TRAINING ON TRACK.
David Fraser Group CEO
CEO’s message
The transition to a new era of leadership at Capricorn is now underway. Of course, succession planning has been in progress for a long time, but our recent Annual General Meeting (AGM) was one of the first big public moments of change. Thank you to everyone who came along and to everyone who voted. It was the first meeting in our new building—another visible sign of the start of a new chapter in Capricorn’s story.
The board meeting held immediately after the AGM also heralded the retirement of Mark Cooper as our Chair, and the handing of the baton to Queensland Director Mark Rowe. I look forward to seeing where he and Capricorn’s new Group CEO Brad Gannon take the business from 2025 onwards.
Thanks to Mark Cooper for his excellent service. Mark has been a Capricorn Member for nearly 30 years, on our board for 11, and Chair for the past five. In that time, he has helped steward our cooperative through some challenging times for our industry. He will remain on the board as Victoria/Tasmania Director until next October.
Welcome also to Samantha Martin-Williams, our new Independent Director, who joined the board on 14 October 2024. A former Telstra Businesswoman of the Year, she has more than two decades of board experience and brings a great depth of knowledge to the board.
Finally, it has been wonderful to catch up with so many of you at our Gala Dinner & Tradeshows in NSW and WA, both of which were sellout events. I look forward to catching up with more of you in other zones throughout November. For me, these events are something of a farewell tour – a rather more personal reminder that a transition is underway.
5 THE MECHANIC’S ALLY ACROSS GENERATIONS
Celebrating 50 years of Capricorn.
8 IS THE FUTURE ALREADY HERE?
AI and the automotive aftermarket industry.
10 MEMBER RETURNS
How Members are making the most of their Rewards.
12 FUTURE RIDE: KIA PBV
Is the “IKEA” concept the future of motoring?
16 CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS IN THE DIGITAL AGE
How your digital tech impacts your real-life customers.
18 JAECOO J7 2WD
A new SUV that appeals to the eye and the wallet.
24 IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO EMBRACE NEW TECH
How a digital POS platform can transform workshop management.
is safe ATTACKS CYBER No business from
More than half of New Zealand businesses suffered a cyber attack or incident in the past year, research from Kordia has found. Could you be next?
Any business that has a website, that uses email, keeps electronic records, or uses online banking and digital systems is prone to cyber attack.
Smaller businesses most vulnerable to attack
Small to medium-sized businesses are particularly vulnerable, because cyberhackers and scammers know they don’t have the high-tech cybersecurity of larger organisations.
43% of cyber attacks are on small businesses
Only 14% of small businesses are prepared for such an attack
55% of ransomware attacks (where your data is held hostage) are on businesses with fewer than 100 employees.
The top three kinds of cyber attacks are:
1. Emails being compromised
2. Fraud that occurs after emails have been compromised
3. Online banking fraud.
We know Capricorn Members have been victims of these scammers and fraudsters. Last year one Member was scammed out of $30,000 by a fake (or phishing) email that encouraged them to change their internet banking password.
Are you safe from cyber attacks?
The average cost of a data breach in NZ is $173,000
It takes half of all small businesses more than 24 hours to recover from a cyber attack
83% of small businesses lack the funds to deal with the fallout of a cyber attack.
Ask yourself these key questions
Cyber attacks can take a long time to clean up. What would it cost your business if you could not operate for several days, or even weeks?
What are your most important assets?
What do you currently have in place to protect them?
How would you detect a breach?
How would you respond if a breach happened?
What is your recovery plan?
(No. 460893)
which is available at capricorn.coop/about/capricorn-mutual.
Celebrating 50 years of Capricorn.
Stephen Adsett, Adsett Heavy Diesel
When Capricorn started back in 1974, Warren Anderson was already working as a mechanic in Whanganui. He was still two years away from buying his first business —a service station an hour further south in Foxton. He was blissfully unaware that in Perth, on the far side of Australia, a cooperative was being born that would one day revolutionise yet another of his future enterprises.
Capricorn expanded into New Zealand in 1997. By then it was a thriving cooperative with more than 3,000 Members. Nine years later, Warren opened his current business, Warren Anderson Motors in Palmerston North.
“I had heard about Capricorn from a couple of people and the Area Manager came to see me a couple of times, but I like to be in control of my own destiny, so I was a bit hesitant at the start,” Warren said.
“But then they showed me the pros and cons and the ability to be able to order and buy your parts, plus the support they gave you, and I saw it allowed me to operate a business that could give the customer better service.”
Warren became a Member and quickly saw the benefits.
“If I needed to buy big items in the early days —and some of the diagnostic gear was $25,000 a piece—Capricorn allowed you to pay it off, so you didn’t need to go to the bank,” Warren said.
“Capricorn does so much. It supports the supplier. It supports the customer.
It allows you to gain technical knowledge through the different kinds of training and technical support they offer. That alone is worth heaps.”
Warren’s automotive career began in 1967. In the fifty years since Capricorn was founded, both he and Capricorn have seen a lot of change.
“We’ve gone from basic points and plugs car models to now where probably an average car has anywhere from 10 to 32 computers in it,” Warren said.
“But at the end of the day, the technology is great. All those computers hold hands and to be able to diagnose a fault, everyone has to keep on top of it. Even myself, I’ve got to be able to support the boys, so I try to keep myself pretty sharp as far as being able to diagnose things goes.”
“The business, the trade itself, has changed so much. It just keeps growing. Now we’re onto electric vehicles and hybrid cars. It’s going to be a new field, but everyone will handle it.”
Just up the road from Warren, in Feilding—a small town that has won New Zealand’s Most Beautiful Town competition 16 times—is Stephen Adsett, owner of Adsett Heavy Diesel. Stephen wasn’t even born in 1974. He wasn’t born until 10 years later.
“We started our business back in 2015,” Stephen said. “The day my son was born we decided to make a go of it and from there it’s pretty much been all go since.”
He started with Capricorn in the workshop’s first month of operation.
Warren Anderson, Warren Anderson Motors
“A mate of mine messaged and said, ‘make sure one thing you do, you sign up to Capricorn’,” he said. “So, I looked into it, and it was all pretty straightforward. My biggest worry was how I was going to pay the $200 to buy my shares to become a Member. Obviously with a new baby and a new business, things were pretty tight. But I’ve never looked back since, to be honest.”
Stephen said Capricorn had been integral to the growth of his business.
“We can buy parts for almost anything we need through Capricorn,” he said. “Because of the cooperative, we’re getting a good discount structure compared to us buying parts on our own. And you don’t have to provide as much information—you just give your Capricorn number over and the parts are on their way. It’s simple, it’s easy, it’s fast, and the support’s good. If you've got any worries or questions, there’s always someone there that can help you out—be it protection, finance, or even just having a yarn with someone, really.”
Over its 50 years, Capricorn has built a strong community of like-minded automotive business owners and Stephen said he tries to take advantage of the opportunities that connectedness provides.
“We always try to go to the local trade show,” he said. “You meet new suppliers and people you wouldn’t necessarily come across day to day. You catch up with different guys you’ve met in the past, when you were an apprentice, that sort of thing. So, it’s a good time to catch up with people and new technology. We’ve been to a couple of gala dinners, and you meet people doing the same thing as yourselves, but from different parts of the country, which is always good.”
How do Stephen and Warren reflect on Capricorn’s 50th anniversary this year?
For both men, the greatest advantage to being a Capricorn Member has been the way it has helped them grow their businesses.
“Happy birthday, Capricorn,” Stephen said, “I’ve just turned 40 myself, so hopefully I can be at your hundredth, as well. Fingers crossed!”
AIAUTOMOTIVE AFTERMARKET INDUSTRY and the
What was once science fiction has now become science fact. AI is already changing the way our industry works. It’s present in the vehicles we’re servicing today: in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), voice recognition and predictive maintenance, among other innovations. For workshops, that’s making everything from diagnostics to repair to calibration more complicated. But AI will also, ultimately, make our jobs much easier.
Diagnostic tools
AI-driven diagnostic tools allow a technician to determine what’s wrong with a vehicle without even lifting the hood. By scanning the car’s computer, the technician can tell exactly what and where the problem is. There are also visual recognition systems that use cameras to inspect vehicles for visible problems, like fluid leaks or worn brakes. Skoda has developed an app that uses sound to identify failures in major systems (like air con, power steering and transmission clutches). It identifies faults with 90 per cent accuracy. These systems take the guesswork out of diagnostics, making for more efficient repairs, and speeding up service times. That frees up technician time and gets the customer back on the road sooner.
Predictive maintenance
Better than diagnosing a problem after it happens is diagnosing it before it becomes a problem. AI uses data (from the vehicle’s sensors) and machine learning (that is, it gets smarter with each use) to recognise patterns and anomalies and predict potential issues. That means workshop owners will be able to use AI to proactively schedule the maintenance of a customer’s vehicle, rather than wait for either their next logbook service or a breakdown to occur.
Inventory management
How much time do you spend checking your inventory and ordering spare parts? AI-driven technology now exists (for example, PartsTech) that monitors your workshop’s parts inventory, predicts potential problems, and automatically orders the stock you’re likely to need. This bit of AI, which just runs along in the background while you run your business, has the potential to avoid unnecessary and frustrating delays to delivering your customer’s repair.
Robotics
AI-driven robots really do sound like a science fiction nightmare, but they might be about to make life in the workshop much easier when it comes to difficult, precision or dangerous repairs. Robots are already used by car manufacturers for precision tasks like welding, painting and assembly, and that same efficiency is heading to workshops, too. AI-driven robots (like Robotire) are also already radically improving efficiency in areas like replacing, balancing and aligning tyres. Robotire can change four tyres accurately in 25 minutes, freeing up technicians to complete other tasks.
Augmented reality
Porsche is already using special augmented reality (AR) glasses to help their technicians make necessary repairs. The AR glasses show the technician
In industries all over the world, business owners are finding ways to use artificial intelligence (AI) to become more efficient and profitable—and the automotive aftermarket is no exception.
instructions to fix the specific problem they’re looking at, helping improve efficiency—especially on really complicated repairs. Ultimately, this technology also leads to faster repairs and better-trained technicians.
Virtual assistants
AI isn’t just driving efficiencies out on the workshop floor, it can also improve workflows out the front. Virtual assistants, chatbots and automated booking systems that are AI-driven can free up time by answering and sorting customer enquiries, potentially saving you time on the phone. Recently, Capricorn Member Nathan Brookes (of The Garage Miami in Queensland) revealed his online booking system had cut down the volume of phone calls he was handling by 30 per cent, and he reckoned customers booking services online were “self-selecting an extra $50 to $200 worth of upsells on every booking”.
Customer relationship management
Many workshops already use a customer relationship management (CRM) system to record customer details and interactions. AI-driven systems also leverage the ability to predict what a customer will need or want.
The AI future is already here
The benefits sound great, of course, but technology doesn’t come cheap. Achieving all those AI efficiencies means investing in the tools and the training needed to operate it and leverage it. Which investments make sense to you will depend on your business strategy and your future growth plan.
But it’s clear, at least, that AI is also a technology with a range of potential applications that would help every workshop become more efficient and effective and, in some applications, safer.
For your workshop, embracing AI-driven technology is likely to result in:
Faster and more precise diagnostics
The ability to deliver predictive maintenance
Cost and time efficiencies, both out front and out back
We can choose to view AI as the spooky cyber monster science fiction makes it out to be, or we can choose to see it as an opportunity. Now, while the technology is relatively new, is a great time to investigate it and see where we can leverage it to our advantage.
Member Returns
Amer Sibai, Glynde Garage
Stephen Rowe, Jarrow Auto Service
How Members are making the most of their Rewards.
For Capricorn Member Amer Sibai, Managing Director of Glynde Garage in South Australia, using his Capricorn Rewards Points* to pay off his Trade Account is a no-brainer. It really helps with cash flow, at a very important time of year.
“We always use them to pay the bill from Capricorn at the end of the month come Christmas time, because we try to shut for a few weeks then,” he said. “The business has grown quite a bit and having 24 people and closing the business (over Christmas), it’s stressful coming back in.”
“We’ve always used the points to reinvest back into the business. We’ve always spent it wisely— whether it’s for equipment, or to pay our bills.”
Over the past month, eligible Capricorn Members across Australia and New Zealand will have received their Wealth Certificates and information about their share of this year’s Trade Rebate and dividends.
In 2024, Capricorn has returned $92.3 million in value to Members (up from $82.8 million in 2023). This equates to a Member Value Return of 26.9%—meaning that for every dollar invested in Capricorn, Members received a 26.9c return.
Almost $56.6 million in Capricorn Rewards Points were earned last financial year, and a Trade Rebate of $18.5 million was paid to Members for Trade Account purchases made throughout the year. This rebate was issued as Bonus Rewards Points on Members’ September statement.
In September 2024, $15.3 million was distributed to Member shareholders by way of an ordinary dividend of 7 cents per share in relation to the year ended 30 June 2024.
Amer said he had come to realise that having shares in Capricorn represented a big investment for his business.
“When you hear the great stories of businesses that have done it for the last 20, 30 years, and what they’ve ended up with at the end, it’s good to throw back in,” he said.
A panel beater by trade, Amer bought what was then Glynde Crash Repairs in 2014. Two years later, he and business partner Andrew Lepore, a mechanic, expanded the businesses offering to make it a “one-stop shop” and rebranded to Glynde Garage. They’ve been Capricorn Members for 10 years.
Twenty minutes south of Glynde, in the Adelaide foothills community of Panorama, is Capricorn Member Stephen Rowe’s Jarrow Auto Service. The business has been in the family since 1960, when it was started by Stephen’s father, Milton. The family have been Members since Capricorn first expanded from WA into SA. Stephen is also very appreciative of the opportunities Rewards Points and dividends give his business.
“Everybody’s got their own take on it,” he said. “Some people like to use it for their holidays; some people pay accounts with it. We use it a bit like that sometimes, but I tend to try to save it and purchase shares through my account and use Rewards Points to pay my account. I like to think that might be a nice little kick along for the retirement fund.”
“I often just get some of the gift cards for my wife, as then she gets something out of the business as well—because sometimes the silent partner doesn’t get rewarded as much.”
Stephen said what he found great about Rewards Points was that you were, “being rewarded for what you would be doing anyway”
“You do your normal job, every day, buying your parts from wherever you’re getting them from— the Capricorn Preferred Suppliers— you don’t have to think about what you’re doing,” he said. “And, in the background, Capricorn just grows. You’re getting rewarded for just being at work and doing what you have to do anyway. So, it’s really unlike a lot of other things, where you’ve got to change the way you do things.”
“Just being part of it and watching it grow and reaping a lot of those rewards is pretty awesome. You don’t have to watch prices or anything. You just sit there and it just quietly ticks away and keeps growing.”
Stephen said he also valued the access Capricorn membership gave him to a wider range of Preferred Suppliers.
“Being with Capricorn, you can break into a few other companies at a more wholesale level, and increase your profitability,” he said. “It just gives you greater buying power and you build some really good relationships in business through that as well.”
Please note that all figures quoted are in AUD. The past performance of Capricorn is no indication of future performance or returns. Shares are issued by Capricorn Society Limited (ACN 008 347 313). No offer of shares is made in this article or publication. An offer of shares will only made in, or accompanied by, Capricorn’s Prospectus and any Supplementary Prospectus which is available on request or may be viewed at capricorn.coop under “Corporate Documents.” Before making any decision to apply for shares you should consider the prospectus and any supplementary prospectus. Any application for shares must be made on the application form in or accompanying the Prospectus. *Participation in Capricorn Rewards is subject to the Capricorn Rewards Terms and Conditions which can be found at cap.coop/tc.
KIA
THE PBV IS MORE IKEA THAN KIA, BUT IT IS A REVOLUTIONARY IDEA.
PBV
Hollywood movies have convinced us the future of automotive is desperately cool—flying cars, magnetic levitation, the ability to shapeshift. But what if, rather than anything promised by Blade Runner or Ready Player One, the future of automotive had more in common with an IKEA kitchen— practical, simple, modular, efficient?
On paper, that sounds like a pretty uninspiring revolution. But don’t dismiss the idea too quickly. It might just be exactly what we all need. It might just be an idea that leaves us all scratching our heads thinking, “why didn’t we always do it like this?”
When Kia unveiled its “Platform Beyond Vehicle” (PBV) at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January 2024, it promised motorists, “adaptability that stands ready to answer every question”. What is PBV?
An incredibly customisable transport solution—a “blank canvas to redefine how space and mobility can adapt to (motorists’) needs by providing exceptional flexibility through radical modularity”. In other words, just like an IKEA kitchen, this vehicle offers you a list of available elements to design the precise vehicle you need.
This isn’t customising like you imagine it (choosing paint colour, leather interiors or alloys); this is selecting a long or short wheelbase, mixing and matching seating arrangements, deciding if you need a high roof or a chassis cab. It’s just like going through a kitchen catalogue, choosing the oven, dishwasher, sink and fridge you want, and arranging the cupboards around them to best suit your kitchen. The result is a bespoke, if slightly utilitarian, kitchen that arrives in flatpack form.
Surely the PBV doesn’t arrive in kit form though, right? Well, it sort of does. Kia describes it as having a weldless body structure that is designed specifically so it can be shipped in “standardised kit form”.
If that sounds a bit flimsy, the company is quick to reassure potential customers the PBV is robust.
“Comprised of high-strength tubular steel and engineered polymers, typical parts are reduced by 55 percent with no loss in rigidity,” the corporation says.
Where Kia’s PBVs have it over your IKEA kitchen is in their ongoing adaptability. Once your kitchen is in, it is what it is. Not so for the PBV, which has what Kia calls “Easy Swap” technology designed to “flexibly address the diverse demands of customers”.
“A single vehicle chassis can be used to fulfil multiple mobility needs,” the company says. “Behind a fixed cab, or ‘driver zone’, a variety of interchangeable upper bodies, or ‘life modules’, can be connected to the base vehicle via a hybrid electromagnetic and mechanical coupling technology, turning the PBV into a taxi during the day, a delivery van at night, and a personal recreational vehicle on weekends.”
Now that really is revolutionary.
Kia unveiled five concept configurations at CES and announced one of them (the PV5, an electric van that comes in three basic pre-customisation configurations—passenger, delivery and cab chassis) would go into production in 2025. The much larger PV7 and much smaller PV1 will follow soon. They are building a factory in South Korea right now with capacity to produce 150,000 vehicles a year and have launched a dedicated business to oversee the global rollout of PBVs. This isn’t just a neat concept to grab headlines at a gadget show; it’s really happening.
What’s under the bonnet? Kia is keeping tight-lipped. There’s almost no information available beyond the fact these vehicles are electric and a promise that “Kia’s EV charging solution optimises charging for maximum efficiency”. But Kia’s very happy to talk about the technology they’re developing to make it even more adaptable—with robotics, advanced air mobility (the future Blade Runner promised us!), and autonomous driving all apparently on the way.
PBVs obviously lend themselves to fleet applications, so Kia has also integrated its Fleet Management System, which monitors everything from sales and inventory to temperature control, intelligent route planning and predictive maintenance.
If there’s a problem with the concept at all, it’s that the aesthetic is so uninspiring. One motoring journalist described them as “boring blobs”. But then, it’s a rare van or people mover that draws a second look, let alone gets rev-heads salivating. Perhaps the bigger crime is taking a genuinely revolutionary idea and giving it a name as bland as “Platform Beyond Vehicles”. Kia has created something that could forever change the way our industry designs, builds and sells vehicles. Sprinkling a little Hollywood magic into the marketing would go a long way to giving a revolutionary idea the blockbuster launch it deserves!
PBV
Images by Kia
Consumer expectations in the digital age
Digital technology has fundamentally transformed the way we all, as consumers, interact with businesses across every sector. From booking an appointment to doing our banking, we expect a seamless digital experience.
Whether we’re running a small independent workshop or a large dealership, business owners must adapt to meet these evolving expectations if we want to remain competitive.
So, how can we meet our customers’ digital expectations?
Real-time communication
These days customers expect instant access to information and quick responses to their enquiries. Consider:
Informative and user friendly website
A live chat function
Being responsive on Facebook
Online appointment booking and quote request systems on your website
Efficient ways for customers to receive service updates
Transparency
Customers expect clear, upfront pricing and detailed explanations of the services you’ve recommended (or provided). Some businesses now offer digital vehicle inspection reports with photos and videos, allowing customers to see exactly what needs attention on their vehicles.
Online booking
In many industries online booking is now the standard. It’s a little trickier for some workshops because of the nature of the work but Members who’ve invested in these systems and set them up cleverly (including price lists, allowing customers to select the level of service required) say it’s saving them lots of phone calls, and customers are self-selecting for more services than they otherwise might. It also saves on the hard sell at the reception desk.
Still being human
Finding digital efficiencies doesn’t mean we stop providing good old-fashioned customer service. Quite the opposite. We’re embracing digital tools to provide a better service than we ever have before—faster, more efficient, more communicative, and more convenient. By embracing digital technology (like data analytics, customer relationship management systems, and even AI) you can provide consumers with an even more personalised service than before.
Online payment options
The days of cash-only transactions are long gone. Customers expect a variety of payment options, including contactless payments, mobile wallets or even interest free buy now pay later options.
A strong online presence
Customers expect to find detailed information about your services, pricing, and business credentials on well-designed, mobile-friendly websites. Mobile-friendly is critical here, as more people are using their phones than desktop or laptop computers to research and book services these days. New customers in particular are also likely to rely heavily on online reviews and ratings. We should all be actively managing our online reputation and engaging with customer feedback (warmly, whether it’s positive or negative).
Virtual reality
Some workshops are already experimenting with virtual and augmented reality technologies that allow customers to visualise repairs or upgrades on their vehicles before committing to the service (e.g. being able to show customers their car in a new colour before it’s sprayed). This is still a toy, really, but it has genuine applications that could give some businesses an edge.
Consumer expectations are driving the digital transformation of the automotive aftermarket. Businesses that embrace these changes and invest in technology to meet customer expectations will be better placed to build a loyal customer base and to thrive long into the future.
Car Review
JAECOO J7 2WD
Ithink the JAECOO J7 takes out the award up to this point in 2024 for being the most asked about car. Why? People just didn’t know what it was. Now that JAECOO has finally released pricing for the J7, we can give you our review.
What we like
Price vs. features
More refined than you’d think
Boot capacity
Remembers drive mode
Performance
Audio quality
Not a CVT transmission
What we don’t like
Design not for everyone
Axle tramp on hard acceleration
Lane departure warning system
First impressions of the JAECOO J7 2WD
Like its name, the JAECOO J7 inspired quite a bit of comment on its design. It’s bold without going “Lexus” on it. In saying that, it does feel a little like JAECOO has been watching what Kia and Hyundai have been up to with their designs, and then had a “hold my beer” moment.
It’s not space-age like some Kia and Hyundai models are at the moment, but there is a real attempt at giving the car a unique look. Those stacked headlights look particularly cool, and the pop-out door handles keep the car nicely streamlined on the side view. Around the back, I love what JAECOO has done with the taillights. They’re stylish and they also give the J7 a bit more of a stance from the rear.
Some people really did not like the look of the front of the J7, but overall, I’d happily live with one.
What’s the interior like in the JAECOO J7 2WD?
JAECOO has paid close attention to details inside the J7. It all feels like a touch of luxury, with nice materials used throughout. Touchpoints too are all good; sitting in the driver’s (or any) seat means everything falls to hand, and where your fingers go to is generally soft materials.
There’s a high centre console with a large storage area underneath. At the front of the lower console are USB-A and USB-C sockets, as well as a 12-volt power socket. At the rear of the console is a deep cubby that includes a windowsmashing hammer in case you need it (if the car is underwater) and there’s also a removable shelf at the top of the cubby.
Speaking of storage, the glove box is pretty decent in size, and there’s a smaller flip-down cubby to the right of the steering wheel. The door pockets are decent in size too. At the front of the centre console is a laid-back Qi wireless charging pad; there’s actually spaces for two phones here, but only one charges.
Although the car is very well priced for its segment, both front seats are electric. The seat comfort is better than I thought it might be, and there is plenty of leg room front and rear. The headroom is also fairly generous and the car feels spacious.
Opening the electric tailgate, the boot is large, measuring 410 litres with the back seats up.
It’s deep too, and under the floor is a space-saver spare, with quite a bit more storage space around it.
What’s the JAECOO J7 2WD like to drive?
After a run of recent experiences in Chinese-made cars, I wasn’t looking forward to incessant beeping and overzealous driver assist systems. Happily, the J7 wasn’t too bad in this department.
The main issue I found was the lane departure warning: when turning right into a turn bay with an indicator on, the steering gives a sharp pull back to the left. That is probably my main complaint of the J7; otherwise, I had no real issues with the car, living with it for 300 km of daily driving.
Visibility is excellent, and with large side windows all round, motorway driving is a breeze. The car also has blind spot monitoring with warning lights on the exterior mirrors.
One of my first positive impressions of the car is its seven-speed dual-clutch automatic (DCT) transmission. It’s good, and it felt great to feel actual gear changes when driving. The ride quality is also generally good and quite compliant, although short bumps like potholes can feel a bit harsh.
Summary
Now that we finally have pricing for the 2024 JAECOO J7, we can give our verdict on the car. Honestly, I don’t think there will be upset purchasers of the J7. It does what it says on the box and does it just fine.
It doesn’t excel in a particular area but is good at most of them. If a potential purchaser went out and drove the latest Hyundai Sportage, Kia Tucson, Mazda CX-5, etc, they might feel the difference in driving dynamics. The J7 is not as polished as those models; however, for its price it’s all many buyers need.
We keep hearing of Chinese cars coming into the market and taking market share; the J7 is poised to do just that.
The car has three drive modes: Eco, Normal, and Sport. I left the J7 in Eco mode for much of my driving. It has gallons of torque, so that 1.6 turbo does just fine in Eco mode. Normal mode is, well, normal, while Sport mode really amps things up. The engine is relatively refined and nicely quiet at most engine speeds. Wind noise is very well taken care of, and road noise is subdued as well. This is a car that is easy to live with on a daily basis.
As far as handling goes in this car, it’s set to be safe. That means understeer if you push too hard on a corner, but in general driving conditions, most drivers will feel quite relaxed. While we normally cover around 600 km a week when we test a car, I only managed to get 300 km of driving in the JAECOO J7. While the car is slated to return 7.0L/100km, I managed 7.5L/100km. That’s a great result from an SUV with a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine.
Have you enjoyed this review?
PREFERRED SUPPLIER PROFILES
Automotive Parts Giant (APG) stands as a premier importer and distributor of automotive parts and 4WD accessories. Their extensive selection includes topquality winches, recovery gear, bull bars, suspension lift kits, and much more, meticulously curated for a wide range of vehicle makes and models. Stocked right in New Zealand, APG’s products are readily available through their trusted dealer network or their convenient online store. APG specialises in catering to unique customer needs. For those seeking hardto-find 4WD parts and accessories, APG offers a special import orders service. Their product range includes off-road winches, bull bars, recovery gear, suspension lift kits, and more, suitable for most vehicle makes and models. As New Zealand’s importer and distributor for high-end brands, APG
ensures quality and availability through their dealer network and online store.
APG apart are committed to quality and customer satisfaction. As exclusive distributors of high-quality 4WD parts and accessories, they provide peace of mind by offering superior products and parts. Their extensive product range is carefully curated to meet the demands of discerning off-road enthusiasts, ensuring access to the best parts and accessories on the market.
Whether for professional mechanics or DIY enthusiasts, APG offers everything needed to keep vehicles running smoothly and looking great.
automotivepartsgiant.co.nz
It’s never too late to embrace the digital world
by Geoff Mutton
In any business these days—and this particularly applies to automotive aftermarket businesses—keeping up with front office technology is as important as the investment in training, tools and specialised equipment for those doing the income-producing work. Keeping up will mean embracing the digital world.
Workshops have been forced to invest in the technical side of the business to keep up with the huge advances in automotive technology, but there hasn’t been the same pressure in the front office.
Investment in new front office technology has been slow. The old, and quite valid, excuse is that most workshop owners are technicians by trade, so front office technology takes a back seat.
Failure to keep up to date with new office technology comes with a risk. Workshop staff are being asked to do more in less time, the result being that the office can become the workshop bottleneck with service managers often lost in a trail of paper.
Without doubt the number one piece of office equipment every workshop needs is an up-to-date, automotive-specific point of sale (POS) platform.
MYOB, QuickBooks, and Xero are all brilliant systems. However, fundamentally, they are accounting programs. They lack the automotive focus that dedicated automotive software programs offer.
If you don’t operate a specialised workshop POS system, or you have one but don’t know how to use its features, this article might motivate you.
These programs are designed to make managing your workshop easier and less time-consuming. They are not designed to make your life harder. Those who say they are too complicated haven’t really given them a proper go. They may be different from what you are used to, but that doesn’t mean they are complicated. It’s worth spending the time to learn how to use them properly. In time, you will be processing transactions with your eyes closed.
Six reasons to adopt a POS platform
1
Workflow management
The old manual systems for booking diaries, job cards, service checklists, and planning work very well until someone forgets to fill them out, or scribbles down illegible writing.
With a dedicated POS system, you now have the option for these essential documents to be electronic. Creating a new booking or job card, assigning and ordering stock, creating an invoice, and sending work updates are all done with the click of a button.
In short, your days of recording information on multiple documents are over. Less time managing the admin side of your business can only be a good thing.
Database management
Keeping in contact with customers via service reminders, registration and Warrant of Fitness reminders, thank-you messages and vehicle status updates can all be done with the click of a button. Most platforms give you the option of email or SMS and the frequency can be customised to match your customers’ driving habits.
No more exporting your database into mail merge to send your service reminders. Simply set the reminder date when processing your customer’s invoice, and future reminders will automatically be sent on the selected date.
Integrations
Staff management
2 4 6 3 5
Operating in one system and then closing it down to look at another system is just not feasible in a busy workshop. It doesn’t matter how good a product is; if it slows a workshop down, it’s not paying its way.
Integrations into various marketing platforms, accounting platforms, banking platforms, supplier platforms, and more recently AI, could save time in a busy workshop.
They can all be used as standalone platforms, but when integrated with your POS, they become much more powerful.
For many businesses, the greatest workshop management challenge is staff and their output.
It’s a common misconception that workshop owners believe they know what everyone is doing every minute of every day. Eventually, the workshop owner will become the bottleneck because they try to control everything. As a result, profitability starts to suffer even though it appears everyone is working hard.
If a POS system is used correctly, at the end of every day the workshop owner can see exactly what everyone has done and how profitable they have been. This information is invaluable and is the key to running a profitable workshop.
Stock management
Most mechanical workshops are holding less stock than they once needed to. Nevertheless, having accurate stockholding levels is still important.
In addition to this, knowing what mark-up or margin you are applying to stock is critical. Every time you price a job, you will instantly know what profit and margin you are making. With this information staring back at you, there is much less chance of getting it wrong.
Management reporting
What gets analysed gets improved. Having valuable business information at your fingertips is essential. Sales breakdown reports, job profitability reports, work-in-progress reports, productivity reports and marketing reports are available at the click of a button.
This information will help management make the best decisions. Manually trying to extract this information is time-consuming, and most often will be avoided.
All the top platforms offer generous free trial periods with many hours of video demonstrations. Check them out and do your due diligence. Ring around and ask your fellow workshop owners what they like and don’t like, and how their customers are reacting to their communication systems.
If you do make the jump, just be prepared to invest the additional time and effort needed to get your POS platform running to its full potential. It will be worth it in the end.
Don’t be the person that gifts the ugly sweater. Again.
Get your Christmas shopping sorted early with Capricorn Rewards.
It’s easy to run short on time during the silly season. Make sure you beat the rush and place your orders now.
To ensure delivery in time for Christmas, any product orders must be placed before 15 November 2024 and vouchers before 16 December 2024*
Scan the QR to check out rewards and skip the sweater. *
FUN ZONE
Submit your entry at cap.coop/funzone by 30 NOVEMBER 2024
September Winner: JARVIS SUZUKI WON 5,000 BONUS REWARDS POINTS
Please note that this competition and participation in the Capricorn Rewards program are subject to terms and conditions. For the full Terms and Conditions, visit cap.coop/tc.
Congratulations to all the following winners of our latest promotions:
LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS
50 Years Strong Memories Competition (July-August 2024)
ANGUS CAR SERVICE is throwing a celebration of their own with a $1,000 credit to their Trade Account.
Capricorn Rewards (July 2024)
LANTECH AUTOMOTIVE won 50,000 Bonus Rewards Points.
Opt-out of Paper Statements (March-May 2024)
BATTERIES ’N MORE MAIRANGI AUTOMOTIVE GENESIS AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES THE WORKSHOP MANSFIELD
Each Member won 20,000 Bonus Rewards Points.
Thank you very much to all the Members who participated in our latest promotions.
Capricorn Fuel Card Promotion New Zealand (May-July 2024)
July: WOOD AUTOMOTIVE Member won 50,000 Bonus Rewards Points.
