburn is currently working on developing a programme which makes the whole customs process run a lot smoother. He believes that without legal changes, paper work will just continue to pile up.

“We are increasingly becoming more technologically savvy, what with the emergence of smartphones and tablets. Gone are the days of your nine-to-five working hours and its time that our legislation reflected the changes.”

The Bill was set to be referred to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee on December 7 and a public submission will take place soon after. The majority of the Bill will come into force on April 1, 2018 or six months after the date of Royal assent, whichever is later.

Interested parties can visit www. parliament.nz to find out more about entering a submission.

car) which can communicate on this frequency band is already illegal, whether the device is active or not.

The Toyota Prius, Crown and Lexus RT, from 2016 on, built to Japanese specifications all have the potential to be fitted with ITS Connect.

Because of the possible future issues that could come with this, the IMVIA has been working closely with the government and industry to find solutions around the problem.

You can choose to avoid purchasing the vehicles or disable the ITS Connect device.

For more information about disabling the technology either call or email the IMVIA on 0800 0 IMVIA (0800 046 842) or email technical@imvia.co.nz.

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11

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IMVIA looking to a bright future I

ssues surrounding the 760 megahertz frequency, currently being included in some Japanese made vehicles, were discussed during the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association’s (IMVIA) Christmas function, which was held at the Harbourside Ocean Bar Grill in Auckland.

Chief executive of the IMVIA, David Vinsen told the organisation, during his speech, that the frequency, which is being used in Japan as the platform of communication for electric vehicles, could be the most immediate threat facing the industry. “This the most urgent and serious challenge we face, worse than seatbelt anchorages, worse than Frontal Impact, worse than Exhaust Emissions, worse than ESC,” he said.

The 760 megahertz frequency is already allocated to telecommunications companies and transmitting on this

12 www.autofile.co.nz

the industry has done very well this year, with around 167,000 used and 146,000 new vehicles predicted to be imported into the country David Vinsen

frequency is illegal.

“The trick is to identify which ones have this frequency, and how to disable it so that they can still be imported.”

As a result, it is illegal to be in possession of any car with one of these devices installed, with a penalty of up to $200,000.

“We’ve been meeting with the

manufacturers to explain New Zealand’s situation,” said Vinsen.

“They didn’t realise there was a problem, and were quite surprised.”

Vinsen says that although the industry has serious challenges ahead, the IMVIA is working on making the path as smooth as possible, identifying the issues that have the potential to cause trouble and working to sort them out ahead of time.

“Around 2011, we started to hear a lot about research and development into EVs and intelligent transport. We were not sure how these trends would affect us, but we started to take more interest. It was not just the development of the technology, but also various governments’ involvement. The signs were becoming obvious.”

From there, the IMVIA has developed expertise in these areas.

In order to deal with the issue, the IMVIA has created the role of policy analyst and adviser and employed Kit Wilkerson to work on ways to get around any future issues. The IMVIA has also worked closely with the MoT, including a recent joint delegation to Japan to discuss the issue with industry insiders.

The IMVIA is also currently working on legislative and industry issues including antimoney laundering, the review of heavy vehicles VDAM rule, ACC levies, safety recall protocols, the introduction of EVs and the implementation of ESC. As a whole, Vinsen stated that the industry had done very well

Andrea and John Davies of Autohub

Hans Corporaal of Armacup, Justin Maddock and Matt Ball, both of Ports of Auckland

Frank Willet - IMVIA board member, Darren Wiltshire - Trade Me Motors, and Justin Maddock – Ports of Auckland

this year, with around 167,000 used and 146,000 new vehicles predicted to be imported into the country. Meanwhile, approximately 165,000 vehicles, including 150,000 cars, will exit the fleet over the same timeframe. This meant a net gain of about 150,000 vehicles into the fleet for the year.

Vinsen says that thanks to low unemployment and interest rates as well as continued economic growth, there is a ‘wealth factor’ which will hopefully continue.

Is your website costing sales?

I

t still confuses me as to how many businesses out there, of all shapes and sizes, have poor non-responsive websites.

What I mean by responsive is that the website responds to whatever device and screen size it is being viewed on. Whether it be a large TV, a desktop, a tablet or the most critical and important of all - a mobile phone.

Whatever statistical analysis you choose to take notice of, the most important thing to note is that a huge percentage of us are viewing websites on a mobile device.

Therefore, if you have a website that is not easily viewable on a mobile device, you are going to lose a lot of potential customers.

Requiring your customer to frustratingly zoom in and out on your “designed for desktop” website is creating a negative experience with your business from the start. Remember, the old saying first impressions count!

Equally, there are responsive sites out there that whilst they display better on a mobile phone, they do not offer the functionality a mobile user is expecting. For example, 74 per cent of mobile users are looking for directions or opening hours, so it’s important these are easily found. Information should be linked to navigation apps like Google Maps and any phone numbers can be tapped on to initiate a call to you immediately.

You have to make sure doing business with you is easy. Your website is the centre of your dealerships online presence, therefore it needs to deliver the experience your customers expect.

A website is not a website to convey something you buy credibility? once and leave for 10+ Using your website, years, (as many I have you can continuously seen have done), instead educate customers and you need to continue to increase credibility as a invest every few years dealership they can trust. in updating your site, Accessibility and ensuring the experience MARK GREENFIELD Motorcentral Convenience it delivers matches your Your website is available to your customer’s requirements - similar prospective customers 24/7, all year. to how you probably invest in your We know that the majority of car customer’s relationships in other buyers do their research away from areas of your business. the dealership and in many cases Even more amazingly, there are outside your business hours, and some businesses out there that from the comfort of their own home. don’t have a website at all.

So, what is more convenient This is a sign to your prospective driving around to look for different customers that you don’t want to dealerships that might have a car do business with them. you like, or sitting at home or in a If you are unsure if you need cafe and browsing online for the car, a web presence, here are some and ultimately the dealership you’re key factors as to why a dealership looking for? should have a website:

Credibility By having a website you are giving your business the opportunity to tell consumers why they should trust you and that you are an established dealership. As we know, most people will do their research online as they work through their car-buying journey.

A customer was recently overheard saying to a dealership salesperson that they didn’t realise that the business was a dealership - they weren't going to come and view the car as they thought they were dealing with a private seller. The customer felt a lot more confident knowing she was dealing with a dealership. How many other customers have been lost due to perception and not having

Your website should be multi-platform friendly, concise and easily navigable

Marketing There are marketing strategies you can use to advertise and market your business to both new prospective customers and also existing or repeat customers a couple of years after their last purchase from you.

Whether it be Facebook, Google,

or any other form of advertising, it all links back to your website, so if you don’t have one it becomes very difficult to take advantage of all the mediums you have at your fingertips. Even email campaigns to existing customers need to be directed somewhere, if you want them to continue learning more about what you have to offer.

Cost Effective An effective website can be as good as opening another dealership, only better, it services the whole of New Zealand, is open around the clock and runs for a fraction of the cost.

Whilst it’s something you will need to reinvest in every few years, you do know exactly what it will cost you to build upfront and also what the low monthly hosting fees are. Ensure you get quotes from recognised website providers including those that specialise in the motor industry. I have seen many dealerships spend a lot more than necessary on expensive websites, when they could’ve been done at close to a quarter of the cost by a specialist provider.

Whether you have no website at all, or a non-responsive difficult website to navigate from a mobile device, the outcomes are very similar.

1. Your customers can’t find you online so don’t want to do business with you; 2. They find you and it is so hard to browse and interact with you, they stop looking and move on to someone that has a website that is complimentary to what they are trying to achieve In their car-buying process.

Bad websites can be bad business.

61%

of users said that if the site they visited wasn’t mobile-friendly, they’d quickly move on to another site. Source: Google

Websites that aren’t mobile-friendly annoy users and that’s bad for business. Consumers are doing more on mobile devices, including shopping and product research, when they do, make sure you are in the mix with a mobile-friendly website.

Contact the dealer websites specialists today

0800 623 687

www.motorcentral.co.nz www.autofile.co.nz

13

Vehicles wanted To advertise here, contact: advertising@autofile.co.nz

L ATE MODEL NISSANS WANTED NZ’s largest Nissan dealer desperately needs late-model NZ-new and imported Nissan stock MANUKAU NISSAN WILL PAY TOP DOLLAR CONTACT:

Jeremy Spicer 021 400 706

BU Y ING NOW Late-model Mitsubishis Contact Kelly Sloane – 09 520 8935 or 027 704 6663

Brand Manager - Car Sales Coastal and Country Lifestyle on City Income Are you a car sales rock star? Seeking a lifestyle with good salary and outdoors easily available?

If you are an experienced vehicle sales person, then we need you!

Do you love to fish and surf?

Or maybe it’s hunting that you’re into?

Come and be part of a vibrant community where great housing is affordable and many excellent beaches are so close!

With small and fab country schools for the kids in a sub-tropical climate, what are you waiting for?

We are an established high performing car dealership in Kaitaia with consistently strong sales records.

We stock new Mitsubishi, Isuzu and Honda and have a strong used presence.

If you have at least 3 years’ experience in car sales, then this is a great opportunity for you.

Email in complete confidence to Brian Archibald at: brian@amotors.co.nz

Archibald Cars Commerce Street, KAITAIA

14 www.autofile.co.nz

Meet the team

http://www.archibaldcars.co.nz

News in brief All new CX-5 to arrive in New Zealand in 2017 Mazda Motor Corporation has begun production of the all-new Mazda CX-5 crossover SUV in Hiroshima, Japan.

The first-generation CX-5 began production in November 2011. It was the first Mazda nameplate to feature the full range of SKYACTIV technology, which included a rigid, lightweight platform, as well as a new series of efficient engines and transmissions, which resulted in reduced emissions and fuel consumption. It was also the first model to include KODO (Soul of Motion) design.

Cumulative production reached one million units in April 2015, making it the second fastest Mazda to reach the million-unit milestone after the Mazda3. Total production reached approximately 1.57 million units at the end of October this year.

The model will go on sale in Japan in February and be available in New Zealand by mid-2017.

2018 Commodore unveiled Designed in Germany, the new Commodore is set to be the most technologicallyadvanced Holden ever, with potentially life-saving safety technology features, active driving technology and seamless infotainment.

The Holden Commodore range will be headlined by the V6 flagship model, with a cutting-edge all-wheel-drive system channelling 230 kilowatts and 370 Newton metres to the road.

“From its cutting-edge all-wheel-drive system, to nine-speed transmission and adaptive suspension, this is a true driver’s car in the way Commodore has always been,” says Holden’s engineering group manager for vehicle development, Jeremy Tassone.

In addition to the Holden Commodore’s unique all-wheel-drive system, further details surrounding the ‘FlexRide’ suspension system have been confirmed. The continuously adaptable FlexRide chassis electrohydraulically adapts the dampers to the road and the driving conditions 500 times per second or 30,000 times per minutes.

The design of the next Holden Commodore is based on the ‘Monza’ Concept car, created by the Opel Design team. The prominent front grille and the slim-line headlamps enhance the wide horizontal gesture of the front end and provide it with a bold appearance.

The vehicle will be making its debut on local roads in 2018.

Farewell to an industry stalwart Car salesman for Archibald Cars in Kaitaia for over 10 years, Mike Burgoyne, has passed away, at the age of 67.

Burgoyne was also well known as an openside flanker, he played provincial rugby for North Auckland and made eight appearances for New Zealand Māori between 1975 and 1979. In 1979 he made the All Blacks, playing six matches, including games against Argentina and Italy.

Burgoyne died suddenly while on holiday in Fiji late last month.

new cars

E-Class takes out NZ Car of the year

T

he Mercedes-Benz E-Class Guild president Liz Dobson says that has taken out the coveted the all-new Mercedes-Benz E-Class 2016 New Zealand Car of is one of the most technically the Year awards, which took place advanced cars on our roads. on December 7.

“MercedesAlongside nine Benz says that this other top 10 finalists, 10th generation the E-Class was a clear E-Class has leapt winner after votes forward two decades Small car submitted by the New with its technology, Holden Spark Zealand Motoring and having driven Writers’ Guild and the AA Compact car it extensively at the Honda Civic were collated. global launch, in “The E-Class is one Medium/Large car Australia and on New Skoda Superb of those vehicles that Zealand roads, I have stands out on the road, to agree,” she says.

Luxury car pretty much in any The New Zealand Mercedes-Benz environment.

Car of the Year E-Class Since Mercedes-Benz was selected from Small SUV launched the all-new a shortlist of new Mazda CX-3 E-Class earlier this year, it’s models released to Medium SUV made a clear impact in this the market between Volkswagen Tiguan market. While it’s one of October 1, 2015 Large SUV the more expensive cars and September 30, Mazda CX-9 on the market and not 2016. They included for everyone, the E-Class the Holden Spark, Luxury SUV remains a very deserving Honda Civic, Kia Volvo XC90 winner,” says AA Motoring Sportage, Mazda Utility Services General Manager Ford Ranger CX-9, Mercedes-Benz Stella Stocks.

E-Class, MercedesSports/Performance “Mercedes-Benz is Benz GLC, Skoda Ford Mustang GT a world leader in safety Superb, Subaru Safest car technology and it hasn’t Levorg, Suzuki Mercedes-Benz GLC Vitara and the held back from ensuring this car is one of the safest Volkswagen Tiguan. on the market today, packed full of The safest car for 2016 was also features to both avoid crashes and announced and assessed under the maximise occupant safety.”

Australasian New Car Assessment New Zealand Motoring Writer’s Programme (ANCAP). This year

The Best in Class of 2016

the Mercedes-Benz GLC has taken the trophy, just ahead of a strong performance by the Mazda CX-9.

“While manufacturers don’t all offer the same level of safety technology on all new cars, standards across the board are consistently rising and continuing to improve. These days, irrespective of what kind of vehicle a motorist needs, there are very safe options available,” said Stocks.

Alongside the Car of the Year award were the 10 best in class categories. In these, the judges could select from any new car available for sale in New Zealand

today, which meant that the winner could be an older model vehicle the judges’ still believed remained the best, despite the release of newer cars in the category.

“The judges were truly spoilt for choice this year and it is to the manufacturers’ credit that selecting winners for each of the categories is so difficult,” said Stocks. “If the selection process for the judges is difficult, then it means that consumers really do have plenty of outstanding options to choose from.”

The People’s Choice award was also announced on the night, with Mazda's CX-9 coming out on top.

VEHICLES WANTED Mercedes Benz

Toyota Chrysler Jeep Dodge Skoda Volvo

Volkswagen Nissan Lexus BMW Audi Kia

We are always looking to purchase late model

NZ NEW CARS AND COMMERCIALS PAUL CURIN

Darren Wiltshire, Rod Russell and Michaela Barr from Trade Me

Ron van Herpt (AHG), Jeremy Spicer (Manukau Nissan), and Stephen Glading (Protecta)

0274 333 303

pcurin@miles.co.nz

miles motor group www.autofile.co.nz

15

motorsport

Kiwi motorsport on the way back I

t’s been a while, but motorsport in New Zealand is punching well above its weight going into 2017.

International media attention is focussed on the events and drivers in this country at a level unknown since the trio at the top – Amon, Hulme, and McLaren – were winning in Europe and the USA. Autosport magazine, the world leading motorsport.com website and the massive Speed TV and Motors TV international networks, regularly name-check Kiwi racers and drivers who have come to this country to hone their skills in our summer series.

But a few short years ago, the situation was not as bright. The GFC had stripped much of the sponsorship money out of the sport, and it was followed by the Rugby World Cup, which swallowed much of the corporate sector’s marketing budgets in 2010-2011.

Auckland Council and the Government had committed to running the local round of the Australian V8 Supercars at Pukekohe, to the chagrin of Tony Roberts and his backers just a few kilometres south at Hampton Downs.

There was widespread talk that New Zealand had too many circuits. Taupo, which had hosted the international A1GP series, faced financial trouble and couldn’t bid for offshore categories.

Timaru’s Levels circuit lost its round of the premier single seater championship, Toyota Racing Series. Ruapuna outside Christchurch suffered in the earthquakes that struck Canterbury, then suffered further

Spectators needed umbrellas as the summer season of local racing kicked off. Here Simon Evans leads the NZ V8 Touring Cars into turn one at Taupo Photo: Matt Smith

as locals began rebuilding their lives and race fields dwindled.

The summer series had no promoter and struggled to win crowds to each round.

The resurgence began at premier level: aligning top classes with the annual V8 Supercar event gave local drivers some much needed profile. The 2016 appointment of a promoter, Speedworks Events, is beginning to kick-start the stumbling premier series.

Company head Geoff Short says this year’s eight-round summer series features all the premier race classes active in New Zealand supported by crowd-pleasers including the muscle car classes and racing trucks.

The promoters have started with the basics – marketing the series on radio and TV, and wallpapering the host towns with event posters.

“Having TV coverage going out on free to air channels and SKY helps immensely,” said Short.

NZ V8 Touring Car category features a blend of cars prepared to SuperTourer and TLX regulations supported by ‘class 2’ that are to a

lower club-style specification. There are four brands represented in class one: Ford, Holden, Nissan and Toyota.

At the opening round half the grid was to the lower, slower spec.

Longer term the TL cars are likely to fade out of the grid.

Toyota’s single-make series for its 86 sports coupe has broken its own entry records with 17 cars on the grid and more likely at the third round in January at Ruapuna. Its highest profile graduate, Marcus Armstrong, is about to begin a single-seater campaign that starts with the premier single-seater championship, Toyota Racing Series. TRS has once more attracted a full 20-car grid and joins the summer race circus at Ruapuna.

The defending champion team, M2 Competition, has a star-studded line-up that includes last year’s champion Lando Norris, Force India F1 protégé Jehan Daruvala, 2016 TRS race winner Ferdinand Habsburg, and Marcus Armstrong.

There are three Kiwis entered – in addition to Armstrong, Pukekohe’s Taylor Cockerton

SpecialiStS in

launches into his second TRS season and Invercargill’s Brendon Leitch, a multiple TRS race winner, has confirmed he will race with the Nelson-based Victory team.

The championship entry profile has swung away from fields packed with Kiwis and a sprinkling of internationals to the current grid which is dominated by internationals. The change has put TRS on the radar internationally for elite driver programmes like the BRDC’s Rising Stars and the Ferrari Driver Academy.

Drivers who have raced TRS are now winning in Europe, the UK, Australia, South America and Asia, competing in Formula 3, Formula Renault, the FIA World Endurance Championship, Formula E and the V8 Supercars. Two ‘graduates’ will race in Formula One this year: Daniil Kvyat with Red Bull and 2015 TRS champion Lance Stroll with Williams F1.

Information about the 20162017 summer series is at www. speedworksevents.co.nz and ticketing is through Ticketek.

Pre-shiPment insPections JEVIC NZ 09 966 1779

www.jevic.co.nz 16 www.autofile.co.nz

 Full Border Inspections

 Odometer Verification

 Biosecurity Inspections

 Pre-export Appraisal

 Structural Inspections

 Vehicle History Reports

motorsport

Paddon rethinks the WRC plan

G

eraldine’s fastest son, Hayden Paddon, admits he is rethinking his World Rally Championship plans – in a good way.

In the wake of the shock withdrawal of the dominant VW team last month, 29-year=old Paddon and his Hyundai team have the best chance ever at securing a world rally title – at least a year before expected.

Back in New Zealand last month and visiting Auckland for the Legends of Speed dinner to raise funds for New Zealand’s bid to host a round of the championship, Paddon said his personal plan had been to refine his competitiveness next year and then challenge for the title in 2018.

“I need to work on my tarmac speed to match the others in the

team, and that was part of the plan for 2017 – to build into a championship bid in 2018. But with VW gone, anything can happen.”

Toyota has snapped up Jari-Matti Hyundai’s 2017-spec i20 World Latvala from the VW driver lineRally Car, pictured, is a substantial step forward from the one it replaces. up, and multiple world champion Sebastien Ogier has also tested The coming season allows a with the fledgling ‘refresh’ for the Gravel-testing the new i20 WRC team. Ogier tested cars, with the rules the new Toyota evolving to free Yaris and ruled out up some aspects joining the team, of design and but his options are performance. With few, given that he the demise of the parted company VW team, Hyundai with Citroen on less than favourable is now rated by many as the most terms – he may opt for a drive with likely to succeed next season.

M Sport, or look to run a Polo as a The team will have their work cut private entry if budget can be found. out for them however. Citroen and Protected from the usual ‘silly Toyota are returning to the WRC after season’ driver contract madness by lengthy absences, and both marques his three-year deal, Paddon is looking have a successful history in the sport.

forward to the coming season.

“The new car is exciting to drive and I think it’s going to be much more spectacular for rally fans. With more radical looking and sounding cars, I think we will be able to attract a younger fan base that may not have been so familiar with rallying before.”

Paddon has also been at the forefront of the push to return the Rally of New Zealand to full international status. That campaign appears to be nearing fruition with news that Tauranga can host a ‘dummy run’ Rally New Zealand in 2017, prior to consideration for full championship status in subsequent years.

Great Scott, unstoppable

T

e Puke’s Michael Scott has bounced back from a punishing rollover at the V8 Supercars race weekend in November where he destroyed his Toyota TR 86 in a high-speed crash.

Scott, 22, was racing in the single make Toyota championship when he tagged another car heading up onto Pukekohe’s ‘mountain’ at 143 km/h.

The car was propelled sideways into the gravel trap, barrel rolling up and over the three metre safety ‘catch’ fencing and landing upside down on the pit lane side. Shaken but uninjured, Scott walked clear of

the wreck after a minute hanging upside down in his safety harness.

“I honestly don’t remember the crash after that initial slide across the grass. The next thing I remember is having a face full of gravel and climbing out of the car, wondering how I ended up in pit lane.”

The race was red flagged, with results counted from the end of the previous lap. This meant Scott remained fourth on points and was credited with a fourth place finish.

Scott was on a flight back to Christchurch the next day to revise for exams in his mechanical

Vehicle Inspection NZ

Michael Scott has a new ride after a spectacular crash at Pukekohe destroyed his Toyota TR 86

engineering degree.

Then just two weeks later he was on a flight to California to contest a shootout for a Road to Indy scholarship at Laguna Seca.

“That was a bit of a hodgepodge event, we were just given a bunch of cars to run, but they were very different speed-wise. I was

quicker in the first car I got than the next, and it was entirely random.”

Having bought Callum Quin’s TR 86 car from the previous championship, Scott was on a mad sprint halfway round the world to get back to New Zealand in time to contest the second round of the championship.

Delivering fast, efficient entry certification talk to the specialists

0800 GO VINZ (468 469) www.vinz.co.nz www.autofile.co.nz

17

regional report

Palmy is the place to be P

almerston North was originally known as te Papaioea, which is believed to mean ‘how beautiful it is’ and the locals will back that up passionately.

In terms of NZTA Motor Vehicle Registration statistics, as reported monthly in Autofile, the postal area of Palmerston North encompasses Ruapehu District Council, Rangitikei District Council, Manawatu District Council, Palmerston North City Council, Tararua District Council and Horowhenua District Council.

All up, the Palmerston North region makes up a catchment area of 180,351 people as recorded at the last census.

According to information obtained from the Central Economic Development Agency (CEDA), the city of Palmerston North

includes a population of 86,300.

It is the eighth largest urban area in NZ and is home to a young population, with 15-29 year olds accounting for over a quarter of the total people living there.

Education is a core industry for the region and coupled with it being the geographical centre of New Zealand, with easy access to a variety of other southern cities in the north island, it is seen as a city with a sound future.

The latest Manawatū Quarterly Economic Monitor report indicates an improvement in GDP growth in the region and increases to estimated growth in the first half of this year.

CEDA project manager, Julie Bowe says there is a lot of construction projected for the year ahead including the Defence

Force Regeneration Plan, which has identified $397 million of capital investment in the Manawatū region between 2016 and 2030. $176 million of this is for projects at Linton and Ohakea over the next five years.

“Massey University’s Capital Plan also proposes spending about $184 million at its Palmerston North campus over the next ten years,” says Bowe.

The construction of a Massey and AgResearch FoodHQ building in 2017, is the first stage of an estimated $250 million FoodHQ campus development, to be staged over the next 20 years.

The Mid Central District Health Board investment plan has also identified more than $282 million of capital expenditure in the DHB region over the next ten years, with

Palmerston North vehicle sales - November 2015 to November 2016 Nov ‘15

Used cars

New Cars

279

170

Used Commercials New Commercials

15

137

Public to Trader

659

Public to Public Trader to Public

1,526

717

Dec ‘15

309

208

21

122

560

1,519

759

Jan ‘16

309

161

21

109

546

1,649

743

Feb ‘16

279

238

25

118

542

1,635

772

Mar ‘16

304

275

25

156

804

1,693

788

Apr ‘16

322

199

25

103

1,043

1,585

809

May ‘16

322

222

23

117

885

1,703

793

Jun ‘16

347

249

23

155

1,035

1,593

831

Jul ‘16

320

219

22

117

724

1,814

804

Aug ‘16

367

220

26

103

635

1,681

780

Sep ‘16

320

236

15

130

826

1,653

862

Oct ‘16

290

199

20

142

621

1,634

734

Nov ‘16

290

220

33

114

612

1,541

776

Total 12 months

3,779

2,646

279

1,486

8,833

19,700

9,451

Increase/Decrease on November 2015

3.9%

29.4%

120.0%

-16.8%

-7.1%

1.0%

8.2%

NZ sales - last 12 months

148,943

101,685

10,652

44,272

158,299

516,560

213,633

Palmerston North’s % of national sales

2.5%

2.6%

2.6%

3.4%

5.6%

3.8%

4.4%

Population 18 www.autofile.co.nz

New Zealand 4,693,000

Palmerston Nth 180,351 3.8%

much of this work being carried out at Palmerston North Hospital.

“A new area has also been rezoned to the east of the city and 700 homes will be constructed there.”

The total value of residential and non-residential building consents approved in the region in the year to September 2016 was $224 million, the highest annual total since 2008.

In terms of tourism projects, work is due to begin on the Central Energy Trust Wildbase Recovery facility in 2017, and there is hope that funding will be secured for the Te Apiti (Manawatū Gorge) extension of the mountainbike track.

Director of Brent Boddy Prestige, Brent Boddy has noticed the changes that are taking place in the region and feels positive about projects such as the mountain-bike track extensions, as he feels that changes like these should bring more tourism and a possible surge of population.

He says, hypothetically, “an extra eighty or ninety thousand people could really help lift the economy and in a few years, we could be sitting on a gold mine”.

According to Boddy, Auckland is a good example of how a large population can really impact on retail sales. “You only have to walk down the viaduct to see how much money is changing hands every day.”

Boddy’s business is located close to the main shopping centre, however he doesn’t believe that makes much difference. “Rangitiki Street used to be the place to go for dealerships but as the years have passed we have all spread  over the city and now people

regional report

Brent Boddy Prestige

t decide which dealership to go to based on our service and what we are selling as opposed to where we are based.”

Boddy has been in the industry for more than 30 years and believes the key to his success has a lot to do with change. “We try to keep a handle on how things are changing and we try to adapt to the market indicators.”

Co-owner and director of Mainly Cars, Maria King has been running the central city dealership for four years and is finding that business remains steady.

Born in the Hawkes Bay, King has noticed a big difference between the two regions, with

“an extra eighty or ninety thousand people could really help lift the economy and in a few years, we could be sitting on a gold mine.” - Brent Boddy Palmerston North being a “cultural melting pot, with a lot more activity going on.”

This includes big events such as the Festival of Cultures which takes place annually at the middle of the year. She says that although events like these don’t directly affect sales, they do bring people into the region and get them spending, “which must have a knock-on effect.”

She says that a lot of her clients come from as far afield as Wellington and the Hawkes Bay to buy vehicles from Mainly Cars, because Palmerston North is so central and the cars are slightly cheaper.

Sales manager from Ian

Open letter to the automotive industry.

Ian Humphrey Motors

Humphrey Motors, Kerry Humphrey says 2016 has been a good year, particularly in the rural sector - which affects the Palmerston North region particularly. “I think there is a lot of consumer confidence out there thanks to job security. People are comfortable to spend money and housing prices are rising. We don’t have the highs or lows that other bigger cities have.”

Although he thinks the changes taking place in Palmerston North are positive, he doesn’t believe that they will make a huge difference in sales for the local dealerships.

“It’s great to have new walkways to entertain the locals and get

tourists in to the city, however.”

Humphrey says that fifty percent of their sales go to other cities, thanks to the emergence of internet sales. “We have tailored our dealership to work with the internet and often sell between five and 10 vehicles to the South Island per month. Nine out of 10 of those people, I’ve never physically met.”

He feels that the increase in sales has a lot to do with government initiatives. “I believe the current government has done a very good job in the last eight years, especially considering all the natural disasters that have taken place. We are in a good place.”

We will not be doing this. DPL Insurance operates as an independent business within the group. We recognise that Autosure policyholders are customers of our dealer agents first and foremost. Furthermore, as a professional business we obtain and protect all personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1993.

Turners will not be marketing to Autosure customers.

The automotive industry’s worst kept secret is now official. Turners Limited’s insurance division, DPL Insurance Limited has purchased Autosure from Vero NZ for $34 million.

While we love being a hot topic of conversation within the industry, it would seem there are a few “myths” and “rumours” circulating. We believe in integrity and transparency, so we’d like to set the record straight with a few “facts”.

Fact #1 – It is business as usual for Autosure.

Autosure continues to be run by the same great people, offering the same strong product set and delivering the same high levels of service it always has. Nothing changes in this regard. We won’t change the brand and the operation continues to be based in Takapuna, Auckland.

While some people in the market seem to believe Turners are the juggernauts of the automotive industry – the rumours say we are going to cut back staff, meddle with products and reject claims on mass. This couldn’t be further from the truth. We’ve paid a lot of money for a wellrun business and don’t plan to risk that by making wholesale changes.

Fact #3 – We plan to compete hard, and will bring new products and innovations to market.

We see an opportunity to invest in Autosure to drive growth in the coming years. It is a clear market leader and the team has some great ideas. We want to support them to bring new products to market and deliver innovations that will help create value for customers and dealer agents alike.

A competitive market place is a good thing. It keeps you sharp and on your toes, and ultimately benefits the customer.

We will compete hard and deliver exciting new innovations.

The fact is, the vast majority of operators within the automotive industry are smart, savvy, professional business people who choose to do business with good operators. And Autosure is a very good operator.

All we ask is that you judge Autosure on its actions (the facts), not on the myths and rumours you might hear. If you like what you get now, we are sure you will be very impressed with what we deliver in the future.

It is business as usual for Autosure.

Fact #2 – Turners will not be marketing to Autosure customers.

One of the concerns we hear being perpetuated through the market is that Turners will be taking Autosure customer data, packaging it up and trying to sell cars and finance from companies that operate within the Turners group of businesses.

Todd Hunter CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER TURNERS LIMITED

James Searle GENERAL MANAGER DPL INSURANCE

www.autofile.co.nz

19

news looking back

The month that was.... December With more than 30 years of history, Autofile is delving into the past to see which stories previously made headlines December 1st 1991

December 14, 1998

Customs seize 355 vehicles

Giltrap Group Scores DaimlerChrysler coup

Customs seized 355 vehicles after a crackdown ordered by Customs Minister, at the time, Neil Kirton.

Among the 10,000 vehicles that were checked, very few were found to have had their speedos clocked. However, service records on 570 of the inspected vehicles, which had done over 40,000km at the time of their last warranty check in Japan, were supplied to Customs, most by MIA members.

The records showed that 137 vehicles displayed less kilometres than on their last warranty check in Japan, while another 48 had done less than 2,000 km annually since their last warranty record.

IMVDA chairman, John Nicholls believed that these vehicles were specifically chosen to present the worst possible scenario. “Service records were provided for the higher risk makes - Honda, Mazda and Mitsubishi (also for luxury vehicles) where clocking is more likely,” he said.

The MIA asked Customs to refer details about the number of vehicles that had their odometers wound back, where no action had been taken to the MVDI odometer fraud task force, for further investigation.

Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler formed a new company - DaimlerChrysler New Zealand, which would be 49 per cent owned by the Giltrap Group.

DaimlerChrysler Australia Pacific Pty Ltd would hold 51 per cent. The assets of both GMD and Astre NZ would be bought by DaimlerChrysler NZ. As a part of the change, GM of German Motor Distributors, John Steele, was stepping down and would be replaced by Australian-based Ernie Ward, who was expected to take up the position in the new year.

The Mercedes-Benz M Class 4x4 vehicle would be built at the same factory in Graz, Austria where the Jeep Grand Cherokees and Chrysler Voyagers were being built.

The all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee was to go into production at Graz and would be shipped from there to NZ by mid 1999.

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email: nyknz.s.vehicleimports@nykgroup.com 20 www.autofile.co.nz

December 2, 2005

Trade Me wholesale trial proceeds Trade Me, trialled its new wholesale auction, with Trade Me general Manager, Sam Morgan saying that it could be converted to a regular business line for the company.

Trade Me business manager, Mike O’Donnell said the 351 fresh Japanese imports would be priced aggressively, with each car’s first bid to become its reserve.

Trade Me would not charge wholesalers for vehicles which were listed but didn’t receive any bids. The vehicles on offer were predominantly small and medium cars, as well as a few commercial and 4x4 vehicles.

At the time of print, over 120 dealers had signed up to participate in the trial auction.

December 1, 2006

Industry against register restrictions The government planned to restrict access to the Motor Vehicle Register, much to the concern of dealers around the country.

The Motor Trade Association (MTA) met to discuss the plans and the issues with privacy that surrounded the register.

The Minister for Transport Safety, Harry Duynhoven said, at the time that 9.6 million records were downloaded electronically by businesses and used for direct marketing campaigns.

According to David Vinsen, chief executive of the Independent Motor Vehicle Dealers Association (IMVDA), access to the register was not the main issue and it was more about how the information was put to use.

He believed that the trade needed access to the information through reputable service providers.

SiteLink update

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Most popular car makes searched*

Most popular car models searched*

Most popular body styles searched*

Most popular makes of motorbike searched*

1 Toyota 2 Nissan 3 BMW 4 Ford 5 Mazda

1 Golf 2 Hilux 3 Corolla 4 Commodore 5 Skyline

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

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

With 22 new and used McLarens arriving last month, it's no wonder there's plenty to choose from on Trade Me Motors. Our favourite is gorgeous 2016 570S model in red with a kneetrembling 562bhp and 600Nm on tap and it's nicely run in at 12,000km. Go on, spoil yourself for Christmas as its $45k under the $375k retail price.

*in November 2016 on Trade Me Motors

www.autofile.co.nz

21

Industry movers Alan Clark has been appointed to head Trade Me Motors, for the last two years he has been leading Trade Me’s strategy and mergers & acquisitions (M&A) team as well as Data & Analytics.

Clark, whom holds an engineering degree from the University of Canterbury, has extensive experience in marketing, M&A and strategy, having held various roles with Vodafone and the Boston Consulting Group in New Zealand, Australia and the US. His focus has primarily been in the retail and technology sectors, with hands on experience ranging from small start-ups to large multi-national retailers. He also has experience in industrial goods and manufacturing, and has worked with many of Australia and New Zealand’s leading companies.

Andrew Caseley has been appointed chief executive of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA). Caseley has held executive leadership roles in both the public and private sectors.

For the past 10 years he has worked for MWH, a global engineering and environmental consultancy firm, holding roles as managing director of the New Zealand business; and more recently operations director for Australia and New Zealand.

He was previously chief executive officer of the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council for 13 years.

Caseley will join EECA on 24 January.

SIMON MOORE has been appointed General Manager of Quest Insurance, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Geneva Finance Group of companies. This a newly created position focusing on the motor industry insurance business.

Moore has previously held roles with Protecta Insurance, Nissan Financial Services, Custom Fleet & GE Money as well as working as a Business Manager with Winger Motor Group.

TO FEATURE IN INDUSTRY MOVERS EMAIL EDITOR@AUTOFILE.CO.NZ

Every vehicle dealership in New Zealand should own this book

Half-cuts, double invoicing, speedos, emissions, seatbelts, frontal impact, legislative change. It’s the history of your industry and it’s all in...

From the rising sun to the long white cloud

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To order visit autofile.co.nz/book & fill in the order form or call Brian McCutcheon on 021 455 775 Profits from the sale of the book will go to not-for-profit organisations

22 www.autofile.co.nz

labour market report

Job ads reflect buoyant economy According to figures reported in ANZ Research, “New Zealand Job Ads” report, employment ads around New Zealand increased by 2.9 per cent in November (seasonally adjusted), compared with the month before.

This was the strongest monthly growth in almost two years, with job adverts also rising every month since September last year.

Auckland was the strongest of the three main centres, in terms of percentage increase, with job ads 18.1 per cent higher than a year ago. However, more than half of the 11 less-populated regions are recording annual job advertising growth of over 30 per cent (on a three-month average).

Job ads increased the most in the Gisborne region, with a rise of 46 per cent on a year ago. This was followed by the Bay of Plenty region which enjoyed increases of 42.6 per cent then the Waikato and Hawke’s Bay regions were both up over 35 per cent.

The New Zealand average increase was 18 per cent with the lowest rise recorded in Canterbury, at 1.6 per cent.

Followed by Taranaki and Southland with 13.2 and 13.4 per cent increase respectively.

Construction / utilities / manufacturing and transport accounted for the largest sector increase with a jump of 20.4 per cent from the same time last year.

They were followed by retail / tourism and recreation in second spot and finance / professional / scientific / real estate and administration service rounded out the top three sector groups, most in demand.

The supply of workers has increased rapidly too, courtesy of both strong net migration and

strong labour force participation, but labour shortages clearly exist.

“We expect wage growth will soon start to respond,” the report stated.

“While it’s no surprise that the construction, utilities, manufacturing and transport sector is currently experiencing the largest growth in job ads, we are also seeing solid growth in jobs in retail and tourism, and a range of professional services,” ANZ chief economist Cameron Bagrie said.

When looking for a new job, many New Zealanders might like to look for occupations with lower rates of injury.

According to a recent report from Statistics NZ, workers in elementary occupations such as cleaners, rubbish collectors, and labourers had the highest rate of injury in 2015.

Accident rates for agriculture and fishery workers moved down from the top spot for the first time in eight years.

Elementary occupation workers, which also includes jobs such as pest controllers, hotel porters, and courier drivers, had 238 claims per 1,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees in 2015 - the same rate as the year before.

Meanwhile, for the same period, the injury rate for agriculture and fishery group workers fell from 242 to 233 per 1,000 FTE. “Workers in the agriculture and fishery occupation, which includes forestry workers, now have the second highest claim rate for the first time since 2007.

Between 2008 and 2014, these workers had the highest rate of work-related claims. Even though this data is provisional, it’s usually a good indication of what the finalised data will show, which will be available in 2017,” collaborative development manager Michele Lloyd said.

Job advertising has risen every month since September of last year

f & i focus

The benefit of true partnerships

T

his year is looking very likely to be an all-time record for the motor industry with the largest numbers of new and used cars sold to the New Zealand public, ever.

Along with this buoyant trading environment, Protecta Insurance has also had its biggest year since establishing over 30 years ago.

For many dealerships finance and insurances provides the cream to the sale, when margins are squeezed in other channels, F & I continues to provide real profit opportunities.

We have seen a much greater uptake of our training as dealers realise the importance of securing as much profit from each sale as possible. This added value partnership is extremely important to us at Protecta, and there is no better feeling than seeing our dealers grow in both skills and profitability.

This year the insurance products sold by dealers have had increases in strike rates over last year like never before.  Mechanical Breakdown Insurance – up 15%  Payment Protection Insurance – up 22%  Guaranteed Asset Protection up 30%  Motorcycle Insurance - up 8% Next year is also looking very promising, with the economy in sound health and disposable incomes, for many, predicted to remain high. We at Protecta are certainly preparing for a positive year ahead.

We would like to wish you all a safe and happy festive season.

Travel safely and we look forward to working with you again in 2017. Merry Christmas!

PROTECTA nationwide F & I results November 2016

New Used

60%

57%

55%

56%

Highest profit per retail unit - $ 1,418 Lowest profit per retail unit - $ 3 83

50% 45%

40%

40%

37%

35%

35% 30% 25%

25%

24%

20%

20% 15%

15% 10%

Stephen Glading, Managing Director

5% 0% Finance

PPI

GAP

Insurance

MBI

Wishing you safe and happy motoring over the festive season Thanks to all our partners and customers for a great 2016.

Don’t forget as your insurance provider • We are Independently owned • AA- Financial Strength Rating • Guaranteed protection of your customer database • Over 30 years of experience

www.protecta.co.nz

The Motor Insurance Specialist

0800 776 832 www.autofile.co.nz

23

disputes

Buyer rejects 23-year-old Mazda due to engine failure after two months Background Brad Wilson bought a 1992 Mazda RX-7 for $17,345 with 70,996 kilometres on the odometer from CM Holdings (New Zealand) Limited trading as NZ Motorsport Imports.

He paid a deposit of $1,500 and financed the balance of the purchase price through a collateral contract with Now Finance Limited, dated July 14, 2015.

Wilson said when the Mazda was supplied to him, the engine leaked coolant and the dealer arranged to have the engine reconditioned at the dealer's expense in August.

However, the vehicle’s engine failed again on September 26. Wilson rejected the vehicle on October 23.

He asked the tribunal to uphold his rejection, vest the collateral credit contract in the trader, and order the dealer to reimburse him with funds he had paid for the RX-7.

The trader stated there was no opportunity for them to have the reconditioned engine inspected and the trader was not willing to refund the purchase price.

The case Wilson said the Mazda was leaking coolant when he drove it to his home after collecting it in Christchurch on July 9. He notified the trader of the fault and the trader paid for the engine to be reconditioned by Pulse Performance. The vehicle was collected by Wilson on September 10. Five days later, Wilson had the vehicle checked by Al Marsh Automotive Limited, which recorded chamber compressions

of 105lbs in the front and 110lbs in the rear. Wilson was told the engine had been fitted with incorrect spark plugs, which Wilson replaced a few days later. Al Marsh Automotive also recommended the vehicle’s fuel mixture should be checked which Wilson did not do.

On September 26, Wilson said he drove the vehicle at half throttle and its engine emitted a loud “popping” noise and lost power. He took the Mazda back to Al Marsh Automotive which found the rear chamber had lost compression and noted the likely failure of the Apex seal.

Wilson emailed the trader on October 11 commenting on the second engine failure and asking the trader to fix it or refund the purchase price. The trader told Wilson to contact its repairer which Wilson said was not his responsibility. Wilson emailed the dealer on October 23 rejecting the vehicle and asking for a refund of the purchase price. The trader asked if Pulse Performance could inspect the engine.

The finding In determining whether the vehicle supplied by the trader complied with the guarantee of acceptable quality, the tribunal considered its age, mileage and purchase price.

The tribunal found the vehicle’s first engine was not free of minor faults or as durable as a reasonable consumer paying more than $17,000 for a performance car of this type would regard as acceptable. The vehicle’s first engine had to be reconditioned soon after supply and failed a

MEDIATION SERVICE

few weeks following repairs.

The tribunal’s assessor said the second engine failure, like the first, was probably caused by the re-mapping of the vehicle’s ECU in Japan to burn high octane fuel and the fuel-air mix was incorrect for New Zealand conditions.

The tribunal found the Mazda’s engine lacked durability because its two engines only lasted 1,683kms and the trader should have ensured the cause of the engine failure was identified. The lack of engine durability lead the tribunal to find the car did not comply with the guarantee of acceptable quality under the act at the time of sale.

The authority also ruled the engine failure was of substantial character within the meaning of the act.

The trader wanted to conduct an investigation into the cause of the second engine failure. But the tribunal ruled that a purchaser who rejected a vehicle on the grounds of a failure of substantial character under the act had no obligation to return the car to the trader for an investigation.

Therefore, the tribunal ruled the trader was not entitled to refuse Wilson’s rejection of the vehicle.

The tribunal may award costs under the Motor Vehicle Sales Act 2003, where the matter ought to have been reasonably settled before proceeding to a hearing but the party against whom an award of costs was to be made refused, without reasonable excuse, to take part in the mediation discussions.

Wilson said, and the trader did

FACILITATING RESOLUTION 24 www.autofile.co.nz

buyer wanted to The case: The Mazda RX-7 under

reject his 1992 the Consumer Guarantees Act after the car’s engine failed twice within two months following purchase.

The trader said it was not given the opportunity to conduct an investigation in to the cause of the second engine failure.

The tribunal The decision: r’s rejection of

upheld the buye the vehicle. The tribunal found the Mazda’s engine lacked durability because its original engine and subsequent reconditioned engine only lasted 1,683 kilometres. r Vehicle Disputes At: The Motoland Tribunal, Auck

not deny, there was no attempt made by the dealer to mediate the dispute after he filed his application with the tribunal. The tribunal sent the dealer a copy of Wilson’s application on August 2, 2016 with a written request to discuss it with the buyer. The trader did not do so and the tribunal found the matter should have been settled.

Orders Wilson’s rejection of the vehicle was upheld.

The collateral finance agreement between Wilson and Now Finance was vested in the trader from October 23, 2015. The trader was ordered to discharge the purchaser’s obligations under the agreement from October 23.

The trader was ordered to pay to Wilson: the $1,500 deposit; $44 for a compression test; Wilson’s travel expenses of $482 to attend the hearing; the principal/capital component of payments made

by Wilson under the Now Finance collateral contract between July 14 and October 23, 2015; and the total amount of interest and principal/ capital payments made by Wilson to Now Finance under the contract after October 23.

disputes

Tribunal rejects buyer’s request for trader to rebuild RX-8’s faulty engine Background Lisa Tuli Elena Mataia bought a 2005 Mazda RX-8 for $9,990 from Ideal Motor Group Limited on December 6, 2014. The vehicle’s odometer at the time of sale was 85,474kms.

Seven months following supply of the Mazda, the buyer had difficulty starting the car and was told by a mechanic that it was a common problem with RX-8s.

Mataia said the vehicle’s engine had lost compression and required rebuilding at an estimated cost of $5,000 to $7,000.

The buyer claimed the vehicle lacked durability and failed to comply with the guarantee of acceptable quality under the terms of the Consumer Guarantees Act. She wanted the cost to rebuild the engine from the trader.

The trader said the purchaser had used the vehicle to drive about 14,000 kilometres during the 21 months since she bought it, failed to have it serviced at the recommended service intervals, and having regard to the vehicle’s type, age, mileage and price paid, the vehicle complied with the guarantee of acceptable quality. Accordingly, the trader denied responsibility for the vehicle.

The case The purchaser said that she was unaware when she bought the vehicle of the high fuel consumption of a Mazda RX-8. She was also unaware that its engine needed to be serviced every 5,000kms.

Two weeks after buying the Mazda, an engine warning light

came on in its instrument panel.

The vehicle’s vacuum valve was diagnosed as faulty by Shocks Brakes ‘N’ Tyres during January 2015 and it was replaced at the trader’s cost of $382.

The buyer said she understood her partner had a basic oil and oil filter service carried out on the vehicle during April but there was no invoice to record this service and the purchaser did not know who carried out the service.

On July 23, at 95,584kms, (10,110kms after sale) the vehicle became hard to start and the buyer spoke to a Porirua Motors mechanic who told her it was a common fault with Mazda RX-8 vehicles. Porirua Motors replaced the coil and spark plugs at a cost of $622 and the invoice recorded that the purchaser was advised that the air to fuel ratio sensor signal was “not plausible”.

On October 9, the vehicle would not start. Mataia had it checked by Plimmerton Auto Services Limited which recorded on its invoice that the compressions were “75lb” and that normal compression was “90+”.

The spark plugs were replaced again at a total cost, with labour and GST, of $444.

From October to December 2015, the purchaser said she and her partner discussed what they should do with the vehicle. They continued to use the vehicle about twice a week for light driving.

Finally, on December 31, the purchaser sent the trader an email about the difficulty she had experienced in starting the vehicle from July 2015 onwards

and asked the trader to remedy the situation. The trader’s manager, Annie George, replied saying the owner was away for three months and as soon as she heard from the owner she would contact the purchaser.

The buyer employed Lawton Exhausts and Engineering to carry out a compression test on the vehicle’s engine on April 4, 2016. The test showed the compressions were from 68psi to 71psi in each cylinder which Lawton’s invoice recorded as being too low and advised that the compressions should be 85psi to 90psi as a minimum.

The buyer was also advised

by Lawtons that the vehicle’s engine needed to be rebuilt at an estimated cost of $5,000 to $7,000 depending on its condition following disassembly. The dealer offered to assist the purchaser by contributing $2,000 towards the cost of rebuilding the engine but the purchaser and her partner decided to reject that offer.

The vehicle’s odometer was now reading 99,464kms.

The finding In determining whether the vehicle supplied by the trader complied with the guarantee of acceptable quality, the tribunal considered first, the nature of the goods; in this case a nine-year-old Japaneseimported Mazda RX-8 which had travelled 85,474kms at the time of sale on December 6, 2014. Second, the vehicle’s sale price of $9,990.

The purchaser had travelled 13,990kms in the vehicle during a period of 21 months from the date

The buyer wanted the The case:the cost of rebuilding trader to pay her car’s failed engine. The trader denied it had any responsibility for the vehicle because the buyer had travelled about 14,000 kilometres in the Mazda and had failed to adequately service the car.

n: The tribunal The decisiovehi cle complied

found that the with the guarantee of acceptable quality under the Consumer Guarantees Act at the time of sale.

The purchaser’s application was dismissed. r Vehicle Disputes At: The Motoland Tribunal, Auck

of sale. The vehicle had not been properly serviced at the 5,000km service intervals recommended by the manufacturer. The tribunal’s assessor advised the tribunal that a rotary engine was a high maintenance engine which required adequate servicing every 5,000kms.

The assessor also advised the tribunal that, generally, rotary engines do not last much beyond 100,000kms before requiring rebuilding.

The tribunal came to the conclusion that the engine in the Mazda supplied to the buyer was probably as durable as a reasonable consumer would regard as acceptable for a rotary engine of its age, mileage, and sale price.

Therefore, the tribunal found that the vehicle did not fail to comply with the guarantee of acceptable quality under the act.

The tribunal also stated that it wished to record that under the circumstances, it considered the trader’s offer of $2,000 towards the cost of rebuilding the vehicle’s engine was generous, and it was unfortunate that the purchaser rejected it.

Order The purchaser’s application was dismissed.

Disputes cost you time & money MTA dealer members have access to a free support service.

Visit www.mta.org.nz/mediation or call 0508 682 633

www.autofile.co.nz

25

tech report

Talk to the specialists about entry certification - fast, efficient, professional 0800 GO VINZ (468 469) www.vinz.co.nz

Vehicle Inspection NZ

Important to be at the table I

recently returned from a trip to Japan as part of a joint New Zealand government-industry delegation.

The main purpose of the trip was to explore the use of ITS technology, specifically vehicle-to-vehicle communications, in Japanese spec’d vehicles. Most of the trip was spent meeting with car manufacturers and government agencies. The primary concern for our industry is the radio frequencies being used in Japan and their incompatibility here.

As well as these meetings, I was invited, as an expert, to attend a conference sponsored by the Japanese cabinet office. The cabinet office coordinates an effort called the Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP) which is tasked with providing the leadership necessary to ensure industry and government coordination on key areas of research.

Automated driving vehicles have been identified as one of 11 technologies that they feel will fundamentally change Japanese society for the better. The primary purpose of this research is to developing new transportation systems including technologies for accident avoidance and alleviating congestion. They hold an annual conference where global experts are invited to work closely with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to offer feedback and guidance on research and development.

This gives us the perfect platform to not only learn about the direction this technology is moving, but also to engage OEMs about the issues that concern New Zealand.

26 www.autofile.co.nz

An area of interest current technology is for us is the data developing, each region automated vehicles will will be responsible for use to navigate. Not providing both its own only are we advocating data and a means of for standardisation so it precisely locating the will be easier to upload vehicle within that a local dataset when data. The Dynamic vehicles are brought to Mapping Group in Kit Wilkerson New Zealand, we are Japan has very little Policy adviser and analyst kit@imvia.co.nz discussing how these interest in supporting datasets are created, any mapping efforts maintained, and anywhere but Japan, distributed. The development of while SENSORiS is based upon the these datasets has become known HERE platform which is available as ‘dynamic mapping’. Even though in New Zealand. The biggest the sets will not take the form of a difference is that dynamic mapping traditional map, since the vehicles in Japan is designed specifically will use the data to navigate, it to support automated driving. functionally plays the same role as The question of which standard a map. becomes the standard is very much It is this area that I have been in question and will likely be OEM contributing as an expert at the and region specific. international level.

I expect this will continue to be At the conference, we had frank a recurring theme for New Zealand and open discussions about the regarding emerging technology. state of ITS and how the dynamic Since we purchase goods from maps in Japan and Europe are being all the major jurisdictions and we developed. Europe has several do not have much in domestic collaborative efforts like SIP-adus to manufacturing, trying to figure coordinate development of a data out how to get the technology scheme useful to connected and from the major jurisdictions to automated vehicles. In fact, some play well together will always of which, like SENSORiS, already be a challenge. Fortunately, as includes most EU states, China, entrepreneurial as our industry is, and some Japanese OEMs, which is I see this as an opportunity. New more inclusive than the Japanese Zealand will likely need detailed Dynamic Mapping Group. While I maps in a format compatible with am dubious of the HERE coalition, both technologies. Not only will I cannot deny that they are already the provider of those maps have a more inclusive and they made market here in New Zealand, but very persuasive arguments to the technology developed to convert Japanese. one to the other would have a One point that is evident, global market, especially for a however, is that the direction global used-vehicle trade.

In addition to advising on ITS and advocating for our industry, I have used the opportunity to promote New Zealand more generally as a potential testing site for emerging technology and as a champion for standardisation and harmonisation.

While not invited to the SIP-adus conference as an official speaker, I was invited up to speak impromptu.

I have also been invited back as an official speaker next year. I have since also been invited to attend (and likely offered to speak on New Zealand’s behalf) at both a conference in San Francisco and one in Europe in the following year.

This work will continue to give us a platform from which we can promote the causes important to our industry and New Zealand in general and ensure we can keep the doors open for the imported vehicle industry.

Glossary of terms HERE - A company co-owned by German automotive companies Audi, BMW, and Daimler in the provision of mapping data, technologies and services to the automotive, consumer and enterprise sectors.

ITS - Intelligent Transport Systems SENSORiS - A platform created

by HERE and now coordinated

by ITS Europe that is developing a global standard for vehicle-tocloud data.

SIP-adus - Workshop on connected and automated driving systems with the aim of bringing together experts from around the world to share an discuss technical as well as non-technical aspects of automated and connected driving system deployment.

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Nagoya

3 Dec

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3 Jan

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2 Feb

Yokohama

5 Dec

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27

c

the

u

u

d Auckland Hamilton Thames o Whangarei n Tauranga Rotorua Gisborne Napie r New Plymouth Wanganui Palmerston North Masterton Wellin gton Nelson Blenheim Greymouth

Brought to you by

New passenger vehicle registrations by city

ry

Aro

nt

Whangarei Auckland Hami lton Thames Tauranga Rotorua Gisborne Napi e r New Plymouth Wanganui Palmerston North Masterton Welli n gton Nelson Blenhei m Greymouth Westport Christchurch Ti m aru Oamaru Dunedi n I n vercargi l l Whangarei Auckland Hami lton Thames Tauranga Rotorua Gisborne Napier New Plymouth Wanganui Palmerston North Welli n gton Nelson Blenhei m NMasterton Greymouth 6 o vWhangarei Auckland Hami l0ton1Thames e mber 2

Used imported passenger vehicle registrations by city

5500

6500 6,476

5000 6000

4500 4,313

Auckland

5500

4000 3500

5000

3000 Auckland 2,389

2000

2000

1500

1750 Christchurch

1500 Vehicles sold

900 800

1,520

Christchurch

1000 900

700

Wellington 895

800 600

Wellington

805

597

Hamilton

700 500

520

600

Hamilton

400

532

500

Tauranga

Tauranga

330

400

385

Dunedin

300

Palmerston North

290

Oct ‘16

Sep ‘16

Aug ‘16

JuL ‘16

Apr ‘16

Feb ‘16

Jan ‘16

Dec ‘15

Nov ‘15

Palmerston North

Nov ‘16

Oct ‘16

Sep ‘16

Aug ‘16

JuL ‘16

Jun ‘16

May ‘16

Apr ‘16

Mar ‘16

Feb ‘16

0 Jan ‘16

0 Dec ‘15

200

Nov ‘15

100

Jun ‘16

220 215

200

May ‘16

Dunedin

Mar ‘16

300

Nov ‘16

Vehicles sold

1000

New and used cars registered in November 2016 by region WHA

AUC

HAM

THA

TAU

ROT

GIS

NAP

NEW

WAN

PAL

MAS

WEL

NEL

BLE

GRE

WES

CHR

TIM

OAM

DUN

INV

TOTAL

New cars

185

4,313

520

75

330

73

49

194

135

68

220

45

597

82

45

8

1

2,389

63

13

215

102

9,722

Used cars

295

6,476

805

103

532

156

64

258

199

75

290

75

895

243

69

37

11

1,520

109

29

385

136

12,762

Total cars

480

10,789 1,325

178

862

229

113

452

334

143

510

120

1,492

325

114

45

12

3,909

172

42

600

238

22,484

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Total new cars

Total imported used cars

9,722

12,762

 19.8%

2015: 8,115

Thames

Whangarei NEW: 185

 8.8%

2015: 11,732

2015: 201

USED: 295 2015: 259

 8.0%

NEW: 75

2015: 42

 78.6%

 13.9%

USED: 103

2015: 81

 27.2%

Auckland

Tauranga

NEW: 4,313 2015: 3,546  21.6%

NEW: 330

2015: 269  22.7%

USED: 6,476 2015: 6,048  7.1%

USED: 532

2015: 464

Rotorua

Hamilton NEW: 520

 14.7%

2015: 356  46.1%

USED: 805 2015: 656

 22.7%

NEW: 73

2015: 75

 2.7%

USED: 156

2015: 138

 13.0%

Gisborne

New Plymouth NEW: 135 USED: 199

2015: 90 2015: 157

 50.0%

NEW: 49

2015: 40

 22.5%

 26.8%

USED: 64

2015: 39

 64.1%

Napier

Wanganui NEW: 68

2015: 48

 41.7%

NEW: 194

2015: 174

 11.5%

USED: 75

2015: 64

 17.2%

USED: 258 2015: 235

 9.8%

Masterton

Palmerston North NEW: 220

2015: 170

USED: 290 2015: 279

 29.4%

NEW: 45

2015: 39

 15.4%

 3.9%

USED: 75

2015: 54

 38.9%

Wellington

Nelson NEW: 82

2015: 96

 14.6%

NEW: 597

USED: 243

2015: 179

 35.8%

USED: 895 2015: 895

2015: 592  0.8%

 0%

Blenheim

Westport NEW: 1

2015: 3

 66.7%

NEW: 45

2015: 34

 32.4%

USED: 11

2015: 8

 37.5%

USED: 69

2015: 45

 53.3%

Christchurch

Greymouth NEW: 8

2015: 17

 52.9%

NEW: 2,389 2015: 1,944  22.9%

USED: 37

2015: 38

 2.6%

USED: 1,520 2015: 1,531

 0.7%

Timaru NEW: 63

2015: 52

 21.2%

USED: 109

2015: 89

 22.5%

Oamaru NEW: 13

2015: 15

 13.3%

USED: 29

2015: 24

 20.8%

Dunedin NEW: 215

2015: 213

USED: 385 2015: 317

 0.9%  21.5%

Invercargill NEW: 102

2015: 99

 3.0%

USED: 136 153

2015: 132 156

  3 1.9 .0%%

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Imported Passenger Vehicle Sales by Make - November 2016 Make

Nov '16

Nov '15

+/- %

Nov '16 Mkt Share

2016 YEAR TO DATE

2016 Mkt share

Imported Passenger Vehicle Sales by Model - November 2016 Make

Model

Nov '16

Nov '15

+/- %

Nov '16 Mkt Share

2016 YEAR 2016 TO DATE Mkt share

Toyota

3,373

2,793

20.8

26.4%

34,037

25.0%

Nissan

Tiida

725

672

7.9

5.7%

6,754

5.0%

Nissan

2,494

2,168

15.0

19.5%

25,581

18.8%

Mazda

Axela

548

583

-6.0

4.3%

6,069

4.5%

Mazda

1,914

2,015

-5.0

15.0%

20,688

15.2%

Mazda

Demio

496

531

-6.6

3.9%

5,042

3.7%

Honda

1,261

1,321

-4.5

9.9%

14,178

10.4%

Suzuki

Swift

440

520

-15.4

3.4%

5,783

4.2%

Subaru

593

598

-0.8

4.6%

6,502

4.8%

Honda

Fit

429

488

-12.1

3.4%

4,858

3.6%

Suzuki

523

653

-19.9

4.1%

6,959

5.1%

Toyota

Wish

305

287

6.3

2.4%

3,404

2.5%

Bmw

517

429

20.5

4.1%

5,602

4.1%

Toyota

Vitz

299

221

35.3

2.3%

2,936

2.2%

Volkswagen

436

398

9.5

3.4%

5,217

3.8%

Subaru

Legacy

288

321

-10.3

2.3%

3,146

2.3%

Mitsubishi

417

407

2.5

3.3%

4,800

3.5%

Toyota

Prius

283

138

105.1

2.2%

2,148

1.6%

Audi

240

186

29.0

1.9%

2,534

1.9%

Volkswagen

Golf

264

225

17.3

2.1%

3,160

2.3%

Mercedes-Benz

233

179

30.2

1.8%

2,645

1.9%

Toyota

Corolla

251

216

16.2

2.0%

2,474

1.8%

Ford

150

112

33.9

1.2%

1,458

1.1%

Mazda

Atenza

238

308

-22.7

1.9%

2,759

2.0%

Volvo

85

86

-1.2

0.7%

938

0.7%

Toyota

Estima

217

207

4.8

1.7%

1,737

1.3%

Lexus

65

59

10.2

0.5%

611

0.4%

Toyota

Markx

214

103

107.8

1.7%

2,001

1.5%

Holden

52

38

36.8

0.4%

472

0.3%

Mazda

Premacy

209

154

35.7

1.6%

2,031

1.5%

Chevrolet

44

41

7.3

0.3%

475

0.3%

Mazda

Mpv

203

220

-7.7

1.6%

2,379

1.7%

Jaguar

43

27

59.3

0.3%

418

0.3%

Mitsubishi

Outlander

199

200

-0.5

1.6%

2,518

1.8%

Land Rover

39

22

77.3

0.3%

343

0.3%

Honda

Odyssey

191

179

6.7

1.5%

1,856

1.4%

Dodge

32

13

146.2

0.3%

239

0.2%

Nissan

Dualis

190

118

61.0

1.5%

1,792

1.3%

Mini

30

35

-14.3

0.2%

421

0.3%

Toyota

Auris

184

108

70.4

1.4%

1,899

1.4%

Hyundai

28

40

-30.0

0.2%

428

0.3%

Nissan

Note

163

142

14.8

1.3%

1,956

1.4%

Porsche

23

6

283.3

0.2%

202

0.1%

Toyota

Blade

143

117

22.2

1.1%

1,544

1.1%

Jeep

18

12

50.0

0.1%

214

0.2%

Nissan

Murano

143

156

-8.3

1.1%

1,695

1.2%

Rav4

142

91

56.0

1.1%

1,144

0.8%

Mclaren

16

0

1600.0

0.1%

19

0.0%

Toyota

Daihatsu

15

21

-28.6

0.1%

137

0.1%

Nissan

Bluebird

131

126

4.0

1.0%

1,340

1.0%

Peugeot

11

12

-8.3

0.1%

179

0.1%

Subaru

Impreza

130

106

22.6

1.0%

1,304

1.0%

Chrysler

10

5

100.0

0.1%

122

0.1%

Nissan

March

125

131

-4.6

1.0%

1,151

0.8%

Kia

10

6

66.7

0.1%

87

0.1%

Nissan

Stream

112

124

-9.7

0.9%

1,318

1.0%

Maserati

9

2

350.0

0.1%

36

0.0%

Nissan

Skyline

110

75

46.7

0.9%

1,227

0.9%

Bentley

6

0

600.0

0.0%

30

0.0%

Nissan

Wingroad

108

115

-6.1

0.8%

1,047

0.8%

Lancia

6

0

600.0

0.0%

9

0.0%

Nissan

Elgrand

106

83

27.7

0.8%

1,018

0.7%

Alfa Romeo

5

3

66.7

0.0%

36

0.0%

Nissan

Teana

106

107

-0.9

0.8%

1,318

1.0%

Cadillac

4

4

0.0

0.0%

41

0.0%

Toyota

Avensis

104

101

3.0

0.8%

1,063

0.8%

Ferrari

4

1

300.0

0.0%

19

0.0%

Honda

Crv

103

90

14.4

0.8%

1,370

1.0%

Ist

102

145

-29.7

0.8%

1,370

1.0%

37.3%

51,734

37.9%

100.0% 136,345

100.0%

Fiat Others Total

4

4

0.0

0.0%

36

0.0%

Toyota

52

36

44.4

0.4%

632

0.5%

Others

4,761

4,224

12.7

12,762

11,732

8.8

100.0%

136,345

100.0%

Total

12,762

11,732

8.8

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Big month for used McLaren sales S

ales figures for used imports have reached 136,345 for the year-to-date, an increase of four per cent on the same period last year when 131,044 units had been sold.

Sales were also up for the month of November, with 12,762 units sold across the country, an increase of 8.8 per cent from November 2015’s figures.

November was a good month, in terms of sales, with most regions selling more used imports compared to the same month last year, except for Wellington dealerships, where 895 units were sold - exactly the same amount they sold in November last year.

Christchurch sales decreased slightly, by 0.7 per cent. Out of the three largest cities in the country, Auckland performed the best in terms of year-on-year sales, with 6,476 used passenger vehicles sold - an increase of 7.1 per cent.

Gisborne dealerships contributed to the largest year-on-year increase, with 64 units sold - a solid 64.1 per cent boost to the 39 vehicles sold in November last year. Blenheim followed with 69 vehicles sold - a 53.3 per cent increase in sales from 45 units in November 2015.

Masterton also increased sales for the month of November, with a 38.9 per cent increase in units sold.

Toyota made up the highest market share of 26.4 per cent for the month of November (and 25 per cent for the year to date), with 3,373 units sold. This was also an increase of 20.8 per cent on the same time last year when 2,793 units were sold.

Nissan sales also increased

16 used McLarens were registered in November - the most ever in one month

with 2,494 units sold last month - an increase of 15 per cent from November 2015. Nissan took up 19.5 per cent of the monthly market share and 18.8 per cent of the share for the year. Mazda’s sales were slightly lower than November last year, with 1,914 units sold - a decrease of five percent from the same time last year. Mazda took up a 15 per cent market share for the month and the year of 2016.

The most interesting statistic to

come out of the NZTA, regarding used imported car registrations for last month, was the 16 McLaren’s sold. None had been sold the previous month and only three had been registered between January and October this year. 10 of these were imported from the UK. The top make for the month was the Nissan Tiida, with 725 units sold in the month of November an increase of 7.9 per cent year on year. The Mazda Axela followed

Used Imported Passenger Registrations - 2014-2016 15000 14000 13000 12000 11000 10000

2014

9000

2015 2016

8000 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

Jul Aug Sep

Oct Nov Dec

with 548 sales for the year, a decrease of six per cent on the same time last year and the Demio sold 496 sales, a decrease of 6.6 per cent on November 2015, when 531 were sold. The Nissan Tiida took up 5.7 per cent of the monthly share, whereas the Mazda Axela took 4.3 per cent and the Demio held 3.9 per cent of the sales for the month.

Hayden Johnston, dealer manager for Genuine Vehicle Imports says there has been a noticeable increase in sales recently and he believes it has a lot to do with customer confidence.

“New Zealand is in a strong position financially, employment levels are good and this is reflected in sales generally and also in people being more confident about signing up for long-term finance deals.

There has definitely been a rise in sales when it comes to SUVs in particular and people are also upgrading what they might usually buy, I think we have a good stable economy to thank for that.”

Peter Wilson, owner of Superior Cars in New Plymouth says it’s good to vary things.

“We have one fantastic month, followed by an ordinary one, but overall it’s a good business to be in. Things are always changing and that’s a good thing.

“We’ve been here for over 20 years and stock around 130 cars, mostly fresh imports and we like to keep an eye on all the source markets, as they all have their advantages at different times, and the exchange rate is good at the moment so it’s good to try something a bit different, and sometimes it even works!”

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Imports from UK building momentum I

mports to New Zealand are increasing exponentially, with a total of 13,436 used vehicles arriving into the country for the month of November – an increase of 8.5 per cent from November 2015 and 8.8 per cent from last month.

Year-to-date imports of used cars are very strong at 140,817 and based on a monthly average of more than 12,000 units, the market is likely to break last year’s record total of 150,862.

Used light commercials (under 3,500kg GVM) tallied 737 units in November 2016, the third highest month for the year, and

year to date the figure of 6,833 units exceeds the total for 2015 of 5,661.

The main country of origin for used cars is no surprise, with Japan importing 12,444 used cars in the month of November.

This made up 92.6 per cent of the monthly share of vehicles coming into New Zealand.

Year-to-date, 132,241 units have been imported from Japan, a market share of 94.9 per cent.

Australia took up three per cent of the monthly share, with 409 units entering NZ in November and 4,684 units for the year to date.

Great Britain followed with

279 units and 2.1 per cent of the market share - this was an increase of 36.9 per cent from the previous month, when 205 were imported and a substantial increase on the average import figures prior to the Brexit announcement and the devaluation of the British pound, against the NZ dollar.

In the last three months imports from the UK have totalled 705 units, which is almost 30 per cent more than the previous eight months, January to August when 545 units were imported from that jurisdiction.

11,070 new passenger cars

arrived on our shores last month - the second highest recorded monthly total of the year, behind the 13,210 new cars that arrived in August.

Year to date, 101,143 new passenger vehicles have arrived in the country – only slightly less than the total amount imported for the full calendar year figure for 2015, of 102,016 units.

New light commercial (under 3,500kg GVM) arrivals of 1,853 were down on previous months and the year-to-date tally of 26,889 is also tracking lower than the total for 2015 when 30,269 units crossed the border.

Used imported passenger vehicle arrivals 18000 17000 16000 15000 14000 13000 12000 11000 10000 9000 8000

2015 2016 2014

7000 6000 5000 4000 3000

2013

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

Aug

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Used Imported Passenger Vehicles By Country Of Export Country of Export

2016 JAN ’16

Feb ’16

Mar ’16

Apr ’16

May ’16

Jun ’16

JuL ’16

Aug ’16

Sep ’16

Oct ’16

316

445

472

398

395

408

372

444

450

575

65

39

62

65

73

72

75

94

221

205

9,181

11,266

12,275

16,283

11,848

12,838

10,533

13,261

11,026

Singapore

76

46

79

121

99

142

109

109

Usa

89

79

83

66

103

118

112

124

Other countries

21

12

28

27

45

52

48

26

9,748

11,887

12,999

16,960

12,563

13,630

11,249

14,058

Australia Great Britain Japan

Total

2015

2014

2015 TOTAL Mkt Share

2014 total Mkt Share

Nov ’16 Nov Mkt Share

2016 Total

409

3.0%

4,684

4,893

3.2%

3,167

279

2.1%

1,250

939

0.6%

1,885

1.4%

11,286

12,444

92.6%

132,241

143,125

94.9%

130,770

95.0%

94

133

111

0.8%

1,119

611

0.4%

252

0.2%

113

114

152

1.1%

1,153

1,041

0.7%

1,278

0.9%

38

32

41

0.3%

370

253

0.2%

286

0.2%

11,942

12,345

13,436

100.0%

140,817

150,862

100.0%

137,638

100.0%

2.3%

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ContaCt us today!

Changes of ownership strong D

ealer to public sales are well on track to surpass last year’s overall figure of 209,686 in fleet cars sold by traders, year to date 195,436 units have found new homes, only 14,250 units behind the total sales for 2015.

The month of November was high, with 18,277 vehicles being sold, an increase of 0.4 per cent on the same time last year, when 18,194 units were sold.

Dealers in Masterton enjoyed the biggest percentage increase in terms of sales, with 184 units sold - an increase of 19.5 per cent from 154 units in the month of November 2015.

Thames followed with an increase of 12.9 per cent from 233 units sold at the same time last year and 263 vehicles sold last month.

Trade-ins also remain high, with 145,389 units sold so far this year, an increase of 2.6 per cent on the same time in 2015.

12,717 trade-ins were made in the month of November, an increase of 4.8 per cent from last year’s figure of 12,125.

Oamaru had the highest percentage increase year on year, with 17 cars this year compared to 8 in November 2015, a massive increase of 112.5 per cent. Thames also showed healthy numbers,

rising 62.5 per cent, from 80 in November 2015 to 130 last month.

Sales and finance manager for Pearce Brothers in Auckland, Jade Karaitiana has been working for the dealership for a decade and has noticed that a lot of the clients will come back in three to four years to update their vehicles.

“When they want an upgrade, they will often come back to us and trade in a vehicle they have bought from us previously. It’s like a boomerang.” he remarks Karaitiana says that there is a regular influx of trade-ins, which they sometimes sell on to other

dealerships. “We get a mixture of trade ins in a range of conditions.

It depends on the customer’s circumstances.”

Pearce Brothers stocks 98 per cent of New Zealand new products with only a small percentage of imports.

The showroom is made up mainly of Holden V8 and V6 products and the top sellers tend to be the Holden Commodores.

“They are Australian-built and designed to do the big kilometres, at a lower cost. They are just reliable cars and there is more leg room and they often have more seats. Japanese cars tend to be a bit small.”

Secondhand car sales - November 2016 Dealer-To-Public

Public-To-Public

Public-To-Dealer

Nov '16

Nov '15

+/- %

MarKET SHARE

Nov '16

Nov '15

+/- %

Nov '16

Nov '15

+/- %

619

574

7.8

3.4

2,065

1,839

12.3

281

242

16.1

Auckland

6,381

6,078

5.0

34.9

15,216

14,714

3.4

4,888

4,538

7.7

Hamilton

1,476

1,376

7.3

8.08

3,413

3,150

8.3

1,092

1,053

3.7 26.9

Whangarei

Thames

262

233

12.4

1.4

621

576

7.8

99

78

Tauranga

984

957

2.8

5.4

2,247

2,106

6.7

606

572

5.9

Rotorua

317

323

-1.9

1.7

993

851

16.7

109

115

-5.2

Gisborne

165

178

-7.3

0.9

390

402

-3.0

80

79

1.3

Napier

559

645

-13.3

3.1

1,432

1,361

5.2

411

374

9.9

New Plymouth

375

398

-5.8

2.1

967

915

5.7

202

215

-6.0

Wanganui

194

200

-3.0

1.1

538

516

4.3

130

118

10.2

Palmerston North

776

717

8.2

4.3

1,541

1,526

1.0

612

659

-7.1

Masterton

170

163

4.3

0.9

427

434

-1.6

81

92

-12.0

Wellington

1,550

1,512

2.5

8.5

2,988

2,616

14.2

1,110

1,090

1.8

Nelson

310

327

-5.2

1.7

1,038

963

7.8

200

233

-14.2

Blenheim

182

177

2.8

1.0

422

416

1.4

105

89

18.0

Greymouth

76

64

18.8

0.4

184

170

8.2

42

44

-4.5

Westport

22

28

-21.4

0.1

68

74

-8.1

0

0

0.0

2,451

2,863

-14.4

13.4

4,895

4,997

-2.0

1,804

1,651

9.3

Christchurch Timaru

233

264

-11.7

1.3

538

512

5.1

139

173

-19.7

Oamaru

51

64

-20.3

0.3

153

139

10.1

14

12

16.7

Dunedin

706

672

5.1

3.9

2,013

1,835

9.7

437

409

6.8

Invercargill

418

381

9.7

2.3

990

924

7.1

275

289

-4.8

18,277

18,194

0.5

100.0

43,139

41,036

5.1

12,717

12,125

4.9

NZ total

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new car sales New Passenger Vehicle Sales by Make - November 2016

New Passenger Vehicle Sales by Model - November 2016 Nov '16

Nov '15

+/- %

Nov '16 Mkt Share

Corolla

581

652

-10.9

6.0%

5,372

5.7%

Hyundai

Tucson

381

91

318.7

3.9%

2,440

2.6%

9.2%

Kia

Sportage

352

112

214.3

3.6%

2,957

3.1%

6,840

7.2%

Holden

Captiva

330

291

13.4

3.4%

2,081

2.2%

6.7%

7,081

7.5%

Mitsubishi

Outlander

272

87

212.6

2.8%

1,813

1.9%

96.6

6.6%

5,595

5.9%

Mazda

Cx-5

264

241

9.5

2.7%

2,693

2.8%

340

56.2

5.5%

5,077

5.4%

Toyota

Yaris

242

212

14.2

2.5%

2,078

2.2%

506

406

24.6

5.2%

5,023

5.3%

Suzuki

Swift

238

180

32.2

2.4%

2,392

2.5%

Suzuki

479

338

41.7

4.9%

4,950

5.2%

Toyota

Rav4

234

167

40.1

2.4%

3,045

3.2%

Honda

351

289

21.5

3.6%

3,752

4.0%

Holden

Barina

232

215

7.9

2.4%

1,137

1.2%

Volkswagen

338

286

18.2

3.5%

3,647

3.9%

Nissan

X-Trail

223

122

82.8

2.3%

1,793

1.9%

Ssangyong

248

186

33.3

2.6%

1,424

1.5%

Holden

Trax

217

75

189.3

2.2%

1,156

1.2%

Jeep

238

87

173.6

2.4%

1,358

1.4%

Holden

Commodore

187

183

2.2

1.9%

2,378

2.5%

Subaru

231

209

10.5

2.4%

2,488

2.6%

Jeep

Grand Cherokee

170

60

183.3

1.7%

708

0.7%

Mercedes-Benz

205

144

42.4

2.1%

2,290

2.4%

Mitsubishi

Asx

165

43

283.7

1.7%

1,436

1.5%

Audi

187

124

50.8

1.9%

1,695

1.8%

Mazda

Mazda3

162

221

-26.7

1.7%

2,247

2.4%

Bmw

185

185

0.0

1.9%

1,740

1.8%

Nissan

Qashqai

155

133

16.5

1.6%

1,671

1.8%

Skoda

114

84

35.7

1.2%

1,163

1.2%

Ssangyong

Tivoli

150

81

85.2

1.5%

514

0.5%

Land Rover

93

67

38.8

1.0%

1,102

1.2%

Hyundai

Santa Fe

146

187

-21.9

1.5%

1,921

2.0%

Lexus

65

57

14.0

0.7%

655

0.7%

Toyota

Camry

138

71

94.4

1.4%

1,293

1.4%

Mini

65

59

10.2

0.7%

569

0.6%

Ford

Kuga

136

63

115.9

1.4%

1,217

1.3%

Peugeot

61

80

-23.8

0.6%

721

0.8%

Honda

Hr-V

130

90

44.4

1.3%

1,237

1.3%

Renault

58

14

314.3

0.6%

223

0.2%

Honda

Jazz

130

121

7.4

1.3%

1,507

1.6%

Volvo

50

55

-9.1

0.5%

566

0.6%

Suzuki

Vitara

128

68

88.2

1.3%

1,405

1.5%

Jaguar

33

19

73.7

0.3%

357

0.4%

Mazda

Cx-3

116

89

30.3

1.2%

1,372

1.5%

Dodge

28

33

-15.2

0.3%

444

0.5%

Mazda

Mazda2

116

103

12.6

1.2%

1,302

1.4%

Porsche

28

21

33.3

0.3%

444

0.5%

Mazda

Cx-9

111

34

226.5

1.1%

194

0.2%

Isuzu

23

26

-11.5

0.2%

240

0.3%

Subaru

Outback

109

119

-8.4

1.1%

1,194

1.3%

Mahindra

22

3

633.3

0.2%

89

0.1%

Volkswagen

Tiguan

108

48

125.0

1.1%

877

0.9%

Citroen

14

10

40.0

0.1%

238

0.3%

Toyota

Highlander

105

295

-64.4

1.1%

1,640

1.7%

Fiat

9

91

-90.1

0.1%

267

0.3%

Ford

Focus

96

108

-11.1

1.0%

1,294

1.4%

Mclaren

6

1

500.0

0.1%

24

0.0%

Volkswagen

Golf

93

94

-1.1

1.0%

1,224

1.3%

Bentley

4

1

300.0

0.0%

37

0.0%

Ford

Everest

92

50

84.0

0.9%

571

0.6%

Can-Am

4

8

-50.0

0.0%

56

0.1%

Toyota

L'Cruiser Prado

89

152

-41.4

0.9%

657

0.7%

Ldv

4

1

300.0

0.0%

46

0.0%

Ford

Mondeo

83

96

-13.5

0.9%

1,068

1.1%

16

56

-71.4

0.2%

525

0.6%

Others

3,241

3,161

2.5

33.3%

36,691

38.8%

9,722

8,115

19.8

100.0%

94,575

100.0%

Total

9,722

8,115

19.8 100.0%

94,575

100.0%

Make

Nov '16

Nov '15

+/- %

Nov '16 Mkt Share

2016 YEAR TO DATE

2016 Mkt share

Toyota

1,541

1,712

-10.0

15.9%

15,534

Holden

1,169

998

17.1

12.0%

Mazda

832

737

12.9

Hyundai

691

569

Ford

650

Mitsubishi

Make

Model

16.4%

Toyota

9,612

10.2%

8.6%

8,703

21.4

7.1%

492

32.1

643

327

Kia

531

Nissan

Others Total

34 www.autofile.co.nz

2016 YEAR 2016 TO DATE Mkt share

new vehicles

New SUV sales continue to soar N

ew passenger vehicle registrations for 2016 are set to eclipse last year’s total, with the current sales for the year to date only 209 units behind the overall sales for 2015 and there is still one month to go.

In November this year 94,575 new cars have been registered, for the same period last year that figure was 88,987, an increase year to date of 6,588 units, or 7.49 per cent.

9,722 new vehicles were sold in November this year, an increase of 19.8 per cent from the same month last year when 8,115 were sold.

Thames made the most significant difference in terms of sales, with 75 units sold for the month of November - a 78.6 per cent increase from 42 at the same time last year.

New Plymouth followed with 135 sales and a 50 per cent increase from November 2015, when 90 units were sold. Hamilton increased sales by 46.1 per cent with 520 units sold compared to 356 last November.

Toyota remained the overall market leader for the month with

1,541 vehicles sold - a 10 per cent decrease in sales from November last year and 15.9 per cent market share for the month. Holden followed with 1,169 vehicles sales for the month, an increase of 17.1 per cent from the same time last year when 998 vehicles were sold. Mazda registered 832 units, up 12.9 per cent from 737 in November 2015.

The Toyota Corolla was the top

New Passenger Registrations - 2014-2016 11000 2014

10500

2015

10000

2016

9500 9000 8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun

NEW VEHICLE SALES BY BUYER TYPE - November 2016 Nov '16

Nov '15

Mth %

2016 YTD

2015 YTD

% YTD

4,125

4,242

-2.8

45,479

45,613

-0.3

Private

1,341

1,395

-3.9

17,316

16,887

2.5

Business

1,556

1,360

14.4

18,565

18,968

95

154

-38.3

1,933

2,084

1,133

1,333

-15.0

7,665

7,674

-0.1

5,579

3,826

45.8

48,618

41,781

16.4

Rental SUV Private Business Gov’t Rental Light Commercial Private Business

1,834

1,322

38.7

20,040

15,861

Oct Nov Dec

Nov '16

Nov '15

Mth% diff

2016 YTD

2015 YTD

Passenger

4,125

4,242

-2.8

45,479

45,613

-0.3

SUV

5,579

3,826

45.8

48,618

41,781

16.4

-2.1

Light Commercial

3,424

3,042

12.6

35,593

31,123

14.4

-7.2

Heavy Commercial

410

409

0.2

4,524

4,413

2.5

Other

202

82

146.3

1,330

855

55.6 9.5

Total market

% YTD

13,740

11,601

18.4

135,544

123,785

26.3

Micro

166

134

23.9

1,975

1,857

6.4

1,344

1,178

14.1

12,687

13,291

-4.5 -4.7

1,966

1,611

22.0

20,582

18,798

9.5

Light

81

50

62.0

786

676

16.3

Small

1,487

1,835

-19.0

17,358

18,219

11.9

Medium

549

591

-7.1

6,678

6,567

1.7

Large

269

290

-7.2

3,748

3,921

-4.4

1,698

843

101.4

7,210

6,446

3,424

3,042

12.6

35,593

31,123

14.4

758

718

5.6

8,677

7,756

11.9

2,202

2,081

5.8

24,060

21,008

14.5

Gov’t

147

135

8.9

1,249

1,260

-0.9

Rental

317

108

193.5

1,607

1,099

46.2

Sub Total

Jul Aug Sep

112 units sold in November 2015, to 352 units last month.

The popularity of the Tucson possibly lies in the recent demand for SUVs, with the Tucson tying into the family wagon market. The sales of utility vehicles remain the dominant vehicle segments with 17 percent market share for SUV medium vehicles followed by 13 percent market share for SUV large and the Pick up/Chassis Cab 4×4 with 12 percent market share.

Registrations of SUV segments for the 2016 year will exceed that of passenger vehicle segments.

With new-car sales continuing to soar and new vehicle imports increasing across the board, Chief Executive Officer of the Motor Industry Association, David Crawford believes the market is responding to strong net immigration, low cost of debt, strong regional economies and a high level of business confidence.

“It is expected these favourable economic conditions will continue into 2017,” he says.

NEW VEHICLE MARKET SEGMENTATION - November 2016

Passenger

Gov’t

model for the month with 581 units sold, a decrease of 10.9 per cent on November last year. The Hyundai Tucson followed with a whopping 318.7 per cent increase to place second with 381 units sold and the highest in terms of percentage increase for November. This was followed by the Kia Sportage which also enjoyed a big percentage increase of 214.3 per cent - up from

Upper Large

11

13

-15.4

180

214

-15.9

People Movers

117

151

-22.5

898

639

40.5

Sports

182

50

264.0

1,955

905 116.0

SUV Small

1,482

981

51.1

12,740

12,341

3.2

SUV Medium

2,286

1,203

90.0

19,597

14,818

32.3

SUV Large

1,764

1,575

12.0

15,706

14,185

10.7

47

67

-29.9

575

437

31.6

Light Buses

113

71

59.2

759

736

3.1

Vans

606

424

42.9

5,458

4,680

16.6

13,128

11,110

18.2

129,690

118,517

9.4

Private

3,933

3,435

14.5

46,033

40,504

13.7

Business

5,724

5,052

13.3

63,207

58,774

7.5

323

339

-4.7

3,968

4,020

-1.3

3,148

2,284

37.8

16,482

15,219

8.3

Pick Up/Chassis Cab 4x2

1,082

990

9.3

12,332

9,691

27.3

410

409

0.2

4,524

4,413

2.5

Pick Up/Chassis Cab 4x4

1,623

1,557

4.2

17,044

16,016

6.4

Heavy Commercial

410

409

0.2

4,524

4,413

2.5

Other

202

82

146.3

1,330

855

55.6

13,740

11,601

18.4

135,544

123,785

9.5

Gov’t Rental Heavy Commercial Other

202

82

146.3

1,330

855

55.6

Total

13,740

11,601

18.4

135,544

123,785

9.5

SUV Upper Large

Total market

www.autofile.co.nz 35

new commercial sales

New commercials at all-time high S

ales of new commercial vehicles in 2016 are outstripping the previous years numbers, with year-to-date figures already overtaking the total registrations for 2015.

From the period of January to November this year 41,136 vehicles have been registered compared to 38,806 for all of last year, over six per cent more with still a month of sales remaining.

4,018 new commercial vehicles were registered last month, a 14.4 per cent increase on 3,511 sales for the same month last year. Westport made the most significant increase

in terms of percentage but from a very low base, five units were sold last month compared to one in November 2015, an increase of 400 per cent. Looking at regions with larger sales, Whanganui sold 43 units last month and 23 in November 2015, an increase of 87 per cent and Rotorua showed an increase of 70.7 per cent, with numbers of 70 in November 2016 as against 41 a year earlier.

Ford had the highest sales for the month, with 839 units sold, an increase of 9.1 per cent on 769 sold in the same month last year. Toyota followed with a

New Commercial Sales - 2014-2016

4750

2016

4500

2015

4250

2014

4000 3750 3500 3250 3000 2750 2500 2250 2000 Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Nov '16

Nov '15

+/- %

Nov '16 Mkt Share

“Whether they are two or fourwheel drive vehicles, the double cabs are, by far the most popular, when we can get them in,” he says.

Hart believes the double cabs are popular because they have a wide range of different uses.

“Whether it’s for farming, to get families from A to B, or for business, the double cab is so versatile”.

Although the business orders them in thick and fast, Hart says it is not always easy to get hold of as many as they would like.” We always try and have a good supply on hand for our customers so they don’t have to wait.”

Hart says that the commercial market is rising massively every year. “A lot of our customers have gone from purchasing the traditional four door sedan to utes and larger vehicles because they are more versatile and they last longer”.

Ford had the highest sales for the month, with 839 units sold, an increase of 9.1 per cent sold at the same time last year.

New Commercial Sales by Model - November 2016

New Commercial Sales by Make - November 2016 Make

substantial decrease in sales, down 18 per cent, from 901 in November 2015 to 739 last month. Holden increased sales exponentially, with 410 vehicles sold, an increase of 41.4 per cent from 290 units sold in November last year.

The Ford Ranger was at the top of the board, in terms of models, with 777 vehicles sold for the month of November. This was an increase of 12.6 per cent from 690 units at the same time last year. The Toyota Hilux followed with a 29.3 per cent decrease from the same time last year, at 483 sales which was down from from 683 last year.

The Holden Colorado had a 44.2 per cent increase from 269 to 388 units sold in November this year.

General sales manager for Manawatu Toyota, Fraser Hart says the most popular new commercial vehicle he sells quite regularly is the double cab Toyota Hilux.

2016 YEAR TO DATE

2016 Mkt share

Make

Model

Nov '16

Nov '15

+/- %

Nov '16 Mkt Share

2016 YEAR TO DATE

2016 Mkt share

Ford

839

769

9.1

20.9%

8,735

21.2%

Ford

Ranger

777

690

12.6

19.3%

7,954

19.3%

Toyota

739

901

-18.0

18.4%

8,347

20.3%

Toyota

Hilux

483

683

-29.3

12.0%

5,785

14.1%

Holden

410

290

41.4

10.2%

3,720

9.0%

Holden

Colorado

388

269

44.2

9.7%

3,504

8.5%

Isuzu

356

183

94.5

8.9%

3,349

8.1%

Mitsubishi

Triton

263

253

4.0

6.5%

2,932

7.1%

Mitsubishi

263

253

4.0

6.5%

2,935

7.1%

Toyota

Hiace

235

200

17.5

5.8%

2,446

5.9%

Nissan

231

218

6.0

5.7%

2,849

6.9%

Nissan

Navara

231

218

6.0

5.7%

2,849

6.9%

Mazda

137

112

22.3

3.4%

1,685

4.1%

Isuzu

D-Max

221

117

88.9

5.5%

2,215

5.4%

Mercedes-Benz

129

132

-2.3

3.2%

873

2.1%

Mazda

Bt-50

137

112

22.3

3.4%

1,685

4.1%

Ldv

121

26

365.4

3.0%

867

2.1%

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

122

116

5.2

3.0%

754

1.8%

Hyundai

117

76

53.9

2.9%

948

2.3%

Hyundai

117

76

53.9

2.9%

909

2.2%

Volkswagen

98

83

18.1

2.4%

1,130

2.7%

Factory built

Lloyds

93

Factory Built

94

1

9,300.0

2.3%

266

0.6%

Fiat

Ducato

75

iLoad

0 9,300.0 54

38.9

2.3%

213

0.5%

1.9%

736

1.8%

Fiat

79

62

27.4

2.0%

765

1.9%

Ldv

V80

68

23

195.7

1.7%

513

1.2%

Ssangyong

67

47

42.6

1.7%

832

2.0%

SsangYong

Actyon Sport

67

47

42.6

1.7%

832

2.0%

Foton

46

51

-9.8

1.1%

537

1.3%

Isuzu

N Series

64

15

326.7

1.6%

517

1.3%

Mitsubishi Fuso

45

86

-47.7

1.1%

485

1.2%

Ford

Transit

62

77

-19.5

1.5%

730

1.8%

Hino

37

49

-24.5

0.9%

611

1.5%

Volkswagen

Amarok

57

50

14.0

1.4%

627

1.5%

Renault

34

5

580.0

0.8%

150

0.4%

Ldv

G10

53

3 1,666.7

1.3%

352

0.9%

Iveco

29

15

93.3

0.7%

185

0.4%

Isuzu

F Series

46

30

53.3

1.1%

424

1.0%

Man

27

8

237.5

0.7%

231

0.6%

Foton

Tunland

36

45

-20.0

0.9%

448

1.1%

120

144

-16.7

3.0%

1,636

4.0%

Others

4,018

3,511

14.4

100.0%

41,136

100.0%

Others Total

36 www.autofile.co.nz

Total

423

433

-2.3

10.5%

4,711

11.5%

4,018

3,511

14.4

100.0%

41,136

100.0%

used commercial sales

Used comms at record level U

sed commercial vehicles sales for November were at an all time high for the year, with 1,144 units sold.

This was up 44.4 per cent on the same month last year when 792 vehicles were sold and a 17.4 per cent increase on the previous month when 974 vehicles were sold.

Across the country, most regions performed well in terms of year-on-year sales. Albeit dealing with smaller numbers, Whangarei made the largest sales increase in terms of year on year figures, with 30 vehicles sold - a 200 per cent increase on ten used commercials sold in November 2015. Thames and Timaru also made substantial gains, increasing sales by 157.1 and 150 per cent respectively, on the same month last year.

Toyota led the pack with 474 registrations, a 39 per cent increase from 341 in the same month last and a market share for the month of 41.4 per cent.

Nissan followed with 240 sales, this was an increase of 56.9 per

cent from the 153 vehicles sold in November last year. Mazda sold 93 units, more than double what they sold in November 2015 when 46 were registered.

Meanwhile Fiat made an impressive sales increase with 84 units sold - an increase of 121.1 per cent from the same time last year when customers countrywide purchased 38 units.

The Toyota Hiace topped the commercial vehicle models table once more, with a 42.4 per cent increase from 245 in November 2015 to 349 last month for a market share of 30.5 per cent.

Year to date there have been 3,442 Hiaces sold and year to date they have a 34.7 per cent share of the total imported used commercial market.

The Nissan Caravan sold 82 vehicles last month, an increase of 32.3 per cent from 62 sold in November 2015, a 7.2 per cent market share for the month of November and a year to date share of 8.7 per cent. The Fiat Ducato made an impressive 110 per cent increase on sales year

Used Commercial Sales by Make - November 2016 Make

Nov '16

Nov '15

+/- %

Nov '16 Mkt Share

on year, with 80 vehicles sold for the month.

Bryan Lambert is the founder of AllKars Whangarei and set up the business thirty years ago. He has since handed the business over to his son Lyndon, however he still has an involvement in how the business runs.

He says that commercial vehicles are very popular, however it’s not always easy to get hold of them. “We source most of our utes and vans from trade ins and a few are imported from Japan.”

The top sellers are always

1200 1150 1100 1050 1000 950 900 850 800 750 700 650 600 550 500 Jan

Toyota Hiace vehicles and Lambert believes this is because they have a good reputation and are very reliable. “People could buy other vehicles that are just as good but Toyota has such a good reputation and customers are reluctant to change.”

With Whangarei being close to Auckland, sales in commercial vehicles are beginning to increase while demand for housing close to Auckland increases. “Tradesmen like to buy reliable vehicles and we find that vans seem to be particularly popular up this way.”

Used Commercial Sales - 2014-2016 2016 2015 2014

Feb

Mar

Apr

May Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Used Commercial Sales by Model - November 2016

2016 YEAR TO DATE

2016 Mkt share

Make

Model

Nov '16

Nov '15

+/- %

Nov '16 Mkt Share

2016 YEAR TO DATE

2016 Mkt share

34.7%

Toyota

474

341

39.0

41.4%

4,601

46.4%

Toyota

Hiace

349

245

42.4

30.5%

3,442

Nissan

240

153

56.9

21.0%

2,210

22.3%

Nissan

Caravan

82

62

32.3

7.2%

862

8.7%

Mazda

93

46

102.2

8.1%

695

7.0%

Fiat

Ducato

80

38

110.5

7.0%

141

1.4%

Fiat

84

38

121.1

7.3%

148

1.5%

Mazda

Bongo

79

29

172.4

6.9%

556

5.6%

Isuzu

54

29

86.2

4.7%

503

5.1%

Nissan

Nv200

51

29

75.9

4.5%

363

3.7%

Ford

34

31

9.7

3.0%

336

3.4%

Nissan

Vanette

50

33

51.5

4.4%

446

4.5%

Hino

33

17

94.1

2.9%

207

2.1%

Toyota

Regius

42

22

90.9

3.7%

337

3.4%

Mitsubishi

31

36

-13.9

2.7%

336

3.4%

Isuzu

Elf

33

21

57.1

2.9%

315

3.2%

Holden

25

17

47.1

2.2%

198

2.0%

Toyota

Dyna

32

22

45.5

2.8%

320

3.2%

Chevrolet

18

18

0.0

1.6%

172

1.7%

Nissan

Atlas

19

12

58.3

1.7%

198

2.0%

8

11

-27.3

0.7%

71

0.7%

Mitsubishi

Canter

19

23

-17.4

1.7%

136

1.4%

Volkswagen Dodge

6

4

50.0

0.5%

57

0.6%

Toyota

Hilux

19

13

46.2

1.7%

153

1.5%

Mercedes-Benz

6

5

20.0

0.5%

35

0.4%

Ford

Ranger

19

10

90.0

1.7%

150

1.5%

Gmc

5

4

25.0

0.4%

35

0.4%

Hino

Dutro

18

11

63.6

1.6%

114

1.1%

Daihatsu

3

2

50.0

0.3%

10

0.1%

Nissan

Navara

15

8

87.5

1.3%

145

1.5%

20

-30.0

1.2%

189

1.9%

1 1200.0

1.1%

73

0.7%

Great Wall

3

1

200.0

0.3%

21

0.2%

Toyota

Toyoace

14

Iveco

3

3

0.0

0.3%

17

0.2%

Nissan

Nv350

13

Kenworth

2

3

-33.3

0.2%

21

0.2%

Holden

Commodore

12

8

50.0

1.0%

71

0.7%

Man

2

3

-33.3

0.2%

10

0.1%

Hino

Ranger

12

3

300.0

1.0%

150

1.5%

Forward

Renault

2

3

-33.3

0.2%

13

0.1%

Isuzu

Others

18

27

-33.3

1.6%

225

2.3%

Others

1,144

792

44.4

100.0%

9,921

100.0%

Total

Total

11

2

450.0

1.0%

110

1.1%

175

180

-2.8

15.3%

1,650

16.6%

1,144

792

44.4

100.0%

9,921

100.0%

www.autofile.co.nz

37

Imported new stock increasing N

Isuzu Manawatu is seeing an increase in interest from new and returning customers

sold - a 9.9 per cent decrease from the previous month’s levels, which were at a record high for the year at 10,795.

As a consequence of these figures, new-car stock rose by 1348 units to now sit at 64,064.

Average daily sales, calculated on the previous 12 month’s activity, increased by five units to a yearly high of 279 units per day.

If no further new stock entered the country the current stock, purely based on the numbers, would last for 230 days.

Sales advisor for Isuzu

Manawatu, Cade Sutton, says the dealership is currently enjoying a good increase in interest from both the loyal customer base and those who are new to the brand.

Thanks to the buoyant prices on second-hand vehicles, many of his clients are choosing to go the next step up to new vehicles, as the price is not much higher.

In particular, he has noticed that those buying commercial vehicles such as utes and vans, are happy to invest in a new model. “The investment is sound in comparison to late model used

Dealer stock of new cars in New Zealand 55,754

- 12-MONTH AVERAGE

Days stock at hand

220

260

215

200

Dec ‘15

8,981

7,110

1,871

57,625

261

221

Jan ‘16

6,647

8,899

-2,252

55,373

260

213

Feb ‘16

7,029

7,191

-162

55,211

261

212

Mar ‘16

7,561

8,191

-630

54,581

261

209

Apr ‘16

8,816

6,790

2,026

56,607

262

216

May ‘16

8,184

7,502

682

57,289

264

217

Jun ‘16

8,924

9,186

-262

57,027

264

216

Jul ‘16

9,279

7,701

1,578

58,605

265

221

Aug ‘16

13,081

8,894

4,187

62,792

269

234

Sep ‘16

10,291

9,704

587

63,379

271

234

Oct ‘16

10,132

10,795

-663

62,716

274

229

Nov ‘16

11,070

9,722

1,348

64,064

279

230

101,014

94,575

6,439

26.5%

19.8%

marac.co.nz

120 100 80 60

MORE STOCK

Drive away with finance from MARAC Provided by Heartland Bank Limited

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38 www.autofile.co.nz

Oct

Aug

Jul

Jun

40

14.9%

heartland.co.nz

Nov

More SOLD

140

Sept

More IMPORTED

Oct 2014 — Oct 2015

160

MAy

Change on Nov 2015

180

Apr

Year to date

Oct 2015 — Oct 2016

Mar

638

DAILY SALES

JAN

8,115

Stock

Dec

8,753

Nov ‘15

Variance

Nov

Registered

Days of stock

CAR Sales Imported

vehicles and a lot of our local customers can now afford to go that slight step higher in terms of price.”

Loyal customers, local farmers and younger business owners are very enthusiastic about the Isuzu brand, so Sutton is finding that stock is constantly being topped up. “We try to keep a variety of vehicles on site.”

Currently the turnover of new stock is happening rapidly and new vehicles need to be ordered regularly. “We are lucky to have fairly good access to head office so when our stock begins to run out, we can usually get hold of more stock pretty quickly.”

For now, customers are showing a big interest in buying new vehicles and Sutton says he is enjoying the wave of customers and the opportunity to keep stock levels up in preparation for the next influx.

Days stock in NZ - new Cars

Feb

ew-car numbers for imported vehicles not yet registered are continuing to increase, and now the figure now sits at over sevenand-a-half months of stock at current sales' rates.

11,070 units were imported in the month of November this year - an increase of 9.3 per cent on October, when 10,132 units were imported and a huge 26.5 increase on the same month last year, when 8,753 vehicles came into the country. It was also the second highest amount of new vehicles imported for the year, after August when 13,081 units arrived in the country.

Total imported new car numbers for the year to date, is 101,014, with 94,575 units registered throughout the year.

In terms of new vehicle registrations for last month, NZTA statistics show 9,722 units were

Customer interest lifts used-car stock

D

ealer stock numbers of used cars in New Zealand have increased substantially for November this year, with 13,436 used passenger vehicles entering New Zealand - an increase of 8.5 per cent from the same month last year and 8.8 per cent higher than October.

Meanwhile 12,762 vehicles were registered in November, an increase of 8.8 per cent from the same time last year and just slightly up, 0.4 per cent, from the previous month.

Total imported stock for the year to date, is 140,832, with 136,345 units registered throughout the year.

The increase in imports over registrations meant that stock rose by 674 units, taking the overall stock of unregistered used passenger vehicles to 30,050 vehicles.

Average daily sales calculated on the previous 12 month’s activity

continued to increase, with a record high for the year of 408 units per day. There are currently 74 days of stock at hand available.

Dealer manager at Genuine Vehicle Imports, Hayden Johnston says the dealership usually carries about 350 vehicles in stock, however due to a recent increase in customer interest, the company is currently stocking up to 500 units, “because we are confident we are able to sell more at the moment.”

Johnston believes the secret to the dealership’s success is keeping the branding strong and ensuring that price points remain competitive. Customer service is also very important to the team at Genuine Vehicle Imports. “The more we sell, the more popular our vehicles get. A large percent of our monthly sales come from repeat business and referrals.”

The popularity of the vehicles

is highlighted by the small amount of old stock the business currently holds. “I think we only have eight vehicles left in our 180-day stock. That’s a very high turnover.”

In terms of sales, Genuine Vehicle Imports tends to purchase most of their vehicles from

“we are confident we are able to sell more at the moment” – Hayden Johnston, Genuine Vehicle Imports

Japan, however there is also a demand for vehicles in the United Kingdom and Australia. “Certain models and specifications can’t be found in Japan, so in those cases we will buy elsewhere.”

Dealer stock of used cars in New Zealand

Days stock in NZ - Used Imported Cars

CAR Sales

180

Imported

160 140

100 Oct 2015 — Oct 2016

60 40 Oct 2014 — Oct 2015

20

Nov

Oct

Sept

Aug

Jul

Jun

MAy

Apr

Mar

Feb

JAN

Dec

marac.co.nz

Registered

11,732

Variance

647

Stock

23,541

DAILY SALES - 12-MONTH AVERAGE

Days stock at hand

393

60

Nov ‘15

12,379

Dec ‘15

14,620

12,598

2,022

25,563

394

65

Jan ‘16

9,748

11,675

-1,927

23,636

393

60

Feb ‘16

11,887

11,736

151

23,787

396

60

Mar ‘16

12,999

12,153

846

24,633

396

62 74

Apr ‘16

16,960

12,140

4,820

29,453

399

May ‘16

12,563

12,567

-4

29,449

399

74

Jun ‘16

13,630

11,991

1,639

31,088

398

78

Jul ‘16

11,268

13,055

-1,787

29,301

396

74

Aug ‘16

14,054

12,993

1,061

30,362

399

76

Sep ‘16

11,942

12,564

-622

29,740

401

74

Oct ‘16

12,345

12,709

-364

29,376

405

72

Nov ‘16

13,436

12,762

674

30,050

408

74

140,832

136,345

4,487

Year to date

0

Nov

Days of stock

120

80

After the recent 7.8 magnitude earthquake, Maria King from Mainly Cars in Palmerston North has noticed that stock haven’t been as easy to come by and therefore stock levels are not as high as they could be.

“The earthquake definitely slowed things down a bit.

Everyone was affected, even the bigger franchises”.

King says the dealership tries to stock a good level of vehicles to keep up with demand, “however there are swings and roundabouts when it comes to sales, which is not always easy to predict”.

The most popular vehicle tends to be the Suzuki Swift, because it is smaller and cheap to run. “We always try to stock up on these and utility vehicles which also tend to be very popular. Vehicles like the Suzuki Swift will be cheap to run no matter how expensive petrol gets. “

Change on Nov 2015

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39

GLOBAL VEHICLE LOGISTICS NZ - JAPAN - AUSTRALIA - UK - EUROPE

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we wish you all safe and happy holidays

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