want an f1 ferrari?goautomedia.cdn.on.net/gan_premium/goautonews_premium...g oautonews3uhplxp...

PremiumGoAutoNewsEDITION 96 MARCH 23, 2018 THE BUSINESS PAGES OF GOAUTONEWS

Want an F1 Ferrari? Ferrari links with Macquarie Leasing to provide bespoke loans

to its premium car owners Mazda3 is top novated lease car: surveyRanger is second but Mazda claims three out of top five novated lease cars

Success starts with you. New KPMG training programs inside

New Gold Coast BMW shop opensMotorline opens full-service shop within Queensland’s new Pacific Fair centre

NEXT PAGEPREV. PAGECONTENTSSUBSCRIBEWWW.PREMIUM.GOAUTO.COM.AU 2EDITION 96 - MARCH 23, 2018

PremiumGoAutoNews The business pages of GoAutoNews

PremiumGoAutoNews

PUBLISHER: John Mellor

EDITOR: Neil Dowling

JOURNALISTS: Tim Nicholson, Tung Nguyen,Ron Hammerton, Ian Porter, Terry Martin, Robbie Wallis, Justin Hilliard, Daniel DeGasperi,Tim Robson, Byron Mathioudakis

PRODUCTION: Luc Britten, William Vicente

EMAIL: [email protected]

WANT AN F1 FERRARI?Ferrari links with Macquarie

Leasing to provide bespoke loans to its premium car owners

Page 3

FERRARI TESTS GUARANTEED BUYBACKSLimited supply of new cars and

relentless focus on used-car sales underwrites record high residuals

Page 6

ZAGAME GETS PAGANIThe most expensive car ever to be sold in

Australia with Zagame as sole importer

Page 8

ZAGAME PLANS TO OPEN IN ADELAIDEPremium car retailer poised to break out of Victoria while dismissing plans to go public

Page 11

MAZDA3 IS TOP NOVATED LEASE CAR: SURVEY

Ranger is second but Mazda claims three out of top five novated lease cars

Page 14

MG CONTINUES TO EXPAND NETWORKChinese importer opens its 11th dealership

with more planned for other states

Page 16

JOBS GROWTH A GOOD SIGN FOR CAR DEALERS

How Macquarie Leasing Australia sees the economy – Part 2

Page 17

NEW GOLD COAST BMW SHOP OPENSMotorline opens full-service shop within

Queensland’s new Pacific Fair centre

Page 19

INFINITI SIGNS DEMONSMelbourne Football Club gets behind the

wheel with Infiniti as AHG departs

2

AA BUYS ONLINE CAR SITEUK’s premier auto club to link dealer stock

with 13 million members and eight million monthly visitors

Page 23

http://premium.goauto.com.au/subscribe/

http://premium.goauto.com.au/

mailto:[email protected]

[email protected]

NEXT PAGEPREV. PAGECONTENTSSUBSCRIBEWWW.PREMIUM.GOAUTO.COM.AUEDITION 96 - MARCH 23, 2018 3


Ferrari links with Macquarie Leasing to provide bespoke loans to its premium car owners

Want an F1 Ferrari?

TO READ THIS STORY ONLINECLICK HERE

By JOHN MELLORn FERRARI Australasia has linked with Macquarie Leasing Australia to set up a special financial services unit for the Italian sportscar specialist that becomes a vital piece of the business puzzle in its relationship with Ferrari owners.

The chief executive of Ferrari Australasia, Herbert Appleroth, told GoAutoNews

Premium that having its own Ferrari-branded finance operation backed by Macquarie Leasing meant the company could maintain a closer relationship with its customers compared with the present system where finance sold through its dealers was often through companies that were owned by other OEMs.

He said: “That gave other

brands access to our customers. Sometimes car brands own these financiers and these other car companies were getting access to our valuable Ferrari family members and that didn’t make any sense.”

And, in a move that takes the relationship between Ferrari and Macquarie Leasing beyond the normal white-label services for car importers wanting their

own branded loans, Ferrari plans to extend the portfolio of offers to include funding of classic and collectible Ferraris and potentially the purchase of multi-million dollar Ferrari Formula One cars for its F1 Clienti activity.

Ferrari Australasia has also started test-marketing guaranteed buyback financing which gets its comfort from

the very high resale values that Ferrari cars hold in the Australian market, said by the company to be the highest Ferrari resale values in the world. (See separate story)

Mr Appleroth said the desire to set up Ferrari Financial Services Australia was about “having 360-degree management of our customers”.

Continued next page



https://premium.goauto.com.au/want-an-f1-ferrari/



Continued from previous page

“They are part of our family so we want to make that last final step within the Ferrari family framework. So it is the last piece of the puzzle we are adding.”

Mr Appleroth said Ferrari dealers now had access to financial services that were specifically designed for Ferrari owners, not for the mass market.

He said loans would be treated very differently compared to normal financing.

“Ferrari is very different;

particularly our residual values,” he said.

“The ability to back our own product with realistic residual values is an absolute key to our business and to our financial services because we pass those on to our clients with, for example, lower monthly instalments.

“So we will have a very tailored one-to-one relationship with our Ferrari customers which is unique in the market.

“Added to that, we have also been successful around the world financing products for our

clients who are more interested in classic cars. So this is something that falls outside the normal realm of car financing and is more about personal financing through banks.”

For example, Mr Appleroth said that Ferrari Financial Services would be able to arrange finance approval in advance of its clients attending an auction of classic cars.

“We know the values of the Ferraris that are available and they tend to be a lot more than the price of a new Ferrari. So that is a unique service that we

will be providing our clients.“Of course, Macquarie has

a very good understanding of the capacity of people and their wealth base so that is why Macquarie is an obviously perfect partner rather than a normal traditional bank,” he said.

“And then there are unique cars. It may be the financing of a Ferrari Formula One car to be part of Ferrari F1 Clienti. It could be the financing of a one-off Ferrari which could be several millions of Euros. The whole art of financing for

the collector.“That will be available within

Australia under the Macquarie Leasing arrangement to complement similar programs that are run by Ferrari Financial Services in, for example, the United States or Europe.

“So they are the unique structures that we are offering to our clients.”

Mr Appleroth said that the core of the financing goals under the arrangement with Macquarie Leasing was to bring new buyers to the brand.

Continued next page

“Ferrari is very different; particularly our residual values. The ability to back our own product with realistic residual values is an absolute key to our business and to our financial services because we pass those on to our

clients with, for example, lower monthly installments.”- Herbert Appleroth





BUY THE RIGHT STOCKMANAGE YOUR USED VEHICLE INVENTORY WITH MANHEIM With 80 weekly in-lane and online auctions around the country, Manheim can help you buy the right stock profile for your dealership. Find the vehicles you need from the vast range we have on offer, at a wide variety of price points to suit your customer profiles.

• Thousands of passenger and light commercial vehicles on offer• New stock arriving daily• Purchase online with confidence using our Simulcast app

Manheim is here to help you manage your used vehicle operations.

For more information contact: Shane Taylor on 0418 343 499 or [email protected]


“That means clients who are stepping up from other brands. The people who are moving into our segment from lower price points are very used to financing and that means that we have to have programs and packages they are used to and they are comfortable with.

“And that is why the entry to the Ferrari world via the Ferrari Portofino and models like that are so important to have fantastic financing offerings for those clients,” he said.

Mr Appleroth said that each of the dealerships would have a dedicated expert in

the finance field, and within the Ferrari Financial Services operation, there would be a dedicated team just looking after the Ferrari business.

“The executives at Ferrari Financial Services will create relationships direct with customers as they become more and more known to us,” he said.

Commenting on the arrangement, the head of Macquarie Leasing, Jon Moodie, said: “We look forward to supporting Ferrari Australasia’s customers by providing a range of flexible solutions to assist in meeting their finance requirements.”



www.manheim.com.au




Limited supply of new cars and relentless focus on used-car sales underwrites record high residuals

Ferrari tests guaranteed buybacks

By JOHN MELLORn FRESH from forging an alliance between Ferrari Financial Services and Macquarie Leasing Australia to provide a wide range of bespoke funding products to Ferrari owners, Ferrari Australasia has embarked on a test marketing exercise to assess guaranteed buyback leases for its buyers.

Ferrari Australasia CEO, Herbert Appleroth, told

GoAutoNews Premium: “We are exploring for the first time guaranteed future values. We have done some initial modelling and there is a very good chance that we will be launching this onto the market.”

Asked if guaranteeing resale values was a risky endeavour, Mr Appleroth said: “We know our product better than anyone else. I mean it is one of the best investments you can ever make.

“Certainly we have the highest resale values of any brand in the car business so that is something we are exploring right now.”

He said that an independent finance company would not know enough about Ferrari to be able “to attempt something like that”.

“This is actually a unique product within the Ferrari world because Australia has some of the highest resale

values for Ferraris anywhere in the world.

“So this is something we are wanting to trial here in Australia because of these unique values, which we value enormously and work very hard to maintain. So I think this is going to be a real game-changer – certainly within the Ferrari world.”

Mr Appleroth said Ferrari Australasia relentlessly pursued high resale values that were a core focus within

the company.“We stand by that because

that is our core DNA. Enzo Ferrari always said that he would supply one car less than what the market demanded,” he said.

“It goes back to the brand ethos of exclusivity. Exclusivity is key. We don’t all of a sudden increase our production by 100 per cent just to meet the market.

Continued next page



https://premium.goauto.com.au/ferrari-tests-guaranteed-buybacks/




“We are always under the market when it comes to supply and that exclusivity helps to focus on resale values.

“And we are true to our word. The demand for the product has never been higher and demand is certainly higher than you are seeing in the delivery numbers in VFACTS.

“There is to be no stock of Ferrari in the dealership and our cars are so hotly contested that we find that our network even sells the demonstrators so that our customers cannot even see our cars.

“So we will continue with that policy for sure,” Mr Appleroth said.

“The other element in the

resale value matrix is that if your car is popular when it is new, and it is the best car on the market when it is new, then it should also be the best car on the market when it is used.

“If those cars are then kept to the manufacturer’s levels of maintenance requirements then you would expect the quality of that car to be high and so should the price.

“So our standard seven-year maintenance program on all new Ferraris means that the cars are being maintained and repaired by experts who are factory trained with factory-approved parts for at least seven years.”

^ CONTINUE ONLINE

Portofino



https://premium.goauto.com.au/ferrari-tests-guaranteed-buybacks/




By NEIL DOWLING n A 13-YEAR ambition to represent the bespoke Italian hyper-class sportscar manufacturer Pagani Automobili yesterday materialised for Zagame Automotive Group (ZAG) as it announced it was the brand’s sole Australian importer.

ZAG managing director Bobby Zagame said the Italian manufacturer approached him

to become the importer.To back the brand, Mr

Zagame has bought a car for permanent display at his Swan Street, Richmond premium car showcase in inner Melbourne within a showroom that Pagani will share with Rolls-Royce.

The right to sell the Pagani brand, which made only 100 Huayra cars in four years before developing a roadster

variant, comes with high customer expectations driven by a $5.5 million-plus price (See footnote below).

“There was a bit of work over a period but it is a lovely jewel in the crown to get this brand,” he told GoAutoNews Premium exclusively.

“Pagani approached me because they wanted to come into Australia. The cars are

road-registerable and ADR compliant and they see Australia as an opportunity to spread their wings.

“Like any manufacturer, the small markets build the total number of sales that they are trying to achieve.

“They want to be a global brand. They see Australia as a wealthy country and there is a lot of trade between here

and Italy.“Pagani may be new to

Australia but there has been a privately-owned Zonda (Pagani’s first model) here for 13 years, so there is a connection.

“I was involved originally with that coming into the country and even then we discussed my company becoming a distributor.

Continued next page

The most expensive car ever to be sold in Australia with Zagame

as sole importer

Zagame gets Pagani



https://premium.goauto.com.au/zagame-gets-pagani/




“That fell off the radar but then about two years ago a Pagani representative was in Australia looking for an importer and he came and saw me.”

Asked who will buy a car worth almost $6 million on the road, Mr Zagame said: “Anyone. Anyone who can afford the car.

“It is interesting that we have amazing interest and it’s mainly coming from the IT sector of the market,” he said.

“These are people who have had successful businesses in IT. It’s also young money, so they are mainly around the 40 years of age mark.

“We may find other people will come out of the woodwork with the official launch next Wednesday.”

Mr Zagame said that the basics of selling a multi-million-dollar hypercar remain the same for Pagani as they do for his other brands.

“Though parting with around $6 million, the expectations of that bring with it some differences,” he said.

“It could mean we may fly to them to configure the car, or maybe send them to the factory in Italy to give them some understanding of the brand.

“That is part of the sales process that we are working on with current customers.

“The Pagani Huayra (the current model) encapsulates everything about the company and gaining an understanding of this car makes you aware just why the car costs so much.

“It takes four months to build one car. If you open up the car – open the doors and panels – it is an amazing piece of art. It is even more beautiful open than closed.

“It is a jewel, and that’s the way the car should be viewed. It can’t be viewed as a normal automobile.

“It is an asset. It has remarkable attention to detail, it is collectable and is one you don’t need to drive unless you want to. It’s something you really want to own and appreciate.”

Mr Zagame said an accurate description of the car and the company was delivered by car collector Jay Leno who said the Pagani Huayra was a piece of art, like a handmade mechanical watch and one that, when the company stopped making cars, would be the end of this level of car building.

Continued next page

“The Pagani Huayra (the current model) encapsulates everything about the company and gaining an understanding of this car makes

you aware just why the car costs so much. It takes four months to build one car. If you open up the car – open the doors and panels – it is an

amazing piece of art. It is even more beautiful open than closed.”- Bobby Zagame

Bobby Zagame and the Huayra






ZAG now becomes one of 24 authorised Pagani dealers in the world, and one of an elite few to represent the boutique Italian car-maker to its full brand standards.

The announcement of the new brand representation was made yesterday in Melbourne in the presence of Pagani Automobili founder Horacio Pagani. There will be an official opening function next Wednesday.

Zagame Automotive, which now has 13 prestige brands, has retail premises in the Melbourne CBD and south-eastern bayside suburbs, as well as a major parts and logistics centre in Tullamarine.

All ZAG’s brands are European and among some of the most desirable in the world. They are Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Audi, Ferrari, Fiat, Lamborghini, Lotus, McLaren, Maserati, Morgan, Pagani and Rolls-Royce.

ZAG employs about 500 people and sells more than 6000 cars a year.

Footnote: The purchase price of $5.5 million includes luxury car tax of $1.648 million and GST of $390,000. As part of the on-road costs there is stamp duty of $231,000.This means the tax take by state and federal governments is $2.27 million per car sold.

Huayra





Premium car retailer poised to break out of Victoria while dismissing plans to go public

Zagame plans to open in Adelaide


By NEIL DOWLINGn ZAGAME Automotive Group (ZAG) is poised to open in Adelaide, marking the first time the 19-year-old premium automotive retailer has ventured outside of Victoria.

Managing director Bobby Zagame also revealed to GoAutoNews Premium that he has rejected any thought

of making ZAG a public company, saying it would be “too onerous”.

Mr Zagame said he had bought premises in Adelaide “so we’re looking at opening a dealership by the middle of the year”.

Asked what he plans to sell in Adelaide, he said: “Lamborghini and McLaren.

“They are currently not in

Adelaide and we have applied for those franchises,” he said. “It’s not confirmed yet so we’re treating it as a work in progress.”

Asked if he had any plans to list his company, Mr Zagame said: “For me, I do this job because love it and I only sell the brands that I believe in.

“I get asked about listing

ZAG as a public company but I love what I do and I love going to work in the mornings. When I get sick of that, then maybe it could be a different story.

“So, until then, I don’t want to go public and have the onerous responsibilities of being in charge of a public company.

“We have a great crew of

people in management and staff and I feel obligated to them. They have given me a lot of their time. So it will stay the way it is.”

The planned move to Adelaide would put ZAG closer to the latest and largest motorsport facility in Australia at Tailem Bend.

Continued next page

Zagame Richmond



https://premium.goauto.com.au/zagame-plans-to-open-in-adelaide/




The complex, which has multiple circuits and will next month host events including the V8 Supercars, is only an hour from Adelaide.

It would give another string in the bow of the Zagame Autosport program that is a vital part of ZAG’s business.

“Our brands are track and performance focused,” he said.

“Ferrari and McLaren are big on motorsport, so we have a Challenge 488 car that we recently purchased, and we have a GT4 McLaren and it gives customers the chance to experience them.

“If they want to compete and buy a racecar, or just

have track days with a racecar rather than their road car, then that’s what Autosports is all about.

“It’s purely for our customers to experience the cars in a track environment.

“But it’s more about keeping our customers with us. You buy our cars because it’s a lifestyle decision – it is not just a commodity, so we want to give them other experiences.

“If they don’t enjoy the car, eventually they’ll just sell it. So we want to give them options and alternatives with their cars that keeps them with our brands, so they may want to buy another one and become a bigger part of their lifestyle.”

Zagame Richmond

The right traffic to get your cars moving.When it comes to driving loads of quality leads, look no further than Gumtree Cars. With so many great benefits, it’s easy to get started:

Simple and Affordable

No cost per lead, sign-up or annual fees. Your monthly subscription prices are simply based on the number of listings.

Branding Opportunities

With your address, phone number, email and website details, buyers have even more ways to connect with you.

Join Gumtree Cars today gumtreeforbusiness.com.au

n NADA International Lounge: Don’t forget to look out for Gary Ormond and Steve Bragg at this year’s NADA Convention in Las Vegas from March

22 to March 25. They will be available

in the International Lounge during the convention and will be happy to brief dealers and

OEM executives on the new KPMG Enterprise Automotive Intelligence Portal which is presently being rolled out across Australia.

LOOK OUT FOR KPMG MOTOR INDUSTRY SERVICES AT NADA

SPONSORED CONTENT



http://www.gumtreeforbusiness.com.au/automotive/



dealersolutions.com.au. 1300 66 11 33 Contact us today for a free consultation on how we can increase your dealership performance when using our integrated solutions.

• Websites

New franchise brand compliant platform

• Lead Management System

Highly functional and integrated with your inventory

• DMS

Fully supported and comprehensive system

• Photography

New features coming soon

• Independent Data Aggregation

To third party publishers

We power our automotive partners to connect with customers.



https://www.dealersolutions.com.au/?utm_source=DealerSolutions&utm_medium=Go%20Auto%20Premium&utm_campaign=BrandRefresh&utm_content=Full




By NEIL DOWLINGn A SURVEY by Fleet Auto News has shown that the Mazda3 is the most popular car with those buying their vehicles on novated leases and that Mazda claimed three places in the top five of the survey, while Toyota claimed three places in the top 10.

With fleets accounting for more than 50 per cent of new-vehicle sales in Australia, and

business-car buyers being make-or-break for OEMs, Fleet Auto News surveyed the top fleet management companies to find out which were the most popular novated lease vehicles in 2017.

The survey showed that Mazda and Toyota were the only brands to have more than one car in the top 10 list and the the data assembled in the survey showed a swing into SUVs. Five of the top

10 cars were SUVs and three were pick-ups.

FleetPlus managing director Bevan Guest said the 2017 results were similar to 2016 but the launch of new models by Mazda and Volkswagen had changed the rankings.

“The main changes were the popularity of the Mazda CX-9 and the decline of (Holden) Commodore which dropped out of the top 10, when the previous year it had claimed

seventh spot,” he said.“In addition, we saw a move

away from the Volkswagen Golf into the Volkswagen Tiguan.

“Mazda remained in our top two spots both years whilst the Ford Ranger was again third (in the FleetPlus ranking).

“Interestingly, despite the huge range of choice for consumers, the top-10 makes and models made up about 25 per cent of our total

volume both years.”Fleet Auto News said the fact

that Toyota had three vehicles in the top 10 indicated a consumer demand for off-road capabilities in their novated vehicles.

Toyota Fleet Management head of salary packaging, Antony Sabato, said the more capable off-road vehicles also had strong resale values at the end of the lease term.

Continued next page

Ranger is second but Mazda claims three out of top five novated lease cars

Mazda3 is top novated lease

car: survey

Mazda3



https://premium.goauto.com.au/mazda3-is-top-novated-lease-car-survey/




“Toyota Prado is a popular novated lease vehicle for its off-road capabilities and, because of its reputation and resale value, it has become the preferred adventure vehicle,” he said.

“The fact that it can also perform well around town carrying seven people makes it a popular vehicle for our novated customers.”

Fleetcare general manager of customer services, Dan

Hawkins, said buyers wanting more sustainable vehicle options would be looking forward to hybrid and electric vehicle offerings.

However, more performance-oriented motorists had been looking forward to the Kia Stinger.

“The Stinger is a new frontier for the Korean maker by being a rear-wheel-drive, high-performance sedan in the mould of previous Australian Commodores and

Falcons,” he said.Mr Hawkins said other

new models to watch were the imported Holden ZB Commodore, the Ford Ranger Raptor and the 2018 Mazda6.

He said large, locally made, V8-powered family sedans were now just a niche market and the industry was mainly made up of SUV buyers who either have a sense of adventure and/or a large family; and those that do not want large SUVs and 4X4 utes.

1 Mazda32 Ford Ranger3 Mazda CX-54 Toyota HiLux5 Mazda CX-96 Toyota LandCruiser Prado7 Toyota LandCruiser8 Hyundai Tucson9 Nissan Navara10 Volkswagen Golf

THE FLEET AUTO NEWS TOP 10 NOVATED LEASE VEHICLES IN 2017

GoAutoNews Premium

GOING FURTHER,DELVING DEEPER

A filing cabinet of motor industry information

resourcesThe GoAutoNews Premium website is your source for compelling business,

management, motor retailing, technology and design news from

Australia and around the world

Visit GoAutoNews Premium

CLICK HERE



https://premium.goauto.com.au/



Chinese importer opens its 11th dealership with more planned for other states

MG continues to expand network


By NEIL DOWLINGn MG MOTOR Australia today opened its fourth New South Wales dealership and flagged a network rollout that continues to spread across the country.

The appointment of a dealership at Tuggerah, on the NSW central coast, follows the recent launch of the MG ZS, a compact SUV that becomes the fourth MG model in Australia.

The company already offers the MG3 light hatch and MG6 mid-sizer as well as the GS mid-size SUV.

Tuggerah MG – the 11th MG showroom in Australia – is operated by director and dealer principal Dean Oven, and will be a full-service facility with sales, service and parts replacement for MG customers.

MG Motor Australia senior manager Danny Lenartic said the expansion of the dealer network “demonstrates the local demand for our cars, with British design and global technology”.

“We carefully select dealer partners to ensure all MG prospects and customers

have access to a quality purchasing experience and we feel Tuggerah MG shares our passion for outstanding service.

“With the successful launch of our MG ZS late last year, we are confident that our range provides Australians with a fantastic value proposition, boasting up to a seven-year warranty and seven-years roadside assistance.”

Before the latest Tuggerah MG appointment, MG Australia had three dealerships in Queensland, three in NSW, two in Victoria, and two in the ACT.

ZS

Xtime is designed to maximise productivity and revenues for dealer service operations, by driving increased customer loyalty and repeat business in dealership service departments.Using cloud-based systems designed to help dealers, Xtime transforms the way car owners experience genuine dealership service.

PRODUCT REVIEW: Xtime

GoAutoNews Premium Brand Sponsor

CLICK HERE FOR FREE ACCESS TO A TWO PART MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP ON XTIME

PremiumGoAutoNews



https://premium.goauto.com.au/mg-continues-to-expand-network/

premium.goauto.com.au/product-review-xtime/




Affordability and household debt

n IN A review of various economic indicators, including household wealth and spending power, interest rates and the influence of property prices and wages, Mr Moodie told GoAutoNews Premium that a bright spot for car dealers in the economic outlook was more people getting into work.

“While average wages per employee haven’t seen much

growth for the past six years, we’ve seen some improvement in overall household income growth, driven by jobs growth,” Mr Moodie said.

“In other words, the economy’s improving despite stagnant wages growth because the benefits of increased employment are spread more evenly across the economy.”

Household income, while not super strong, was looking better as inflation remained quite low.

He said there were no major cost-of-living pressures that you could point to outside of higher utilities prices.

“That said, there’s no doubt Australia’s household net debt is high. But with interest rates set to remain where they are in the near future – and jobs growth expected to remain strong – we don’t expect to see any immediate change to the state of overall household finances.”

Continued next page

GoAutoNews Premium spoke with Jon Moodie, head of Macquarie Leasing Australia, about the influence of affordability, household debt, property prices and interest rates on consumer confidence and Australian car dealerships in 2018.

Consumer confidence

Interestrate

Affordability Householddebt

How Macquarie Leasing Australia sees the economy – Part 2

Jobs growth a good sign for car dealers



https://premium.goauto.com.au/jobs-growth-a-good-sign-for-car-dealers/




Interest rates and property market

Mr Moodie said that interest rates were key influencers of consumer confidence, as they impact on people’s ability to borrow.

“When rates do eventually rise, it will likely be very gradual so the cost of credit should remain more or less where it is.”

According to Mr Moodie, that means vehicle purchase should remain appealing, thanks to continuing low interest rates and strong

competition from car manufacturers.

Referring to Australian property prices and their impact on consumer confidence, Mr Moodie said: “I think you can make a case that, once the dust settles on property values, people will realise that the property market is flattening out, not capitulating.

“While we’ve seen a decline in growth in places like Sydney, prices are still up 70 to 80 per cent over the past five years, so the steep increase in housing equity for a lot of people remains significant.”

Aussie dollar

“Given all cars are now imported, any decline in the Aussie dollar means we have to spend more of our dollars to land them in Australia.

“The Australian dollar has been relatively stable for the past three years. Most expect the currency to remain in the 70 to 80 cent band against the US dollar over the next couple of years.

“The economic conditions and consumer confidence that produced healthy dealership sales in recent years remain in place – and are even slowly improving.”

What’s new and what’s trending on premium.goauto.com.au

LPG Hybrid Camrys can save $6000 a year

CLICK HERE

Cost savings highlight new push to promote Australia’s only domestic

automobile fuel

WA firm joins with Yanmar

CLICK HERE

Former auto suspension design used in concept boat that

remains steady in rough seas

Car-makers warming to new economy tests

CLICK HERE

But car clubs want to conduct their own ‘real-world’ fuel

economy tests on Australian soil

Holden’s parody play

CLICK HERE

Comedian mimics celebrities on the way to selling Equinox to women



premium.goauto.com.au

https://premium.goauto.com.au/lpg-hybrid-camrys-can-save-6000-a-year/

https://premium.goauto.com.au/wa-firm-joins-with-yanmar/

https://premium.goauto.com.au/car-makers-warming-to-new-economy-tests/

https://premium.goauto.com.au/holdens-parody-play/



Motorline opens full-service shop within Queensland’s new Pacific Fair centre

New Gold Coast BMW shop opens


By NEIL DOWLINGn NEXT month’s Commonwealth Games and a need to interact with potential buyers has led to a Queensland BMW and Mini dealership opening a full-service store within the recently renovated Pacific Fair shopping centre on the Gold Coast.

Gold Coast BMW and Mini Garage, part of Craig Rose’s

Motorline Group, opened almost two weeks ago and held its official opening last week.

The dealership’s group marketing manager Shayne Locke said the store had already attracted a large number of visitors.

“It is a conventional shop that has been leased mainly for the expected influx of

visitors to the Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games that open on April 4,” he told GoAutoNews Premium.

Mr Locke said the idea to start a store within the shopping centre began as a way to combat the expected increase in traffic expected during the Commonwealth Games.

“This has been the result

of the vision of the dealer principal Kathleen Broadway. She wanted to repeat the dealership experience but in a high-traffic area that gave the product maximum visibility,” he said.

Ms Broadway said: “We believe that customer service is the key especially during exciting times like the Commonwealth Games when

access may become limited.“With customers being

concerned about moving around during that busy period, we developed the concept behind the new store to bring the dealership to the heart of the Games,” she said.

Mr Locke said many people expected it to be a pop-up store.

Continued next page



https://premium.goauto.com.au/new-gold-coast-bmw-shop-opens/




“In fact it’s a full store and offers much, much more,” he said.

The store has the ability to sell vehicles, has a large range of lifestyle products and arranges test drives from the centre’s valet service.

“We change the cars every week, so there’s always something new for the weekly shopper,” he said.

It was anecdotally described at the launch last week by AMP Capital – which owns and manages Pacific Fair as well as 17 other shopping centres in Australia and New

Zealand – as one of the best car outlets in its portfolio.

In 2016, AMP spent $670 million redeveloping the centre, adding 50,000 square metres to take the area to 155,000sq.m and making Pacific Fair, with 420 stores, the fourth-largest shopping centre in Australia.

“We have deliberately gone into this shop with the aim to raise the bar,” Mr Locke said about rival businesses.

“We have the Games in mind as being the prime reason why we are here, though it is an open-ended program and, based on the success, we may

consider extending the lease.“In the store we have change

rooms for people to try on merchandise such as t-shirts, for example. So we have created a retail environment, not just a car show.”

Mr Locke said the store has three-to-four staff in attendance, depending on the peak shopping times.

“The weekends, for example, are very busy and we’ve noticed that the lifestyle products and merchandising is particularly popular,” he said.

^ CONTINUE ONLINE

GoAutoNews Premium

GOING FURTHER,DELVING DEEPER

A filing cabinet of motor industry information

resourcesThe GoAutoNews Premium website is your source for compelling business,

management, motor retailing, technology and design news from

Australia and around the world

Visit GoAutoNews Premium

CLICK HERE



https://premium.goauto.com.au/new-gold-coast-bmw-shop-opens/

https://premium.goauto.com.au/



Melbourne Football Club gets behind the wheel with Infiniti as AHG departs

Infiniti signs Demons


By NEIL DOWLINGn THE signing of Infiniti Cars Australia this week, rumoured to be a million-dollar deal, as a major sponsor for the Melbourne Football Club in 2018, comes as the Demons farewell previous supporter Automotive Holdings Group.

In the Australian Football

League, it leaves only the Fremantle Dockers, St Kilda Saints and Greater Western Sydney Giants without an automotive partner, though the Saints and Giants have caravan-maker Jayco and Toyo Tyres respectively.

The Herald Sun this week stated that the Infiniti deal was

a “seven-figure” sum. Infiniti’s Australian representatives refused to confirm or deny this statement.

AHG, previous Demons sponsors, pulled out in 2018 as part of its cost-cutting program in the wake of changes to the finance and insurance legislation in the automotive

industry, and sliding sales in its home market of Western Australia.

That place has been filled by Infiniti, which aims to support the Demons from its coveted 100,000-plus seat home stadium – the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

The deal includes Infiniti

branding on select team apparel, media walls and inside the team rooms during game broadcast, hospitality at Melbourne home matches, player ambassadors and game-day activation opportunities.

^ CONTINUE ONLINE

Fromt left: Jake Lever, Christian Petracca and Jeese Hogan



https://premium.goauto.com.au/infiniti-signs-demons/

https://premium.goauto.com.au/infiniti-signs-demons/



UK’s premier auto club to link dealer stock with 13 million members and eight million monthly visitors

AA buys online car site

By NEIL DOWLINGn THE UK’s largest automotive organisation, the Automobile Association (AA), has bought a used-car classified website that will give dealerships direct access to the AA’s 13 million-plus members including the eight million Britons who use the organisation’s route planner service each month.

The AA said it wanted to grow its dealer proposition by investing in the site and promoting unique initiatives such as AA Breakdown cover on every car; thousands of AA member car reviews; car buying advice; AA Approved

Dealers; AA Dealer Promise; AA Car loans; and a history check on every listed car.

Founded in June 1905, the AA is similar to the Australian Automobile Association member states and offers automotive and home insurance, breakdown and roadside assistance services, a travel bureau and personal and mortgage financial services.

It has bought the used-car classified website VCARS, four years after it formed a partnership which led to the creation of AA Cars.

^ CONTINUE ONLINE

HELPING DEALERS SINCE 1992DIGITAL STRATEGY

WEBSITESINVENTORY MANAGEMENT

LEAD MANAGEMENTPHOTOGRAPHY

DEALERSHIP SOFTWARE

1300 66 11 33 dealersolutions.com.au

CLICK TO FIND OUT MORE

TOP 20 SELLING CARS

FEB. 2018

- CLICK HERE -

Hyundai gains, Holden loses, Ford becomes the Ranger car company



https://premium.goauto.com.au/aa-buys-online-car-site/

http://www.dealersolutions.com.au/?utm_source=GoAutoNews%20Premium&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Dealer%20Solutions

https://premium.goauto.com.au/utes-prop-up-new-car-market/

want an f1 ferrari?goautomedia.cdn.on.net/gan_premium/goautonews_premium...g oautonews3uhplxp...

Documents