Malcolm Yorston visits Tokyo Motor Show

Joining forces on car safety recallsTwo industry organisations

have teamed up to work with the government to

change how safety recalls are implemented.

The Motor Industry Association (MIA) and Motor Trade Association (MTA) are working on a system to pick up more non-compliant vehicles.

It’s felt applying to the Ministry of Transport (MoT) for a rule change is the best way forward in tandem with the industry improving how the current system works.

The MIA had a meeting

earlier this year with Michael Woodhouse, the Associate Minister for Transport, and the NZTA subsequently suggested a working party should look at ways to improve managing recalls and flagging issues in general.

David Crawford, chief executive officer of the MIA, says this includes written-off vehicles from countries such as Australia registered as flood damaged.

“A lot of this stock needs to be repaired and recertified before being allowed back on our roads,” he told Autofile.

“There have also been issues with certification processes not always being followed, so the idea is to flag vehicles until they are recertified.”

The MIA doesn’t believe a land transport rule is needed to flag vehicles with outstanding safety recalls because the existing law is broad enough, while bans are seen as the last straw.

However, there appears to be NZTA concerns current legislation may be too ambiguous to implement the proposals.

“We’ve accepted the best [continued on page 8]

The trusted voice of the auto industry for more than 25 yearsIssue 22-2013

12 December 2013

In this issuep 10 All change at the MTA

p 12 Repocars rort exposed

p 15 Vintage cars test blow

p 17 Autohub backs IMVIA

p 22 Spotlight on Tauranga

p 25 Close-run race for Golf

Freephone: 0800 435 7868 contact@protecta.co.nz • www.protecta.co.nz

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Finance opportunity knocks

p4

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Loan-to-value ratio (LVR) rules on residential mortgages are good news for finance

companies and dealerships.That’s the view of Don Atkinson,

head of intermediaries at UDC Finance Ltd, which has returned net after-tax profits of $43 million for the year ending September 30, 2013.

The company’s car loans

increased by 18 per cent during that time and it joined forces with Suzuki New Zealand to provide Suzuki Finance-branded products across its dealer network.

UDC’s profits were up 13 per cent on 2012’s figures driven by continued growth in new lending and revenue – as well as the tight management of costs.

The annual profit of $43m follows $23.8m for the six months to March 31, which in turn was up by 24 per cent on the previous six months.

Atkinson says UDC is happy with its good year and how its dealer network has performed.

“Dealership finance is now seen as a good option, especially with

[continued on page 6]

http://www.jacanna.co.nz

www.autofile.co.nz | 3

editor’s note

Happy Christmas from BeehiveIt has taken two governments

and gone through the fingers and thumbs of far too many

ministers.But the Consumer Law Reform

(CLR) Bill has finally passed its third parliamentary reading, perhaps with some help from Santa, Donner, Blitzen and hard-working elves.

Seriously though, Craig Foss, the Minister for Consumer Affairs, is heralding the bill as a way to “strengthen consumer rights, simplify compliance and ensure consumer protections are clear.”

The CLR is, apparently, this country’s most significant change to consumer law in more than 20 years – but just how important can it be if it has taken about two decades to get onto the statute books? Well, there has been the advent on the internet.

Best of all, the updated laws “align more closely with Australian law – a step in further progressing the government’s single economic market agenda”.

So what, many will shout, especially as the mighty Aotearoa has yet to be towed across the ditch.

Much of the CLR that will affect the automotive sector will be introduced in six months’ time, so set your watches and calendars to roughly June 10, 2014.

There will be new criteria for businesses contracting out of the Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA) and Fair Trading Act (FTA).

The CGA will apply to all transactions – including cars sold by physical or online auctions, or by competitive tender.

Industry concerns have focused on how dealers will sell cheap trade-ins, with more vehicles in this market falling foul of grey traders.

In regards to extended warranties, dealers will need to

explain extra guarantees over and above the CGA when selling them – with customers having the right to cancel within five working days.

Businesses will be banned from making claims about products or services they can’t prove, and dealers will have to identify themselves when selling online.

Some changes are in place now. If you organise finance for goods or services the buyer rejects as faulty under the CGA, you could also be liable for the credit agreement.

The Commerce Commission has compulsory interview powers and management banning orders in its armoury – and fines will also increase substantially for FTA breaches.

The new powers for the commission should be welcomed. If they promote a more efficient way to reel in the dodgy dealers and unregistered traders, it can only be a good thing for the vast majority of the law-abiding and professional motor vehicle industry.

The commission seems to have stepped up enforcement action lately, as has the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment.

The industry probably hasn’t seen the last of the shill bidders. The weeding out unregistered traders – who are selling online, at car shows or on the sides of the roads – is a seemingly endless task.

But the authorities are taking some action and that can only benefit the honest and hard-working members of the industry.

Visit www.autofile.co.nz for more on the CLR and how it will affect car dealers – and don’t forget to sign up for Insight, our wrap-up of what’s happening in the trade.

Darren RisbyEditor

Copyright: Published twice monthly by 4Media, PO Box 6222, Dunedin 9059 All statements made, although based on information believed to be accurate and reliable, cannot be guaranteed, and no liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions. Reproduction of autofile in whole or part, without written permission, whether by xerography or any other means, is strictly forbidden. All rights reserved.

Editor

darren risby editor@autofile.co.nz 021 137 5430

Journalist & onlinE producEr

cameron carpenter cameron@autofile.co.nz

advErtising

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

dEsignEr

adrian payne arpayne@gmail.com

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

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MotoRWEb’s WholEsalE service MotorSale was returned to the shop for an update and a refresh over winter, and our goal is to have the new offering re-released before the end of January.

One of the reasons for removing MotorSale was the introduction of Dealer Dashboard, which gives us the ability to integrate the functionality of both services.

With Dealer Dashboard giving direct access to trader network stock, this will be the platform to list vehicles you wish to wholesale within MotorSale.

Dealers who have registered for MotorSale in the past and set up a profile will see the new service first and receive communications over the coming months outlining its new functionality.

The service has been simplified by removing the complexities of bidding timeframes and text alerts.

MotorWeb now also displays safety and service

recall information from participating manufacturers.

This means if the specific vehicle you check has an outstanding safety or service campaign, the VIR report will notify you with the issue and contact information.

Current manufacturers taking part include Kia, Great Wall, Chery, Nissan, Hyundai and Ford.

Customers who use MotorWeb’s service for paperless MR13B change of ownership transactions during December will receive “free VIR re-checks” if rechecking a vehicle within 30 days.

It’s easy to know if there are no charges for rechecks because the button will display the word “free”.

Anyone who signs up for the MR13B service this month will also receive the promotional offer, which ends on December 31.

From all the team at MotorWeb, we wish our customers a very Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year.

David Boshier

MotorSale to return

tokyo motor show

The boarding time for the Yamanote line train at Ueno was 8am to

get to Shimbashi and catch the Yurikamome – the driverless train – to the Tokyo Big Sight.

If the word “sardines” comes to mind, you’re correct, writes Malcolm Yorston. There was no standing room and commuters were backing onto the train using the door frames to get leverage to pack themselves in.

I wasn’t concerned because, although it was a crush, I was a head taller than most of the commuters so it wasn’t claustrophobic.

Arriving at Kokusai-Tenjijo station on November 21, the

venue for the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show was only a short walk away and after registering it was onto the exhibition halls.

It was obvious alternative energy sources were big on the agenda, with many mainstream vehicles being offered with hybrid technology, including most Lexus and Toyota models.

The “bread and butter” Alphard, Camry, Fielder, Corolla and so on were among the hybrids, as were the biggest sellers in Japan at the moment – the “traditional” Prius and top-selling Aqua.

Many other manufacturers were offering hybrids. Some pure electric vehicles (EVs) were

Future arrives at auto show

displayed, with Tesla making its event debut.

The show’s focus was “smart mobility” with large interactive displays highlighting intelligent vehicle technology – and driverless cars are very much on the agenda over the next few years.

Small personal transport electric-powered solutions were also showcased, including Toyota’s i-Road three-wheeler and Winglet, as well as Honda’s electric mini-car and Uni-Cub.

As the Japanese government has tasked marques to cater for the ageing population, many assisted-mobility vehicles were on show.

They ranged from standard cars with swing-out seats, such as

the Honda Odyssey, to vehicles equipped with rear-entry ramps ranging from large vehicles – for example, Alphards – right down to kei-class units.

One focus was to survey the fitment of electronic stability control (ESC) into mainstream vehicles.

Many of the “engineers” spoken to weren’t aware it was to become mandatory in Japan in October 2014, saying ESC was an optional extra on many – but not all – of their models.

Looking at the illuminated dashboard displays of many cars just reinforced this optional fitting – only about 45-50 per cent of Japanese domestic models displayed had ESC tell-tale lamps.

Nissan’s IDx Freeflow concept

Assisted-mobility vehicles were under the spotight

Blast from the past – a Datsun 14 Roadster

www.autofile.co.nz | 5

Counting numbersAttendance at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show exceeded the previous event by attracting 902,800 visitors – up by seven per cent over 2011 when 842,600 people attended.

Passenger cars on display included 76 world premiere models and 81 Japanese premieres, with 178 companies and 181 brands from 12 countries taking part.

The number of media came to 10,300, up by 10 per cent on 2011’s total of 9,400. For the first time, there was a preview night for 8,600 guests.

The event returned a visitor satisfaction level of 90.1 per cent – the previous show came in at 86.3 per cent – with 86.6 per cent being inclined to visit the next one in autumn 2015.

Visit www.autofile.co.nz for more reports from Tokyo.

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The impression gained from the show was that the Kiwi vehicle fleet was going to change.

At the moment, the biggest users of hybrids in New Zealand are taxi fleets, green corporates and people who have greyer hair than mine – and that’s pretty grey. But this will differ when hybrids become more mainstream.

Toyota proudly presented its concept Jpn Taxi, which is an LPG hybrid. This is the car to replace the ubiquitous crown comfort?

unveiled the Last Pine Tree – a Symbol of Hope, which is made from sheet steel as a reminder of recovery from the disaster.

My overall impression was the show was smaller than Beijing’s, but the quality of presentation was ahead of the Chinese – and the build quality of vehicles in Tokyo seemed better than Chinese-badged units in Beijing.

The 44th Tokyo Motor Show is scheduled for autumn 2015 at the same venue.

EarthquakE mEmorialMobilityscape Tokyo made its debut on November 19 in the lead-up to the main event.

Its theme was the recovery of the country’s automobile industry after the Great East Japan Earthquake and its power of innovation.

Technical specialists from each Japan Automobile Manufacturers’ Association member company

Malcolm Yorston is membership and technical services manager of the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association

Toyota’s electric-powered i-RoadInteresting livery, courtesy

of Mitsubishi and model

Toyota’s concept Jpn Taxi – an LPG hybrid

Toyota’s FCV hydrogen-fueled concept

6 | www.autofile.co.nz

newsnews[continued from page 1]

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changes in the market due to the LVR rules,” he told Autofile.

“There is an opportunity for dealership finance to expand when consumers cannot borrow against their homes or have to conserve their cash for house deposits.”

Consumer and business confidence “increased considerably” and there’s more stock available on the vehicle market, while this year’s relatively low interest rates have assisted businesses.

“We increased lending on the previous year, so we’re happy with 2013’s figures,” says Atkinson.

“While lending margins have been squeezed for the past six months, volumes really accelerated towards the end of the year with UDC probably picking up more market share.

“We have great relationships with Ford and Mazda, and we also teamed up with Suzuki this year. We’re always keen to do more with all of our partners.”

Atkinson is optimistic about next year. From UDC’s perspective, confidence is strong and demographic trends are favourable while more old cars are being scrapped with newer

replacements now being bought.“A rise in Reserve Bank base rates

is being suggested for early next year, so it appears the benign interest rate market may be coming to an end.”

Chief executive officer Tessa Price says UDC has played to its strengths over the past year by building on consistent overall growth.

“Revenue has increased by nine per cent as we have delivered more growth in quality lending with a seven per cent lift in new year-on-year lending,” she says.

This continued into the current financial year with a record month for new loans in October.

In addition to streamlining the business, Price says the results reflect economic growth and that’s now extending to all major sectors.

UDC recorded strong loan expansion in forestry – up by 35 per cent, transport and storage – up 28 per cent, and construction – up by 16 per cent.

“When we’re growing, New Zealand is growing,” she says. “With rising confidence, firms are ready to invest in vehicles, plant and equipment.

“Our focus remains on our core business of financing these requirements and understanding customers’ needs. This will ensure

we’re in the best position to help them tackle growth.”

limitS oN mortGaGESLoan-to-value ratio (LVR) is a measure of how much a bank lends against residential property compared to how much it’s worth.

Borrowers with LVRs of more than 80 per cent are often seen as stretching their budgets and more vulnerable to an economic or financial shock, such as a recession or rise in interest rates.

The rules only apply to mortgages taken out after October 1 and also apply to extensions on

home loans, which could result in more finance for motor vehicles being sought at dealerships.

The restrictions essentially form a speed limit to keep a lid on banks’ high-LVR lending.

The Reserve Bank also wants to tighten rules on property valuations to ensure they meet

minimum standards because different banks have different policies. It’s also reviewing how loans are defined.

The central bank believes the housing market is a risk to financial stability, and has the potential to undermine the banking system and wider economy.

It’s hoped the LVR rules will stabilise the market and reduce the risk of a “disorderly correction” in prices.

The Reserve Bank points out these measures are temporary and will be lifted when risks to financial stability decrease.

Upsides to new lending rules

UDC Finance will be the V8 utes’ title sponsor over the next three seasons in a

deal that extends its arrangement as principal partner – as first reported online at www.autofile.co.nz.

The company sponsored the series for three years with hospitality for clients and hot-lap experiences.

This will continue along

with branding on series Ford and Holden racers, and on championship event signage.

“The new deal is great news for the category and shareholders,” says Paul Isaac, managing director.

“It underpins our philosophy as a series of great racing that provides a high-quality marketing platform for corporate partners.

“We have initiatives in the

pipeline to make the series even more appealing and – with additional drivers and utes confirmed for 2014 – we can look forward to action-packed fields.”

The UDC V8 Ute series is the main support category for the BNT V8 SuperTourers and has also run at the annual V8 Supercars meeting for the past three years.  

“Dealership finance is a good option, especially due to the LVR rules.” – Don Atkinson, UDC Finance

Company supports V8s

Action from this year’s UDC V8 Ute series

To find out more visit www.providentinsurance.co.nzMotorCover is marketed exclusively by Provident Insurance Authorised Dealers.

“Why did I switch to Provident? I know that Provident are full of integrity with Steve Owens at the helm.

It’s not just about the dollars. Steve’s word is his bond. He’ll go the extra mile for the dealer client and the customer.

His support goes above and beyond which is why they’ve earned our loyalty.

Steve’s F&I training set the bench mark for the industry, and we welcome this level of training which ultimately benefits the business.

In this business, when you’re talking finance, it’s as competitive as it’s ever been. Your customer will often have an established relationship with another supplier. The ‘trusted financial advisor’ relationship is a strong feature of what Steve’s F&I training brings to the table. The interpersonal skills are key, and part of the training.”

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cars, it seems logical to encourage compliance. Flagging is last ditch. But we need to think what a WOF’s about and that’s safety, so this is the right move.

“If a wheel nut falls off, it’s logical for that to be rectified. Recalls are usually issued for quite serious matters.”

Everett says the MTA shares notes with the MIA on whatever impacts the industry. “This matter is being driven by the MIA and we’re pretty supportive of its notions.

“It isn’t something that’s a great issue with our members yet and it’s still a concept the government has to fully consider. Then it will go through the normal consultation process.”

A meeting between the MIA, industry advisers from Mitsubishi and Toyota, and officials at the NZTA’s Palmerston North office last month covered improving processes and better managing recall data.

“We have to make certain we have the right data and information, and manage recalls consistently with all MIA members,” says Crawford.

“Recalls are normally initiated by manufacturers and require significant logistical support to implement, including planning to get parts into all countries where the vehicles are sold.

“The distributor here is normally aware of a pending recall, so it could be made easier to lodge that on the NZTA’s website before launching the

actual recall – and making it ready to go when logistics and supplies are in place.

“What happens now is some safety recalls may be issued six weeks or two months before parts arrive, which isn’t good for anyone – the consumer or manufacturer.

“It would be easier if the process with the NZTA is more clearly developed in two stages – a pending recall when information is gathered and prepared, and then a public launch.

“At the moment, all recalls notified become public when the NZTA accepts them, which is a concern if parts are weeks away.”

rECall CoDE oF CoNDuCtMIA members should adhere to procedures for safety defects. How vehicles are to be fixed should take into account urgency, what’s required for repairs and parts availability.

Measures required for recalls include formal dealer advice, press releases, public notices, online updates, freephone numbers, dealer bulletins, notices to owners and advice to the government or its agencies.

Volkswagen recently issued recalls for some models and its direct-shift gearbox (DSG).

In isolated cases with Tiguans built from 2008-11, a fuse may blow with one of two light circuits failing causing light functions to fail.

Some lights remain on and the driver is informed of this on the instrument cluster. The recall involves replacing the fuse with one with a tougher surface coating.

Defects have been found in some Amarok utes’ fuel pipes. To avoid fuel lines being affected, a chafe protector is being installed.

Vehicles with VW’s seven-speed DSG will get transmission oil changes because electric malfunctions could occur by using synthetic lubricant. Using mineral oil will fix the problem.

Visit www.mia.org.nz for more information on safety recalls.

[continued from page 1]

On-road car bans ‘last straw’strategy is to seek for a rule change around recalls,” says Crawford. “In the meantime, there are other things our members can do to better manage the process.”

The MIA and MTA are concerned some vehicles are never taken back to dealers after recalls are issued under the current process, which has developed over time with marques contacting registered owners.

The idea is to ensure the final 10 or 15 per cent are returned to franchises to be checked and, if needed, fixed at no cost to owners.

Most people act quickly, but there are problems with vehicles that cannot be traced and people who fail to respond to recall notices.

The proposal is for unreturned vehicles to be black flagged at the warrant of fitness (WOF) stage with owners given time to take them to dealers. They wouldn’t receive WOFs

until recall inspections are passed.Tony Everett, the MTA’s dealer

services and mediation manager, says: “We agree with the idea to do something to capture up to 20 per cent of people who don’t come forward.

“If a safety risk is known on

“The best strategy is to seek for a rule change around safety recalls.” – David Crawford, MIA

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news

New opportunities beckonStephen Matthews has

witnessed many changes in the industry during his

decade-and-a-half with the Motor Trade Association (MTA) and he’s predicting there will be plenty more over the next five to 10 years.

The 58-year-old stepped down as chief executive officer at the end of November with Rob MacGregor now at the reins.

“The organisation and I need new opportunities,” explains Matthews. “I would have been with the MTA for 15 years come January and that’s a significant period of time.

“With the MTA divesting itself of 60 per cent of VTNZ recently, it was time for the association to refresh itself and go down a new path. It’s all a timing thing. It was time for me to move on.”

ChallENGES FaCiNG iNDuStrYThe Vehicle Licensing Reform

“I set up a working team to – along with our advisers – get the deal to happen, which VTNZ’s board and management supported.”

Matthews describes the inspection industry’s future as uncertain but DEKRA was one of several organisations identified as a trade buyer to add value to VTNZ.

“Some of the reasons for the deal were to do with future returns from investments and for the MTA to remain stable and in liquidity. DEKRA has great resources and VTNZ will continue to evolve.”

Matthews stands by the Hands Off Our WOF campaign – to retain six-monthly inspections on the light passenger fleet – as the right thing to do.

“When an organisation is under pressure, it must represent its members – in our case those selling and servicing cars – and do the right thing for the public.

“The MTA’s campaign was instrumental in getting the

government to change its mind otherwise there would be no six-monthly inspections for vehicles first registered before January 1, 2000.

“If there had been no campaign, there would have been no political will to soften the move away from annual WOFs. That decision was worth about $66 million to our members.

“You can always learn from mistakes but the MTA galvanised the industry, which now needs to move forward.”

Matthews is predicting the automotive sector will dramatically change over the next decade. He can see it rationalising with the VLR acting as an accelerator.

“Cars are getting better all the time as is the public’s attitude to maintenance with our ageing fleet, which will have a bearing.

“We’ll need to see how the collision repair industry is supported by the insurance sector and how much return small businesses get on their capital.

“Sometimes I wonder if our industry does too good a job. I can’t think of many others so great at looking after their customers.”

lookiNG BaCk oN CarEErUnder Matthews’ watch, the MTA has built up its brand and worked to ensure it stands by its values.

“The MTA didn’t have a profile 15 years ago and it’s stronger

(VLR) has had a massive impact on warrants and certificates of fitness (WOFs and COFs) – and the MTA selling a majority share of VTNZ to Stuttgart-based DEKRA.

Matthews supported the deal with the Germans and points out that it was in February he pushed for the MTA boards to move forward.

“It was initially hard to convince them, especially given the MTA was 100 per cent owner,” he reflects.

Rob MacGregor, the MTA’s new chief executive officer, pictured, says he

has taken the job to guide the business through changes and strengthen its membership.

“We need to ensure we have a good quality service and products for members,” he told Autofile.

The MTA’s board recently commissioned an external

review to assess its structure. Over the coming months, it will make improvements to meet short, medium and long-term goals.

The change provides impetus to strategically

review operations “to create sustainable business advantage to members” for the next decade.

“We’re fortunate to have secured

Time for change

Matthews says the vehicle inspection industry has an “uncertain” future

www.autofile.co.nz | 11

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MacGregor, who brings considerable experience in business transition, change management and process improvement,” says MTA president David Storey.

MacGregor says: “We’re in the early stages and there’s a lot more work to do. So far a snapshot has been taken.

“We have to get down to hard work, and understand and align ourselves with members. We should have some more information about this by late January or February.”

MacGregor has taken on the

role after contracting for McConnell Dowell for about four months, and he was with McKechnie Aluminium Solutions Ltd as group business development manager – Australasia from June 2011 until February.

Before that he was CEO and change manager at Kitchen Things Holdings and United Travel Ltd.

MacGregor was CEO of Office Products Depot for just over five years and held the same role at Budget Rent a Car from 2003-05.

He was with Burmah Castrol from 1997 to 2001, before which he was at Firth Industries for 13 years.

financially. It had a budget of $4m a year when I joined. It now has a turnover of $10m.

“Our membership has dramatically changed over the years, but the MTA must keep the brand going.

“I remember when we introduced a $12 monthly levy to build it up at a conference. It wasn’t acrimonious but it was a hard fight. We won the members over and it’s just as well we did.”

Change has been one constant during Matthews’ time with the MTA, but he highlights seeing petrol stations’ margins go up as a major achievement.

“We spent nearly a decade fighting to help them and petrol stations now do relatively okay. It’s a changing landscape with the likes of Z and the industry reforming.”

Matthews stresses it’s essential for small businesses to get returns on capital. Pickings can be thin, but he believes they will get better with good guys at the top and by investing in systems and infrastructure.

“Diversity is required in running a successful and significant business, and the MTA Group has about 1,000 staff turning over about $100m a year.

“It has quality, professional staff with experts in their own right. They add enormous value to the membership.

“Initiatives have built members’ profiles and it has got to the stage where the public actively seeks them out. More than 50 per cent say they would pay a premium to go to MTA members.”

Matthews graduated from the

What’S BECkoNiNG ahEaDMatthews is now planning to take a big break. He has a few ideas but none are concrete.

“I don’t know if I will be in the industry or not. There are some personal interests I would like to pursue and I’ve done nothing with my vintage vehicles since January.

“I’ve got a 1928 Chrysler sedan and 1926 Chrysler Tourer, while I’m building a 1926 Chrysler Tourer from scratch.”

Another of Matthews’ passions is electric vehicles (EVs). He concedes they will be on the fringe for a while,

but notes what some MTA members are doing in this field is incredible. For instance, there’s someone working in his backyard building the technology from scratch.

“In this country, we don’t have the big budgets available they have overseas, but our guys have got tremendous knowledge and thrive on innovation,” enthuses Matthews.

“We have abundant supplies of energy for EVs, so we should embrace this technology especially with pollution and the health issues created by emissions. This is an opportunity to create a solution.”

University of Otago in 1978 and spent 20 years in the oil industry. He then worked for himself for four years before joining the MTA.

He recalls the reason for taking up the role as trying to do something positive for New Zealand.

“As an example, I had an issue with a vehicle and thought I deserved better service. After starting with the MTA, I decided to do something about it and formed the mediation service.

“It now has two professionals talking to the public and supporting our brand.

“This service also helps the industry to recognise its legal responsibility and has a huge bearing on professionalism.”

Matthews says he will miss his staff. It’s obvious from his tone that’s he’s already missing them.

“I’m keen at delegating and have relied on them a lot. The credit for what the MTA has achieved in my time doesn’t rest at my feet but their feet.

“I’ve felt more of a conductor than a driver at times. I’ve always thought so highly of my colleagues.”

“It’s all a timing thing and it was time for me to move on.”

– Stephen Matthews, former CEO of the MTA

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news

12 | www.autofile.co.nz

Shill bidding was ‘premeditated’The manager of a second-

hand car business convicted of shill bidding

logged onto different Trade Me memberships – including one belonging to his ex-wife – to bump up auction prices.

Craig James Rutherford was fined $12,100 after pleading guilty to 11 representative charges of breaching the Fair Trading Act (FTA).

The value of illegal auctions from January 1, 2009, to October 13, 2011, came to $1,232,597.

Rutherford – then manager of Auckland-based Cheapcars NZ Ltd, trading as Repocars – used seven memberships to place bids on 405 auctions run by Repocars from its premises in Leonard Road, Penrose.

Two of them – Trifectacars and Footynum6 – were registered to the defendant, Auckland District Court was told.

A membership called NWalker13 belonged to his partner Nikki Walker, Mel-bell was registered to his Melanie Rutherford, his former wife, and Prekash was Sabin Prekash Lakhan’s, a car dealer known to Rutherford.

The defendant also used memberships of two ex-business associates – Motoroman64 was Andrew Griffin’s while Pbman2 was registered to Philip Morris.

Rutherford was a registered

motor vehicle trader during the charge period but has allowed this status to lapse.

The court heard Rutherford’s shill bidding ensured minimum prices were met in accordance with Repocars’ policy to maximise

profits or minimise losses.“Repocars often sold vehicles on

behalf of other dealers, who would demand a certain minimum price,” the court heard.

Rutherford occasionally bought

vehicles for his own second-hand cars business from Repocars – listed on Trade Me as Trifectacars – but he also used this account for illegal bidding.

The case’s summary of facts states some of the 4,567 shill bids were “auto bids” through an account he opened to automatically outbid others, while 25 auctions used more than one of the memberships.

hoW DEalEr WaS CauGhtTrade Me carried out an investigation in late 2001, which resulted in Repocars’ and Rutherford’s accounts being suspended.

Its analysis of the Footynum6, MotorMan64, Prekash and Trifectacars memberships showed they were accessed from common web browsers also used to list and monitor Repocars’ auctions.

The same four accounts

The team at Autofile would like to thank readers, clients and contributors for their

tremendous support during 2013

Everyone at Autofile wishes you all the best for the festive season and looks forward to

working with you again in the new year

The next issue of Autofile will be published on January 16, 2014

“The defendant undermined fair competition and disadvantaged other traders.”

– Commerce Commission court documents

www.autofile.co.nz | 13

were used to access Trade Me from common internet-protocol addresses used by Repocars as well.

In January 2012, Trade Me complained to the Commerce Commission, which interviewed people involved.

They included Rutherford, Trevor Rooderkerk, the director and owner of Cheapcars, and Sabin Lakhan, the holder of the Prekash membership.

Rutherford admitted to ghost bidding using his memberships and others he accessed. Some memberships were used without the account holder knowing.

“Evidence gathered suggests Rooderkerk wasn’t involved in the day-to-day running of Repocars’ auctions.

“He was often overseas and entrusted Rutherford with the listing and running them. Rooderkerk was in regular contact with Rutherford in respect to running Repocars.”

During the investigation, Rooderkerk denied knowledge of company involvement in shill bidding and said he discouraged it.

In interviews, Rutherford refused to comment or gave few details about his boss’ involvement or knowledge of the law-breaking.

He later provided statements that suggested Rooderkerk was – in fact – aware of the common practice of the shilling bidding and “did nothing to discourage it”.

The court was told: “The statements now provided suggest Rooderkerk instructed Rutherford to achieve a minimum sales price for vehicles, but not that he specifically encouraged shill bidding.

“They further suggest Rooderkerk would have been aware when a vehicle wasn’t sold as a result of shill bidding.”

EXtENt oF oFFENDErS’ aCtioN“The defendant undermined fair competition and disadvantaged other traders,” stated the Commerce Commission.

“In some cases a genuine buyer won the auction, but by the end was only bidding against the shill bidder.

“In other cases consumers paid more than they would have or lost the right to buy because the shill bidder won.

“Representing the reserve at $1, but having an undisclosed reserve price much greater, will have attracted consumers to participate in Repocars’ auctions.”

Rutherford entered guilty pleas on August 8, 2013, with the maximum fine for each of the 11 representative charges being $60,000. A starting point of $18,000 to $23,000 was appropriate with a 25 per cent pleas discount.

“Around 18,000 vehicle auctions are listed on Trade Me at any time,”

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Shill bidding was ‘premeditated’

said the commission. “Fraudulent activity undermines the trust consumers have in auction processes.

“The shill bidding was premeditated and systematic. The defendant used it as a commercial tactic for the gain of Repocars and himself.”

The commission “anticipated Rutherford would argue he was following instructions, or at least if directions weren’t so explicit shill bidding was ‘how auctions were run’ at Repocars”.

But “following instructions” isn’t a defence to criminal charges and isn’t a defence under the FTA.

“It must have been obvious shill bidding involved breaching Trade Me’s rules and distorted the process,” the court was told.

“Whether or not Rutherford was acting on instructions from Rooderkerk, he was the manager. He was personally involved in shill bidding.”

lookiNG at PrEViouS CaSES The commission considered previous cases involving shill bidding on vehicles – the Morrison Car Company Ltd and the Auto Company (Millennium) Ltd.

Morrison’s pleaded guilty to 39 specific charges of shill bidding over 15 months. It also pleaded guilty to 16 charges of failing to display consumer information notices. During the charge period, it sold 167 cars on Trade Me.

There was no information to quantify buyers’ losses, nor any direct effects on them. The $45,000 fine took into account guilty pleas.

The Auto Co pleaded guilty to 13 representative charges over 13 months. It laid more than 7,500 shill bids on at least 530 auctions.

Trade Me identified 141 victims and calculated the loss to those left up against a shill bidder alone as $89,810.

Before being charged, The Auto Co paid $122,174 to Trade Me in reparations for buyers. The end sentence was $42,000.

The commission felt Rutherford’s conduct fell closer to The Auto Co’s scale of offending.

It affected some 400 auctions – more than 10 times Morrison’s and about 25 per cent fewer than 530 in The Auto Co case.

The commission submitted if the defendant was a company rather than an individual, an appropriate starting point for the fine would have been between $60,000 and $75,000.

But since Rutherford was an individual, it submitted a lower starting point.

He had no relevant previous convictions and admitted to the offending to Trade Me and the Commerce Commission.

A 2006 Volkswagen Passat 4Motion

Examples of shill bidding in 2011STarT daTe eNd daTe Car LaST

ShiLL bid SaLe priCe ShiLL bidS

pLaCed

May 4 May 12 1999 Mitsubishi Carisma LS $1,840 $2,840 51

July 7 July 14 1998 BMW 318i $3,080 $4,750 35

March 4 March 15 2006 VW Passat 4Motion $7,050 $11,900 35

June 30 June 30 1994 Mazda Titan 3.0D $2,540 $3,620 30

This is a representative sample of the 406 affected auctions. They relate to ghost bidding on Repocars’ auctions during the charge period.

www.myfinance.co.nz 0800 385 385

a fresh approach to dealer finance

[continued on page 14]

14 | www.autofile.co.nz

Extent of offending exposedIn sentencing Rutherford on

November 21, Judge Field told him: “While I accept there was pressure on you to obtain a minimum price that didn’t include an ability to act in the way you did, which was illegal and immoral.

“Your activities have impacted on Trade Me’s good reputation.”

rEaCtioN to CaSERepocars’ primary business was selling cars through auctions on Trade Me with $1 reserves. To avoid cars being sold too cheaply, Rutherford used Trade Me accounts to make shill bids.

The detriment was the difference between winning bids and the last legitimate bid placed by another Trade Me member. In each case, the buyer was bidding against a shill bidder for the last part of the auction.

Ritchie Hutton, the Commerce Commission’s head of investigations, says: “Shill bidding causes genuine bidders to re-evaluate initial valuations and bid more as it appears they have undervalued goods.

“If tolerated, consumer confidence in Trade Me auctions as a reflection of the true offer and demand for goods could be compromised.”

Trade Me has reminded its members shill bidding is illegal and breaches its terms and conditions.

“We presented the commission with a full picture of the offending,

including a detailed analysis of bidding on Repocars’ auctions,” says James Ryan, of its trust and safety team.

“While noting the contradictory nature of his evidence,

the statement of facts also references Rutherford maintains that Repocars’ owner, Trevor Rooderkerk, ‘was aware of a common practice of shill bidding and did nothing to discourage it’.

“Unfortunately, the company

[continued from page 13]

was placed into liquidation soon after Trade Me made its allegations.

“Due to the hasty liquidation, it’s unlikely victims will get compensation for the money they were misled into paying unless the

former directors do the right thing and voluntarily refund the money.”

Ryan says about $40,000 has been stolen from Trade Me members and he’s unaware of any former Repocars staff making attempts to refund any of that.

TESTINGSTATION.

FREEPHONE OR VISIT US ONLINE FOR A LOCATION NEAR YOU!

0800 GO VINZ www.vinz.co.nz

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Transport Service Delivery Agent for

Specialists in Used Import Certification

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Visit www.autofile.co.nz for more on how the offending was detected and Trade Me’s victim impact statement.

“It’s unlikely victims will get compensation for the money they were misled into paying.” – James Ryan, Trade Me

The Consumer Law Reform (CLR) Bill has passed its final reading, with the

government saying it’s the biggest overhaul in such legislation for more than two decades.

One key amendment to the Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA) will apply to purchases via online sites such as Trade Me and at physical auctions, which is where many dealers on-sell lower-end trade-ins.

That’s something industry members have made representations about because they fear business models will be hit, public-to-public transactions with no CGA protection will boom and more cheapies will get onto the grey market.

New disclosure rules will affect extended warranties and a provision will require traders to substantiate claims made as opposed to the Commerce Commission testing them.

Tony Everett, dealer services and mediation manager at the Motor Trade Association (MTA), believes most of the CLR provisions

have been well-defined and clear. “Industry will need to establish

processes and controls to ensure compliance with new provisions,” he says.

But he feels some areas need clarifying. One example is the requirement for disclosure when selling extended warranties, which are common products in the used vehicle industry.

Under the CLR, dealers must define extra protections over and above those provided under the CGA.

“The difficulty with this is the CGA’s terms of coverage aren’t defined in absolute terms,” says Everett.

Another issue is the need for traders to only identify themselves when selling online via an auction when the consumer can push a button and buy the goods – but not if selling via other means, such as through listings.

“It would seem logical traders declare their positions irrespective of the selling mechanism.”

Law reform concerns

www.autofile.co.nz | 15

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Vehicle categories

VINZ has suggested using the Vintage Car Club’s categories when considering extended

inspection durations. These categories include “veteran” for vehicles made before

December 31, 1918, and “vintage” for those constructed between January 1, 1919, and December 31, 1931.“Post-vintage” applies to vehicles built between

January 1, 1932, and December 31, 1945.Those built between January 1, 1946, and December 31, 1960, are “post-war”. From

January 1, 1961, to December 31, 1980, vehicles are classed as

“post-60”.

Classic cars change cannedThe government has

ignored requests to change the frequency of

inspections on vintage and veteran vehicles.

Industry organisations have called for less frequent warrants of fitness (WOFs) during Vehicle Licensing Reform (VLR) talks.

Annual inspections have been proposed by the Motor Trade Association (MTA), the Bikers Rights’ Organisation NZ (BRONZ), Federation of Motoring Clubs (FOMC) and Low Volume Vehicle Technical Association (LVVTA).

BRONZ says vintage and veteran cars are well-looked after and in the UK pre-1960s vehicles aren’t subject to inspections.

It suggests the WOF is too stringent and the only reason vehicles pass is because inspectors use their common sense.

The AA has suggested annual inspections or a distance-based option, while VINZ has put forward two options to reduce frequencies.

One is concessions for vehicles more than 40 years old by aligning WOFs with vehicle licensing.

The other is using Vintage Car Club (VCC) of NZ categories of veteran, vintage, post-vintage and post-war vehicles for extended inspection durations.

Frank Willett, chief executive officer of VINZ, says vintage cars have relatively low mileages with most maintained by enthusiasts.

“They know their vehicles intimately,” he told Autofile. “They also make up a very small percentage of the fleet.

“Going from six to 12 months will not affect safety and I can see some benefits for the sector.”

Mark Stockdale, senior policy analyst at the AA, says: “We are asking for consideration to be given to annual WOFs for heritage vehicles and for the Ministry of Transport [MoT] to do more work on that.

“There’s a case to be made for

The LVVTA and BRONZ wanted annual WOFs for

vehicles over 30 years old, with BRONZ suggesting no inspection for over-60s.

Similarly, the FOMC felt those made before January 1,

1919, should be exempt from 12-monthly WOFs. The AA felt

vehicles more than 40 years old should be classed as “heritage”.

Commonly, submitters suggested they could be defined as over-30s or over-40s for inspections,

Cars built between January 1, 1919, and December 31, 1931, such as

the 1929 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 SS, are classed as “vintage” by the

Vintage Car Club of NZ

more analysis and the AA could support a different regime if a case was made.”

“Vintage cars in the UK are treated differently,” says Mike Walsh, chief executive of VTNZ. “But I’m not sure the MoT and NZTA want to go down that path.”

David Vinsen, chief executive of the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association, says owners of classics are generally more “au fait with their idiosyncrasies” than any testing regime.

His only concern is with performance-vehicle owners who make backyard modifications and push the boundaries without knowing what’s safe.

“A vintage vehicle may travel 1,000km a year and its owner will intimately know it. Perhaps an annual or two-year WOF for classic cars will realise owners take responsibility for them.”

WhY thE miNiStrY SaiD NoThe MoT says submitters noted when these cars travel large distances they’re often on trailers or carried by other vehicles, and annual inspections were most commonly suggested for them.

while a VCC identity card could be used to show what a vintage

or veteran vehicle is for WOF purposes.

But the government says economic benefits generated by specific arrangements or increased safety risks would be small and would increase implementation costs.

“To change the WOF frequency would constitute a significant change in current policy,” state transport officials.

“Major issues include certification and identification of these vehicles. Further work is needed to ensure there would be no unintended consequences from change.”

0800 7000 44 autoport.netwww.

Avoid locking up cAsh in trAnsit from JApAn And uk

mAking BusinEss EAsY in thE uk

It isn’t easy buying vehicles from the UK when you have to deal with VAT and pay suppliers in advance

you’ve never done business with before. What happens if anything goes wrong? Autoport removes the hassles.Like Japan, dealers want to get vehicles from source.

While some cars on Autoport are from UK dealers, most are from large franchise groups such as Mercedes-Benz,

BMW and Audi, and lease and rental car companies. They supply auction houses, such as BCA, where most UK

dealers buy stock. There’s usually no way to access these cars because suppliers aren’t set up to export, aren’t interested in

discussing terms and don’t want to fund the VAT.

That’s where Autoport comes in with its straightforward process.RAutoport displays an FOB price exclusive of VAT.RAutoport offers a delayed payment service.

RIndependent inspectors verify the vehicle is as described.RAutoport container ships each Monday, door to door.

RCustoms clearance is completed.RThe vehicle is sent for compliance.

All vehicles are valeted in the UK meaning they should be close to yard-ready – apart from a quick clean – after compliance. And Autoport UK Ltd pays the VAT

on vehicles, so there’s no delay and no problem getting them from sellers. If you want to get some UK or Japanese vehicles or need advice,

call Lachlan Wilkinson on 027 266 3030 or Autoport’s office on 0800 7000 44.

Autoport is calling for dealers to get in touch to try out a new product for improving cash flow when buying cars from the UK and Japan.

The deferred payment service is being soft launched this month with Autoport keen for a few importers looking to buy three or four units each to trial it before it’s fully launched in the new year.

To apply, please email cash@autoport.net and tell us the types of vehicles you’re looking to import including make, model, year and FOB value. We’ll contact you with more information, the process and what to do next.

The service avoids money being tied up during transit, which can be about 30 days from Japan or 60 days from the UK.

Dealers who sign up need only pay 20 per cent up front to secure stock with the other 80 per cent payable after the vehicle is complied.

After signing up – and you don’t have to sign away your house, right arm or first born because Autoport requires no personal or asset security – you’re covered for current and future purchases with some conditions applying.

brakes slammed on levy cutsMotor vehicle account

(MVA) levies, which are included in registration

and petrol prices, will remain unchanged because the system isn’t yet fully funded.

However, the government expects to bring in reductions from July 1, 2015, says ACC Minister Judith Collins.

The decision goes against a recommendation by ACC for MVA levy cuts for 2014/15.

It was proposed to drop levies for light passenger vehicles by more than $92 a year for those with the best safety ratings.

The idea was put forward earlier this year after ACC received feedback that all motorists should benefit from its improved financial position.

The reductions were also backed by the Motor Industry Association and Motor Trade Association.

The cabinet has, however,

agreed in principle to introduce ratings based on crash safety results, so levies more closely reflect risks associated with different cars.

This would mean charges paid by owners being aligned with vehicle safety to reinforce the message that it’s better to own a safer car.

Passenger vehicles will be split into four groups, and there would be an unrated group that would pay the average levy because some of the newest vehicles will not yet have safety ratings.

This will not be implemented until July 1, 2015, to align with any MVA changes for 2015/16 with decisions made next year after more consultation.

Meanwhile, the goods service vehicles levy reduction split for commercial vans, utes and light trucks came into effect on December 2.

The levy for vehicles of less than 3,500kg has been cut from $383.02 to $355.59 for petrol-

driven units and from $467.08 to $355.59 for diesels.

The government believes this will put money into the pockets of small to medium-sized business owners.

It will be welcome news for those involved in the rebuild of Canterbury, where there were nearly 2,200 new utes registered last year.

Companies with fleets of five or more heavy trucks can now apply to join ACC’s Fleet Saver programme,

which offers lower levies to reward good road-safety practices.

Collins’ announcements also covered other ACC accounts. Workers and employers will pay $387 million less in levies in 2014/15.

Average households can expect to keep about $200 each year. Small businesses will be around $180 better off and larger employers will receive, on average, a $6,000 reduction.

Collins says the government is on-track for further levy cuts in 2015/16 as signalled in this year’s budget.

“It’s important New Zealand maintains fiscal credibility by reducing pressure on the exchange rate and interest rates to ensure private sector growth and investment are supported,” she says.

The new rates will be in place for the ACC year that starts on April 1, 2014.

Judith Collins, ACC Minister

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www.autofile.co.nz | 17

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Changes will be made to consumer information notices (CINs) – it’s just

a matter of what shape they will take but no timescales have be put in place.

As first reported by Autofile on November 7, three options to tackle issues for vehicles “imported as damaged” have been tabled by government officials.

They have been prepared by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) for Craig Foss, the Minister of Consumer Affairs.

A reported obtained by Autofile says options include removing details about imported-damaged vehicles from CINs, making information on imports more meaningful and expanding CINs to include structural damage – whether it happened here or overseas.

The report was compiled at Foss’ request following media claims of loopholes being exploited to avoid used imports being flagged.

Any changes are likely to be

hastened by about 500 write-offs being imported from Australia under the NZTA’s radar – as revealed by Autofile on October 19.

A government spokesman says progress is being made, options are being investigated and more consultation is taking place.

The Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association (IMVIA), Commerce Commission and NZTA are among those taking part in discussions.

When any changes to CINs will be made is undecided. “We don’t have any timescales, we’re looking at more consultation and expect more information from officials,” the spokesman says.

Foss has made no decisions on what the changes might be. It’s also unknown when any changes might be made but they appear to be some time off.

“This review will probably take two years to make any changes,” David Vinsen, chief executive of the IMVIA, said in September.

Timescale undecided

departments and other bodies.“Our customers really

understand this and will continue to have access to important IMVIA data, and its highly valued assistance and services.”

While numbers were down a little this year at this year’s festive functions, Davies says clients’ enthusiasm remains strong.

“The parties went well and everyone had a good time,” he says. “All of the dealers, except one, reported a good year.”

Meanwhile, the IMVIA has thanked its sponsors for their continued support.

“The association has finished this year in a strong position, both financially and organisationally,” says chief executive David Vinsen.

“We have a strong team and executive members. The association enjoys a high level of support from all of its sponsors, which are providers of services to the industry.

“We’re particularly thankful to AUTOHUB, which surveyed its customers about its $5 donation per car. They replied this should continue and overwhelmingly support it.

“This all sets the IMVIA up in a good position to start next year. The support we’ve received this year has been humbling, gratifying and satisfying.”

AUTOHUB will continue to financially support the Imported Motor Vehicle

Industry Association (IMVIA). The logistics company is

donating $5 for every vehicle it imports and it will handle about 40,000 units this year, while its clients are also behind the funding initiative.

The results of a survey show most of AUTOHUB’s customers either strongly support or very strongly support the contribution, with only one customer out of 70 disagreeing.

Managing director John Davies highlighted the IMVIA’s importance during the company’s Christmas party tour of the country, which started at Sorrento in the Park, Auckland, on November 22, before taking in Dunedin, Christchurch, Palmerston North and Napier.

“We’ve taken on a lot of responsibility for car dealers, such as dealing with agents, shipping and so on,” Davies told Autofile.

“They now don’t see many of the issues and problems because, to a large extent, AUTOHUB and other service providers have conspired to take IMVIA custom.

“But the industry and dealers still need the IMVIA, so it’s essential that we all support its important work. After all, dealers no longer have to deal with government

Spreading some seasonal cheer

Danny Knight, Blair Howard and Keisuke Nagashima at AUTOHUB’s festive function in Dunedin

18 | www.autofile.co.nz

Industry moversPHIL SAUNDERS was appointed to the position of national sales manager for Nissan New Zealand effective on December 1 after joining the company in July as business development manager.

His appointment recognises his past achievements in the UK where he was general manager for the Marshall Motor Group and general/brand manager for Vindis Skoda.

Saunders replaces Brett Aspden, who has left the business to pursue other interests.

DAVID SMITH has secured a general manager’s role with Andrew Simms Newmarket in Auckland – the site retails Mitsubishi, Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Great Wall and Chery.

Smith is well-known in the network for his role as general manager of DaimlerChrysler New Zealand and Continental Cars – Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge.

DAVID LINKLATER has been re-elected as president of the New Zealand Motoring Writers’ Guild.

Damien O’Carroll has been re-elected as vice-president, with Robert Barry remaining as secretary for an eighth consecutive term.

TOMMY BENADIE has been appointed as branch service manager for Truck Stops in Manukau.

He was previously commercial vehicle operations manager at Fleet Partners.

KELLY ALLEN has moved to the BMW Group’s marketing team in the role of integrated marketing executive.

She was previously a member of the marque’s corporate communications team. 

LINDSEY BIRNIE has taken over the media liaison role for Toyota NZ and Lexus, with Vanessa Millard moving to Melbourne on secondment.

Birnie has an extensive background in journalism including newspapers and has experience in public relations.

PHILIP FOX has joined Cable Price as team leader of its product distribution centre. He was previously employed at VTNZ.

CablePrice is the only authorised dealer for Hitachi construction machinery, Scania trucks and buses, and John Deere construction and forestry equipment in the country.

GRAEME HAWKINS, director, has been appointed acting chairman of Ports of Auckland Ltd (POAL) after Richard Pearson announced he intended stepping down when his term expires this month.

Rodger Fisher has been appointed as a new director and the re-appointment of incumbent director Wayne Walden has been reappointed.

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

STRONG INcREASES IN NEW vehicle – and light and heavy commercial – registrations this year have been a welcome outcome of our improving economy.

Heavy equipment and farm machinery sales have also started to rise, with reports showing 2013 could be biggest year for vehicle sales since records began 32 years ago.

Dealers are now reporting more after-sales activity. More sales translates into more pre-deliveries, warranty and service work.

The recent Vehicle Licensing Reform was tipped by some to produce mass redundancies for automotive technicians involved in inspection work. This hasn’t happened.

The removal of these technicians from the essential skills lists was going to occur in December 2013.

We understand this will now occur in March, ironically the biggest month of the year for technical automotive job listings and more than 500 technical automotive vacancies are advertised on job boards monthly.

When Automotive Employment NZ challenged the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment as to why automotive technicians will be removed from the essential skills lists, the answer reflected a desire to increase the number of apprentices.

While this is desirable, many employers have been working on strategies to do exactly this for the past few years.

A call to the Motor Industry Training Organisation (MITO) identified the following as aiming for a level-four automotive engineering qualification – 1,245 students in 2009, 1,161 in 2010 and 1,463 in 2011.

While figures for 2012 and 2013 weren’t requested, we’re

advised the industry has stepped up further to show a real thirst for training. This occurred before threats to remove technicians from the shortages lists.

The government’s “reboot package”, which provides incentives for employers to train apprentices, has contributed and – for any three-year period – there are some 4,000 students taking level-four qualifications. Next year will see another lift in the numbers.

As an industry, we’re still growing faster than we can train the skills, and shortages are a problem even given work being done by MITO and the government with apprenticeships.

For those who don’t understand why removing technicians from the skills lists will significantly impact the industry, less supply will fuel an all-out war to secure skills encouraging massive increases in pay rates.

This is great for technicians but companies will need to review strategies on how to pass on costs and potential impacts.

Immigration advisers tell us residency and work visas will be more difficult to achieve for migrants. It may not be impossible to import these technical skills, but it will prove taxing for immigration case officers and hiring managers.

Even if the essential skills lists removal can be overturned in the face of evidence of shortages, it could take a year for this to occur according to advisers.

Our recommendation for 2014 is to once again step up and increase the rate of training apprentices.

Automotive Employment NZ will further invest in attracting local talent and supplementing this activity, and four new immigration advisers have been appointed.

Russell Phillips

nZ labour market report DEC 2013in association with Automotive Employment NZ Ltd

www.autofile.co.nz | 19

November s t a t i s t i c s

*in November on Trade Me Motors

Most popular car makes searched*

1 Toyota 2 Nissan 3 Ford4 Holden 5 Mazda

Most popular car models searched*1 Corolla 2 Hilux3 Falcon 4 Skyline5 Commodore

Most popular body styles searched* 1 RV/SUV 2 Ute 3 Sedan 4 Station wagon5 Hatchback

Most popular makes of motorbike searched*1 Honda 2 Harley-Davidson 3 Suzuki 4 Yamaha5 Triumph

A black, five-door 2005 6L V8 Hummer H2 was listed with an asking price of $75,000. The seller says: “I used it for my real estate business and have purchased a truck for my building interests. I simply do not use the vehicle.”

If the answer’s “no”, then it’s probably time to explore the

reasons why.How much time do

you spend creating listings? Do you take the same time and care with them as you would if you were speaking with a buyer on the yard?

Or do you rush through thinking, “I don’t have time for this”.

If it’s the latter, you could try thinking of Trade Me Motors as a sales tool or “digital sales person” rather than a website.

Believe it or not, I’ve seen listings come through with one word in the comments field, such as “sedan”.

If you were showing the vehicle to a potential buyer in person, would you point at it and say nothing more than “sedan”, or would you talk through its features from top to bottom?

Online it’s sometimes easy to forget that behind the computer screen is the same person looking to buy – and wanting the personal touch and to be told why the car is worth considering.

Our data shows that listings with more than 50 words in the description stay on the site for 15 days on average. Those with less than 50 words remain for an average of 35 days.

This is a significant difference and highlights why descriptions “sell” listings.

Buyers are internet savvy these days. Most do research, compare

vehicles and create shortlists of options before contacting sellers.

This means it’s vital to include as much information as possible in listings so cars make the shortlist.

Gone are the days when buyers phoned around multiple people for basic information.

If you’re selling specialised vehicles or machinery, don’t fall into the trap of assuming people looking at these items are experts and know what they’re looking for.

Take the guesswork out for them – list if it has a tow bar, weight capability and so on. With most Kiwis visiting Trade Me, you never know who’s looking for what or why.

Good photographs are essential. Just like us, vehicles have bad sides so move them away from others – and to somewhere with a nice or plain background.

Try to park each vehicle in the same area for consistency and use all 20 image spots in listings so

buyers feel they’ve seen it from every angle, inside and out.

Listings with three or more photos generate double the page visits than those with less.

Pay attention to the little things when taking photos – straighten up the wheels and shut the bonnet because

nobody wants to buy a car that has to be jump-started.

It’s also important to strike while the iron’s hot, and there are several factors that can slow or stop your listing getting through to Trade Me Motors.

When creating a listing, it pays to fill in as many relevant fields as possible.

If one comes through missing key or mandatory information, we may not have enough information to push it through to the website and it will sit in limbo until those details are added.

Listings with information in breach of terms and conditions

also face a delay in getting online. We now have someone on-

board who’s policing listings to help ensure we keep our promise of treating all users fairly and keeping them on a level playing field, with listing comments and photos checked.

We’re actively policing keyword spamming, which is when the seller lists keywords that have nothing to do with the item or items for sale.

This interferes with search results and potential buyers get frustrated – they have searched for something specific, yet screeds of unrelated results come up.

We’ll be looking at contact details, which should be in the “dealer’s details” box – and not the comments section.

Comments should include as much information as possible about the item for sale to keep browsers engaged and boost inquiry levels.

We will also be taking action against $0 listings and much more. Users breaching of our terms and conditions will be contacted and repeated failure to comply will

result in listings being removed until they are corrected.

Trade Me Motors has rules in place to keep potential buyers engaged and coming back. This is important to dealers and businesses because the more eyes that are on listings, the more inquiries will come.

Are car listings working out for your business? by Natalie beckham

dealer support manager natalie.beckham@trademe.co.nz

20 | www.autofile.co.nz

ALWAYS TALK TO CUSTOMERSThe IMVIA advises dealers to always try to negotiate with the buyers and organise meetings with them to explain everything openly.

It seems this buyer was advised to go all the way by a “valuation expert” and she took that as gospel. In this case, the dealer acted properly and in good faith at all times.

Follow procedures at hearings

The iMvia Technical report is proudly brought to you by leading certifi cation service provider, viNZ

from the trade and for the trade

on March 19 because the repairs were minor and complied with flag-lifting criteria.

Morrison approved flag removal on the repair certification document, but through an oversight it didn’t come off at the time.

Linderboom bought the Swift for $13,000 on April 26, 2013 and the consumer information notice (CIN) showed it wasn’t imported damaged.

Its reverse side contained “important information” for consumers and one item that must appear is an explanation of a damaged vehicle.

The CIN stated: “Land Transport NZ records whether or not imported used vehicles had any obvious structural damage or deterioration identified at time of importation.

A decision reached by the Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal shows how

important it is to get everything right, how to set your case down and how imperative it is to follow the correct procedures.

The matter of Candice Linderboom and Crystal Car Wholesalers Ltd, of Otahuhu, South Auckland, shows that if something has been overlooked, the situation can often be rectified.

At the hearing on October 21, at which I represented the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association (IMVIA) as a witness for the dealer, the buyer said her 2006 Suzuki Swift was imported damaged and the flag was still on it when she purchased it.

Linderboom contacted the dealer, who explained all repairs had been completed but the flag must have been accidentally left in place, an oversight that was then rectified on the NZTA’s database.

aPPliCatioN iN DEtailThe tribunal considered if the dealer misrepresented the car and if so what remedy was appropriate.

The trader was aware the Swift was damaged when it bought it in Japan. Prior to being shipped, it was inspected by JEVIC NZ Ltd on November 28, 2012. The vehicle was flagged for damage to its left-front door, sill/rocker panel and dogleg.

Repair certifier Duncan Morrison oversaw work done by OM Panel & Paint on March 7 for $700, and issued a repair certificate

MALCOLM YORSTONIMVIA Membership and

Technical Services Manager

tech report

Linderboom was misled by the CIN into thinking the car hadn’t been imported damaged, even though repairs were minor and properly repaired at relatively little cost before supply.

The tribunal can vary or declare void contracts in respect to section 43(2) of the Fair Trading Act (FTA), order a refund or for losses to be paid.

But this only applies when “the person in whose favour the order is contemplated must have suffered, or be likely to suffer, loss or damage as a result of misleading conduct”.

Linderboom’s report from Car Valuations NZ Ltd valued the Swift “imported-damaged flagged” when sold with an odometer reading of 108,754km as $8,750 – or $4,250 less than she paid. But no value with the flag removed was given.

The buyer obtained two valuations which, although she didn’t produce them at the hearing, were produced by the trader.

Wheels on Wairau Sales Ltd valued the car “undamaged with 108,000km” on the clock at $13,000. Autostation reported the odometer as 114,102km and a $13,000 market

price “in good condition”.These valuations showed

with the flag removed the consumer suffered no loss. The tribunal ruled the buyer had no remedy under the FTA and her application

to declare the sale contract void was

dismissed.

A 2006 Suzuki Swift similar to the one flagged

“However, the extent of the damage isn’t recorded. Damage that may have occurred in New Zealand is also not recorded.

“You may wish to have a vehicle checked by a person with mechanical knowledge

before you buy.”On September 2, Linderboom

decided to trade in the Swift. She took it to Enterprise Motors and was distressed when told it was flagged. She contacted the dealer for a refund.

The trader contacted Morrison who arranged for the flag to be removed from the NZTA’s system, but Linderboom insisted it was irrelevant that the damage had been inspected and repaired with the flag removed.

She was concerned the car might have had other faults that could manifest in the future and said she wouldn’t have bought it had she known it was imported damaged.

The tribunal was satisfied

JEVIC NZ 09 966 1779 www.jevic.co.nzNew Zealand

Japan

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Specialists in Pre Shipment Inspections Full Border Inspections  Biosecurity Inspections

 Structural Inspections Odometer Verification

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www.autofile.co.nz | 21

There have been some big changes

in the insurance industry over the past year – especially for companies that deliver products to the motor vehicle sector.

Purchases, mergers, new entrants and exits seemed to be constant during 2013, while this year was a period of large growth for Protecta.

With more than 100 new motor vehicle and motorcycle dealers signing up, and being chosen as the provider for Nissan Insurance, it has been a busy year.

After 26 years of supplying insurance products to the motor vehicle industry in this country, we’re very proud of this result.

Employing new staff and investing heavily in IT systems has also meant we’ve been able to maintain high standards of service while preparing for whatever the future brings.

Our focus on providing competitive and innovative products – alongside our track record and commitment to training customers to achieve higher profitability – remain our cornerstones and these will continue into 2014.

Next year, we expect more significant growth and we have developed plans to ensure this happens.

Apart from the insurance business, Protecta and our fantastic staff have been actively involved in raising money for some great causes and charities.

These include the Women’s International Motorcycling Association’s Pink Ribbon Ride for Breast Cancer Research, Westpac Rescue Helicopter, Canteen, Oxfam, Auckland City Mission, Daffodil Day and Dry July.

We have dressed up, raffled, attended, supported and sponsored these and other great causes this year.

Even Andrew Shearer, our assistant claims manager, is a member of The Charity Pirates, a charity that does a magnificent job raising money for in-need and disadvantaged children.

We commend and thank him and all our staff for the dedication

they show to Protecta and helping the wider Kiwi community.

This year, along with NZV8 and Classic Car magazines, we launched Caffeine & Classics.  

This brunch-style event is held in Takapuna on Auckland’s North Shore on the last Sunday of each month and is open to all types of classic vehicles.  

Owners of motorcycles, hot rods, muscle, vintage and classic cars, in fact everyone with a vehicle they’re passionate about, are welcome to come along.

It has now grown to probably be the largest monthly car event in New Zealand.

Now the public are getting involved and going along to the venue at Columbus Coffee to check out the wide variety of vehicles that turn up each month.

As a motor insurance specialist, we’re proud of our employees and their motoring interests, which are wide and varied.

They include Walter Rands-Trevor. He’s returning to the Bonneville Salt Flats to mount another challenge on the motorcycle speed record in August.

Walter looks after our motorcycle insurance product and there’s no better person for knowledge and passion to do this. We wish him the best of luck.

From all of the team at Protecta, have a very Merry Christmas and prosperous New Year. Travel safe, enjoy the festive season and see you all in 2014.

RAY MehARgNational sales manager

Freephone: 0800 435 7868 contact@protecta.co.nz • www.protecta.co.nz

Committed to Adding

Value to Your Business

What a year and another beckons

f & i stats

17%  

12%  

13%  

9%  

41%  

14%  

22%  

16%  

43%  

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50% 55%

Fina

nce

Paym

ent

prot

ectio

n GA

P In

sura

nce

MBI

New  

Used  

Best result $1,455Worst result $370

PROTECTA Nationwide F & I resultsNovember 2013

22 | www.autofile.co.nz

regional report

A few years ago, Bryce Campbell had a “cars wanted” sign on the gate

to his dealership to attract people who needed to sell up before crossing the ditch.

But the tide has turned, with the director of Bryce Campbell Car Sales saying many are returning and need some wheels.

Tauranga is now one of the fastest-growing cities in New Zealand with a population of 115,700.

Beautiful beaches and a warm climate make it a popular spot for over-60s, who represent 22 per cent of the region’s population, but the

grey-hair demographics are changing. Andrew Coker – the chief

executive of Priority One, Tauranga’s economic development organisation – says many people return from overseas and choose the area as a place to live and start a family.

After holding down an electorate seat in Tauranga since 1984, Winston Peters, of New Zealand First, was ousted in 2005.

And Mark Mills, chief executive officer of Pacific Toyota, points to that as a sign of the area’s changing demographics. He has also seen them change at the dealership.

“There’s a swing from having just

the older retired folk buying a Yaris or Corolla,” he told Autofile. “There are more families, 40 to 50-year-olds with kids and a successful business or career buying SUVs.

“We’ve seen phenomenal growth and Tauranga has grown considerably. Our turnover has increased by five times since we brought the franchise.”

It’s now Toyota’s seventh largest dealership for new vehicle sales and Mills puts this down to a combination of population growth and a change in the way it was run when it was taken over from Right Cars Group.

“Pacific Toyota was one of the Miles Group’s first ventures out of Christchurch with aspirations of growth, new training policies and uncompromising standards.”

The dealership was given the Motor Trade Association’s

supreme award for best overall business in Tauranga last year.

FaCtorS BooStiNG GroWthA strong export sector driven by forestry products, dairy and kiwifruit are fuelling the city’s economy and helping to make the

Port of Tauranga New Zealand’s largest for exports.

In the past financial year, trade increased by three per cent with strong growth in log and dairy product volumes boosting export growth to six per cent.

There’s also been an emphasis on

bringing more businesses to the city, which is part of Coker’s role at Priority One.

Japanese electronics company Brother is the latest addition and the company will relocate 40 staff, while a large Auckland software company

UsEd Car salEs FOr TaUranga - nov 2012 to nov 2013

Trader To pUbLiC

pUbLiC To pUbLiC

pUbLiC To Trader ToTaL Trader To

pUbLiC %pUbLiC To pUbLiC %

pUbLiC To Trader %

Nov ‘12 934 1834 661 3429 27.2% 53.5% 19.3%

Dec ‘12 741 1636 494 2871 25.8% 57.0% 17.2%

Jan ‘13 778 1724 570 3072 25.3% 56.1% 18.6%

Feb ‘13 774 1734 602 3110 24.9% 55.8% 19.4%

Mar ‘13 768 1750 574 3092 24.8% 56.6% 18.6%

Apr ‘13 782 1985 581 3348 23.4% 59.3% 17.4%

May ‘13 953 1994 669 3616 26.4% 55.1% 18.5%

Jun ‘13 820 1762 563 3145 26.1% 56.0% 17.9%

Jul ‘13 939 1998 679 3616 26.0% 55.3% 18.8%

Aug ‘13 864 1931 670 3465 24.9% 55.7% 19.3%

Sept ‘13 797 1707 537 3041 26.2% 56.1% 17.7%

Oct ‘13 853 1897 538 3288 25.9% 57.7% 16.4%

Nov ‘13 928 1790 579 3297 28.1% 54.3% 17.6%

annual total 10,003 21,952 7,138 39,093 25.6% 56.2% 18.3%

increase on Nov 2012 -0.6% -2.4% -12.4% -3.8%

National YTd average

24.6% 56.6% 18.8%

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The Port of Tauranga

More than sunshine and beaches

“We’ve seen phenomenal growth and Tauranga has grown.” – Mark Mills, Pacific Toyota

www.autofile.co.nz | 23

in building and not so much to farmers, showing the effects of PSA are lingering.

Nevertheless it’s an industry on the rebound according to Coker, of Priority One.

Zespri’s launched its Gold3 strand last year, which has shown a good level of resistance to the virus. But PSA is still set to cost the kiwifruit industry several hundred million dollars over the next five to 15 years.

Bryce Campbell’s dealership has been in Tauranga for more than 11 years and he has seen some traders fail.

“Tread very carefully, a lot of out-of-towners have failed because Tauranga is a unique and hard market,” he warns.

“There’s a really large number of dealers for the public to choose from.”

is also interested in relocating. Coker says Priority One is

fielding one inquiry a week from businesses looking to make the move to the city.

“The key aspect is that we have New Zealand’s largest and most efficient port, plus lots of industrial land,” he says. “We’re also the first city to get ultra-fast broadband and there’s a great lifestyle here.”

Business growth in the region is illustrated by job statistics on Trade Me. Between June and September, the number of vacancies increased by 13 per cent compared to the same time last year.

Building consents in the region have been on the rise too. The total number of consents rose to 191, again up on last month’s 147 and the 138 recorded in October 2012.

Developments – such as a $9 million warehouse, rest home and 12 serviced apartments – are driving the surge in consents, which is also benefiting the commercial vehicle market.

Mike Sheaff, managing director

of Sheaff Vehicles, which sells used cars and holds the franchise for SsangYong, says: “Over the past couple of months our ute sales have picked up again with some builders out there.

“They are more confident and spending a bit more money. We’re averaging 50-50 between new and used, whereas two years ago 25 per cent of our stock sold would be new.”

There are plans to build an inner-city campus with the council joining forces with Waikato University, Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi to extend the range of degree programmes on offer in the city by 2018. They currently focus on marine sciences.

“Twenty-five years ago, most of the young people left town and it was a lot harder to get them back,” says Campbell. “The university brings out-of-towners in too.”

DirE timES DuriNG CriSiSTauranga’s current growth comes after the region was hit hard by the global financial crisis (GFC).

“The whole economy is stronger than it has been since the GFC,” says Campbell. “In 2009, car sales were hurt really badly.

“During some months in 2008, the market was down by 40 per cent. It has gradually improved and more people have needed to change cars.”

The dire times were amplified when the PSA virus hit the kiwifruit industry in 2010.

The fruit makes up 20 per cent of the region’s GDP and the PSA outbreak caused tremors across the wider economy. This year exports of kiwifruit dropped by 16 per cent.

Pacific Toyota’s Mark Mills says most commercial vehicles are now being sold to those working

VEHIClE salEs In CITY

USed CarS

NeW CarS

USed CoMMS

NeW CoMMS

Nov ‘12 267 248 18 63

Dec ‘12 284 180 12 53

Jan ‘13 305 243 19 76

Feb ‘13 228 257 11 78

Mar ‘13 301 257 20 91

Apr ‘13 306 284 19 94

May ‘13 350 257 10 101

Jun ‘13 300 266 16 135

Jul ‘13 356 304 15 89

Aug ‘13 319 271 28 104

Sept ‘13 308 265 20 126

Oct ‘13 290 270 31 120

Nov ‘13 364 206 25 128

annual total 3711 3060 226 1195

increase on Nov 2012 36.3% -16.9% 38.9% 103.2%

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regional report

Sand, surf and historyTauranga means “safe anchorage”. It’s the landing place of Takitimu, Tainui and Mataatua – some of the earliest canoes from Polynesia.

The Bay of Plenty was named by James Cook after he noticed abundant food supplies at several Māori villages.

AC/DC’s drummer Phil Rudd lives in the city where he runs a seafood restaurant called Phil’s Place.

Tauranga has 68 car dealerships listed in the Yellow Pages.

Bryce Campbell Car Sales’ vehicle yardMike Sheaff, owner of Sheaff Vehicles

To adverTise here, conTacT:

Vehicles wanted

Ph 021 455 775 advertising@autofile.co.nz

dealers buyIng now NeWS in briefCrash-avoidance system scoops top safety ratingSubaru’s driver-assist system has been rated highly for front crash prevention by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), with the Legacy sedan and Sport version of the Outback the only cars to receive the top score of six points.

They were among seven out of 74 vehicles in the US to receive the “superior” rating for models with auto-braking systems, such as Subaru’s EyeSight. It’s available here on Legacy six-cylinder models, three Outback models and the Forester Premium and XT variants.

Windscreen cameras process images to identify vehicles travelling in front, traffic lanes or obstacles. Information is relayed to the computer, which is networked to the braking system and electronic throttle control.

Below about 30kph, EyeSight can detect pedestrians ahead and activates to mitigate or avoid collisions. Visit www.autofile.co.nz to find out more.

Aluminium used in body shell to bolster protectionThe all-new Maserati Ghibli, which arrives in Australasia in the second quarter of 2014, has secured the IIHS’ top safety pick.

The rating is based on a frontal test, side impact with a large SUV or 1.5-tonne pick-up, front moderate overlap impact at 64kph, roof-crush similar to a rollover and a rear collision capable of inducing whiplash.

The car’s front and rear crumple zones are made of extruded aluminum. A third load path to the front distributes forces to bolster the body structure’s stability in frontal impacts, while the doors and engine and luggage compartments are built from aluminum.

The Ghibli, pictured, recorded the highest rating of “good” and also has five Euro NCAP stars. Visit www.autofile.co.nz for a video of its wind-tunnel test and a round-up of new vehicles’ safety ratings.

Skyline takes on new identity to rival European carsInfiniti-badged vehicles are making their Japanese debut for Nissan, with the marque wanting to compete with European manufacturers.

The redesigned Skyline sedan will sport the badge. It’s a hybrid with new safety features, such as emergency braking and a collision-warning system.

Infiniti accounts for about 3.5 per cent of Nissan’s global sales. The US is its biggest market with about 70 per cent of 172,615 units sold in the past financial year.

John Manley, Nissan NZ’s managing director, says: “Nissan Australia has launched Infiniti, so we’re seeing how it performs. It would have to be set up as a separate entity in New Zealand. I wouldn’t rate that happening in the next two years as high.”

Stay informed online at www.autofile.co.nzThe Commerce Commission has released guidelines for “overseas “requests for compulsorily acquired information and investigative assistance”. Co-operation between countries increases the likelihood of illegal conduct being dealt with, such as Fair Trading Act breaches.

Mini is moving across the road from its current site in Newmarket, Auckland. Expected to open in May, the new dealership will have a showroom, used-car facility, service centre, lifestyle boutique and café.

A Japanese team is claiming a world record for the distance driven on a single charge by an electric vehicle (EV). The converted Suzuki Every travelled 1,300km on a 25km course – or 300km more than Japan EV Club’s 1,003.2km in 2010.

ALWAYS BUYING GOOD NZ NEW VEHICLES

Call Guy Walker 021 992 048

VEHICLES WANTED

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

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

Mitsubishi • Mercedes Benz • Honda Hyundai • Isuzu Utes

SsangYong • Great WallWe purchase NZ new cars & commercials.

All makes & models. Anywhere in NZ.Karl Briggs 0274 721 551 karl.briggs@inghamgroup.co.nz

www.inghamdriven.com

Contact Gareth 021660180 gareth@southcitymotors.co.nz www.317.co.nz

Buying: Vans, Utes, Light Trucks. Nationwide.

Brett Harris 029 293 1232 Brett@FarmerAutoVillage.co.nz www.farmerautovillage.co.nz

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www.autofile.co.nz | 25

news

Close-run race to claim titleThe Volkswagen Golf saw

off stiff competition to drive off with the title of

New Zealand Car of the Year at a ceremony hosted by the AA and the NZ Motoring Writers’ Guild.

The Golf beat nine other finalists to claim the coveted Peter Greenslade Trophy at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre.

“It’s fantastic to win this award,” said Michael Cope, marketing manager of Volkswagen NZ. “This goes back to our colleagues in the factory. Thanks for a great night.”

“The NZ Car of the Year committee, of guild members and the AA, selected the top 10 finalists,” explained MC Mark Sainsbury.

“Congratulations to the Golf and to the VW team and big congratulations to the best-in-class winners because it was a close race.”

Stella Stocks, the AA’s general manager of motoring services, said the awards enable it to provide buyers with relevant and useful information, including the judges’ picks for all vehicle categories.

“It’s important consumers have clear guidance on what motoring experts believe is the best offering in each class,” she said.

Utility – Ford Ranger: David Holt, of ANZ, presented the award to Chris Masterson.large sUV – Range Rover: Helen Sunley received the award from Euan Philpot, of JEVIC NZ. Compact car – Volkswagen Golf: Thrifty’s Emma Gardiner handed the award to Michael Cope.

othEr aWarD WiNNErSsmall car – Ford Fiesta: Chris Knight, of MotorWeb, presented the award to Chris Masterson.Medium car – Mazda6: Andrew Clearwater received the award from Mitch Booth, of Custom Fleet. large car – holden Commodore: John Boyle, of Rainbow Print, presented the award to Neil Waka.sports / performance car – Ford Fiesta st: Chris Masterson received the award from Greg Bond, of Castrol.small / medium sUV – Mazda CX-5: Trade Me’s Stephanie Welch handed over the award to Andrew Clearwater.

luxury car – bMW 5 series: Terry Williams-King, of Autotrader, presented the award to Nina Englert.safest car – Volvo V40: David O’Kane, of MITO, presented the award to Steve Kenchington.

For pictures of every award being presented on December 5, log onto www.autofile.co.nz.

Great online analysisVisit www.autofile.co.nz for in-depth coverage of the NZ Car of the Year Awards.

One article covers the big announcement and another the best-in-class winners – both were posted online from the Viaduct Events Centre live on the night.

You can also get the lowdown on the final top 10, while there are plenty of smiling faces in our online gallery.

Vote for your winnerEveryone’s got a view on the vehicle that should be car of the year. Now is the chance for YOU to have your say.

Visit www.autofile.co.nz to choose your winner from the 10 finalists on the night – you can also select “none of them”.

They are the Ford Kuga, Holden’s Volt and Commodore, the Hyundai Santa Fe, the Lexus

IS, the Mazda 6, Subaru’s BRZ and Forester, the VW

Golf and Volvo’s V40.

Mark Sainsbury announces the winner with the VW Golf on the big screen

Scott Kelsey and Michael Cope, of Volkswagen, with the car of the year trophy

26 | www.autofile.co.nz

BackgroundBenjamin Young, of Wellington, bought a 2006 BMW M5 from Auckland-based Euro Vehicles Ltd for $44,995 in August 2013.

He wanted to recover repair costs of $2,761 because it was faulty when sold and didn’t comply with the guarantee of acceptable quality in the Consumer Guarantees Act.

The tribunal wrote to the dealer and asked for copies of the consumer information notice (CIN) and warrant of fitness (WOF) check sheet, and its defence.

The tribunal received no documents from the trader, which was also sent notice of the hearing and was reminded by phone of the date and time.

On the morning of the hearing, the tribunal called the dealer but its sales manager said it didn’t intend to attend.

The caseYoung didn’t test drive the car or have it mechanically inspected before buying it on August 12, 2013, for $44,995, along with purchasing mechanical breakdown insurance for $2,500.

The trader didn’t display a CIN or provide one to the buyer at the time of sale in breach of the Consumer Information Standards (Used Motor Vehicle) Regulations.

The trader promised to supply a disc for the sat-nav system in the UK import that had travelled 74,500km.

Young noticed the ashtray cover didn’t close and the trader agreed to a BMW dealer fixing that.

A warning light on the dash indicated a problem with the shock absorbers, which the trader also agreed to repair.

As soon as Young started

to drive the vehicle home, the brakes shuddered.

He called the trader’s salesman, Mr Meno, who told him to have the brakes checked by BMW if they weren’t satisfactory when he got to Wellington.

Young said the electronic oil-level warning light was on low. When he got to Mana near the capital, he added one litre of oil.

On August 13, Young took the car to Jeff Gray BMW in Wellington, which suspected the front brake discs weren’t running true and after-market components had been installed.

It recommended replacing the front brake pads and disc rotors with genuine parts and to clean slight hub rust for $2,433.

Jeff Gray BMW charged $252 for assessing the brakes, adding oil and repairing the ashtray.

Young was quoted $2,000 to replace the front brake pads, rotors and disc wear sensors from Mag & Turbo Warehouse, Lower Hutt.

He produced text messages with the dealer on August 13, in which it agreed to pay $1,900 for the brakes.

Young had them rectified for $2,050 and texted the trader asking for payment into his account but he wasn’t reimbursed.

He also incurred $761 on August 28 for work done by Jeff Gray BMW on the rear shock-absorber sensor fitted upside down, to check why the transmission fluid level was low and to replace a tyre.

Young said the shock-absorber light and transmission were discussed with the trader before work was done, but he didn’t require it to replace the tyre before

buying two replacements and having them fitted.

The purchaser said the trader hadn’t fulfilled its promise to provide him with a sat-nav disc, but the tribunal didn’t have jurisdiction to determine contract-based claims so the buyer had to claim the disc’s cost in the Disputes Tribunal.

The rulingIn deciding if the BMW was of acceptable quality when supplied, the tribunal considered it was a seven-year-old car that had travelled 74,500km.

It ruled the front brake pads and discs were worn at the time of sale, there were faults with the transmission fluid and engine oil levels, rear shock-absorber sensor and an ashtray.

The tribunal said a reasonable consumer wouldn’t consider those faults as acceptable.

Young produced texts that appeared to confirm he notified the dealer about the brakes shuddering and it promised to pay to have them repaired.

Young told the trader about the engine oil and suspension lights, transmission fluid level and ashtray, but didn’t ask for new tyres before buying two replacements.

The dealer hadn’t reimbursed Young for the items it was asked to fix, so the buyer was entitled to recover reasonable costs of $3,375.

The Motor Vehicle Sales Act allows the tribunal to award costs in certain circumstances, such as for proceedings being frivolous or those that shouldn’t have been brought.

This also applies when the matter ought reasonably to have been settled before a hearing but the party against whom an award

The case: The buyer asked the seller of a second-hand BMW M5 to pay to repair various

mechanical problems. The dealer

failed to do this, attend the hearing, present documents as

it was required to and submitted

no defence.

The decision: The tribunal ruled the faults were unacceptable. The trader had to

pay for repairs and costs.

At: The Motor Vehicle Disputes

Tribunal, Auckland.

of costs is to be made refused – without reasonable excuse – to take part in the discussions or acted contemptuously or improperly during them.

Finally, costs can be awarded against a party who, after receiving notice of a hearing, fails to attend without good cause.

The tribunal may order a party to pay to the Crown all, or any part of: The reasonable costs of the

tribunal hearing. Fees and expenses of any

witness paid or payable by the Crown.

 Any part of reasonable costs of the other party in connection with the proceedings.

The tribunal considered this matter should have been settled before a hearing.

But the trader refused “without reasonable excuse” to take part in the discussions and after receiving notice of the hearing failed to attend it without good cause.

It ordered the trader to pay the buyer’s reasonable costs in travelling from Wellington to Auckland to attend the hearing of $405.

OrderThe trader was ordered to pay to the buyer $3,375 within 10 days to cover repairs of $2,970 and costs of $405.

Sales manager told tribunal on day of hearing dealer wasn’t attending

disputes

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Whangarei Auckland Hamilton Thames Tauranga Rotorua Gisborne Napier New Plymouth Wanganui Palmerston North Masterton Wellington Nelson Blenheim Greymouth Whangarei Auckland Hamilton Thames Tauranga Rotorua Gisborne

Napier New Plymouth Wanganui Palmerston North Masterton Wellington Nelson Blenheim Greymouth Westport Christchurch Timaru Oamaru Dunedin

Invercargill Whangarei Auckland Hamilton Thames Tauranga Rotorua Gisborne Napier New Plymouth

Wanganui Palmerston North Masterton Wellington Nelson Blenheim Greymouth Whangarei Auckland Hamilton Thames Tauranga Rotorua

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Biggest increases/Decreases By town year-on-year

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Biggest increases new Used

westport  100.0% Blenheim  95.5% thames  51.2% nelson  64.9% napier  34.1% rotorua  52.0%

Biggest decreases new Used

wanganui  27.7% westport  41.7% gisborne  26.8% Masterton  20.0% timaru  23.7% timaru  12.4%

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october 2013

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Annual high for stockpileThe amount of stock held

by used car dealers during

October was the highest

monthly total of the year.

There were 10,374 units

imported last month with a

variance of 1,829 on 8,545 sales.

The number of cars in stock

amounted to 9,323 compared to

7,494 in September.

There have been two other

major increases during 2013 – with

variances between imports and sales

of 3,121 in April and 2,507 in May.

Graeme Macdonald, chairman

of the North Island branch of the

Imported Motor Vehicle Industry

Association, says the current

stockpile should correct itself – as it

normally does.“If the monthly stockpile was

10,000 on a regular basis it means

there are solid holding numbers,”

he told Autofile. “North of that

and we would be looking at an

oversupply issue.

“There was good buying in Japan

in March, and we saw high arrival

numbers in April, May and June.

“The stockpile occurs more at

certain times of the year. Since

I came back into the industry in

1996, it has ebbed and flowed.”

Used car stock levels are

traditionally based on what’s

happening in Japan and what

consumers are buying here.

Conditions there have improved

recently and the exchange rate

has gone up.“October and November are

normally difficult for the industry,

so the stockpile tends to go

up,” says Macdonald. “But trade

swings up over Christmas and the

holidays, so it goes down.

“December and January are

good months for sales because

people take time off work, the kids

are off school and people may have

Christmas bonuses or holiday pay.

“It’s a time when Kiwis tend to

make financial decisions, so dealers

need to have plenty of stock to

match demand.“When the market’s down in

Japan, stock is hard to get. When

it’s buoyant, you tend to buy what

you can because you don’t know

what will be available next time.

“Dealers also need to bear in

mind it takes four to six weeks to

get stock from Japan.”

Larger operations, of say 300

units, are more static with their

holding not changing too much.

A drop of 50 units may not be

too drastic. But stock can vary

enormously by proportion on yards

with 30 to 40 cars.

“They can suddenly be selling

without having bought for a few

weeks and being 10-15 units down

makes them more susceptible,”

says Macdonald.

“Dealers then jump online to

buy more from Japan, but that’s

always been the way.

“You can oversupply when

buying conditions are good, but

the marketplace normally corrects

itself by pulling back from Japan or

selling down. The numbers might

drop for a month or two before

trundling up again.

“There’s no magic supply-chain

miracle. When it’s slow, it tends to be

slow for everybody. If you can get

good supply with a good exchange

rate, everyone benefits.”

did come down after the global

financial crisis [GFC].

“Stocking levels then increased

again and they respond to the

number of new vehicles sold and

the rate at which they are sold.

“They basically go up when

sales go up, but I’m not so sure

about the days stock is held for

being longer and can’t explain that.

“Average sales per day came

down during the GFC and before

that they were much higher.”

If 80,000 vehicles are sold one

year and 100,000 are sold the

following year, the average sales

per day should be higher – and

the MIA is expecting more new

vehicles to be sold this year than

during 2012.There were 54,404 sales in 2009,

62,029 in 2010, 64,019 in 2011

and 76,871 in 2012, and the MIA is

predicting about 82,000 passenger

vehicle and SUV sales this year.

“We’re looking at about 30,600

light commercials and we’re on

track for 112,000 or 113,000 new

vehicle sales overall.”

Business confidence being

high and strong regional

economies in Auckland and

Christchurch are boosting sales.

“Trades people are upgrading

their vehicles,” says Crawford.

“Although passenger cars aren’t so

hot, SUVs are.“People in the housing market

are refinancing their mortgages

to buy big-ticket items especially

when they are confident about

keeping their jobs.”

All that said, some of the

regional centres, such as Hawke’s

Bay and Palmerston North, aren’t

showing as much growth as

other centres.“But 80 per cent of New Zealand’s

population is in Auckland and

Christchurch. “If you add in Dunedin and

Wellington, these centres cover a

large proportion of the population

and all have strong economies.”

Year to date, 77,438 new cars

have been imported and 68,612

have been registered to give a

variance of 8,826 so far this year.

Days with stock at hand has

been steadily increasing from 78 in

January to 131 in October.

Last year 90,754 units were

imported and there were 76,871

sales for a variance of 13,883.

Stock levels of new cars have

increased every month

except one this year, with

October’s total of 29,509 being the

highest of 2013.There were 7,962 sales last

month, also this year’s biggest

amount, while the variance was

1,400 with 9,362 units imported –

the second highest amount after

11,065 imports in August.

The total stock figure at the

end of December was 20,683 and

that dropped to this year’s low of

18,653 in January.

David Crawford, chief executive

officer of the Motor Industry

Association (MIA), says current

models aren’t sitting around in

stock for too long.

“The industry tends to manage

stock levels quite well and does this

day in, day out,” he told Autofile.

“My data suggests this is a

cyclical thing and levels were no

higher in previous years, but they

Industry manages levels well

Dealer stock of new cars in New Zealand - Oct 2013

2012 Imported NeW CArS SoLd VArIANCe StoCk

AVerAge SALeS per dAy - ytd

dAyS StoCk

At hANd

MIA stock estimate as at end of December 2011 12,984

Jan ‘12 5,026 7,499 (2,473) 10,511 242 43

Feb ‘12 7,368 5,633 1,735 12,246 223 55

Mar ‘12 7,228 6,499 729 12,975 218 59

Apr ‘12 6,285 5,430 855 13,830 209 66

May ‘12 7,742 5,942 1,800 15,630 205 76

Jun ‘12 8,870 7,142 1,728 17,358 211 82

Jul ‘12 7,894 6,208 1,686 19,044 209 91

Aug ‘12 8,589 5,959 2,630 21,674 207 105

Sep ‘12 6,828 6,637 191 21,865 209 105

Oct ‘12 8,155 7,336 819 22,684 211 107

Nov ‘12 8,953 6,484 2,469 25,153 212 119

Dec ‘12 7,816 6,102 1,714 26,867 211 128

ytd total 90,754 76,871 13,883

2013 Imported NeW CArS SoLd VArIANCe StoCk

AVerAge SALeS per dAy - ytd

dAyS StoCk

At hANd

Total stock at the end of December 2012 26,867

Jan ‘13 5,355 7,385 (2,030) 24,837 238 104

Feb ‘13 7,027 5,799 1,228 26,065 223 117

Mar ‘13 6,329 6,800 (471) 25,594 222 115

Apr ‘13 7,391 5,908 1,483 27,077 216 125

May ‘13 7,429 6,347 1,082 28,159 214 132

Jun ‘13 8,051 7,542 509 28,668 220 130

Jul ‘13 8,423 6,769 1,654 30,322 220 138

Aug ‘13 11,065 6,828 4,237 34,559 220 157

Sep ‘13 7,006 7,272 (266) 34,293 222 154

Oct ‘13 9,362 7,962 1,400 35,693 226 158

Nov ‘13 - - - - - -

Dec ‘13 - - - - - -

ytd total 77,438 68,612 8,826

2013 predicted sales 82,380

Dealer stock of used car imports in New Zealand - Oct 2013

2012 Imported USed ImportS SoLd VArIANCe StoCk

AVerAge SALeS per dAy - ytd

dAyS StoCk

At hANd

Total stock at the end of December 2011 8,579

Jan ‘12 3,191 6,375 (3,184) 5,395 206 26

Feb ‘12 4,920 6,000 (1,080) 4,315 210 21

Mar ‘12 6,504 6,429 75 4,390 209 21

Apr ‘12 6,613 5,877 736 5,126 206 25

May ‘12 7,693 6,793 900 6,026 208 29

Jun ‘12 6,947 6,184 763 6,789 208 33

Jul ‘12 5,335 6,641 (1,306) 5,483 209 26

Aug ‘12 5,540 6,621 (1,081) 4,402 210 21

Sep ‘12 5,506 6,222 (716) 3,686 209 18

Oct ‘12 5,688 6,867 (1,179) 2,507 211 12

Nov ‘12 8,486 7,183 1,303 3,810 213 18

Dec ‘12 6,414 7,119 (705) 3,105 215 14

ytd total 72,837 78,311 (5,474)

2013 Imported USed ImportS SoLd VArIANCe StoCk

AVerAge SALeS per dAy - ytd

dAyS StoCk

At hANd

Total stock at the end of December 2012 3105

Jan ‘13 4,468 7,397 (2,929) 176 239 0.7

Feb ‘13 8,247 6,922 1,325 1,501 243 6

Mar ‘13 8,852 7,581 1,271 2,772 243 11

Apr ‘13 10,539 7,418 3,121 5,893 244 24

May ‘13 10,967 8,460 2,507 8,400 250 34

Jun ‘13 8,089 7,862 227 8,627 252 34

Jul ‘13 8,623 9,629 (1,006) 7,621 261 29

Aug ‘13 8,635 8,648 (13) 7,608 263 29

Sep ‘13 7,501 7,615 (114) 7,494 262 29

Oct ‘13 10,374 8,545 1,829 9,323 263 35

Nov ‘13 - - - - - -

Dec ‘13 - - - - - -

ytd total 86,295 80,077 6,218

2013 predicted sales 96,145

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Days stock in nZ - UseD import cars

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New Passenger Vehicle Sales by Make - November 2013Make Nov '13 Nov '12 +/- % Nov '13

Mkt Share 2013 total 2013 Mkt ShareToyota 1746 1190 46.7 23.4% 14670 19.3%Holden 685 673 1.8 9.2% 8102 10.7%Ford 618 596 3.7 8.3% 6519 8.6%Hyundai 572 624 -8.3 7.7% 6695 8.8%Mazda 512 485 5.6 6.9% 5447 7.2%Nissan 382 281 35.9 5.1% 3342 4.4%Suzuki 376 405 -7.2 5.0% 4436 5.8%Mitsubishi 351 272 29.0 4.7% 3661 4.8%Honda 310 312 -0.6 4.2% 2994 3.9%Volkswagen 288 261 10.3 3.9% 3527 4.6%Kia 202 240 -15.8 2.7% 2563 3.4%BMw 172 178 -3.4 2.3% 1861 2.4%Subaru 165 153 7.8 2.2% 1645 2.2%Audi 163 150 8.7 2.2% 1748 2.3%Mercedes-Benz 128 82 56.1 1.7% 1398 1.8%Peugeot 108 60 80.0 1.4% 1001 1.3%Jeep 92 65 41.5 1.2% 775 1.0%Ssangyong 86 49 75.5 1.2% 724 1.0%Dodge 64 46 39.1 0.9% 478 0.6%Skoda 63 56 12.5 0.8% 654 0.9%Lexus 54 44 22.7 0.7% 508 0.7%Land Rover 51 22 131.8 0.7% 443 0.6%Mini 44 43 2.3 0.6% 474 0.6%Chery 34 21 61.9 0.5% 351 0.5%Alfa Romeo 24 31 -22.6 0.3% 182 0.2%Great wall 23 38 -39.5 0.3% 211 0.3%Fiat 21 2 950.0 0.3% 142 0.2%Renault 21 8 162.5 0.3% 98 0.1%Volvo 18 19 -5.3 0.2% 229 0.3%Porsche 13 11 18.2 0.2% 182 0.2%Citroen 12 16 -25.0 0.2% 286 0.4%Jaguar 12 5 140.0 0.2% 128 0.2%Chrysler 10 13 -23.1 0.1% 120 0.2%Can-Am 9 6 50.0 0.1% 75 0.1%Daihatsu 6 19 -68.4 0.1% 258 0.3%Aston Martin 4 1 300.0 0.1% 25 0.0%Maserati 4 2 100.0 0.1% 14 0.0%Mahindra 3 - - 0.0% 6 0.0%MG 2 0 200.0 0.0% 12 0.0%Chrysler Jeep 1 - - 0.0% 1 0.0%Mclaren 1 0 100.0 0.0% 6 0.0%Others 3 5 -40.0 0.0% 71 0.1%total 7453 6484 14.9 100.0% 76062 100.0%

New Passenger Vehicle Sales by Model - November 2013Make Model Nov '13 Nov '12 +/- % Nov Mkt

Share2013

total2013 Mkt

ShareToyota Corolla 626 462 35.5 8.4% 5283 6.9%Toyota RAV4 289 80 261.3 3.9% 2521 3.3%Holden Commodore 260 171 52.0 3.5% 2399 3.2%Mazda Cx-5 239 141 69.5 3.2% 1989 2.6%Toyota yaris 227 267 -15.0 3.0% 2235 2.9%Suzuki Swift 218 254 -14.2 2.9% 2750 3.6%Ford Mondeo 184 98 87.8 2.5% 1201 1.6%Hyundai ix35 168 81 107.4 2.3% 1338 1.8%Mitsubishi Lancer 168 84 100.0 2.3% 894 1.2%Toyota Camry 168 131 28.2 2.3% 1270 1.7%Holden Captiva 135 319 -57.7 1.8% 2039 2.7%Volkswagen Golf 134 103 30.1 1.8% 1469 1.9%Toyota Highlander 118 79 49.4 1.6% 1092 1.4%Ford Focus 114 212 -46.2 1.5% 1429 1.9%Honda Jazz 113 76 48.7 1.5% 922 1.2%Ford Kuga 112 18 522.2 1.5% 952 1.3%Mazda Mazda3 109 151 -27.8 1.5% 1537 2.0%Toyota Aurion 107 23 365.2 1.4% 447 0.6%Holden Cruze 106 80 32.5 1.4% 1925 2.5%Hyundai Santa Fe 103 261 -60.5 1.4% 1847 2.4%Honda Civic 100 115 -13.0 1.3% 852 1.1%Mitsubishi Outlander 97 118 -17.8 1.3% 1258 1.7%Hyundai i30 95 103 -7.8 1.3% 1255 1.6%Nissan Qashqai 93 106 -12.3 1.2% 884 1.2%Toyota Landcruiser Prado 87 38 128.9 1.2% 557 0.7%Nissan x-Trail 86 52 65.4 1.2% 779 1.0%Ford Territory 83 137 -39.4 1.1% 1188 1.6%Volkswagen Tiguan 78 53 47.2 1.0% 689 0.9%Hyundai Accent 77 29 165.5 1.0% 572 0.8%Honda CRV 71 82 -13.4 1.0% 793 1.0%Mazda Mazda6 70 82 -14.6 0.9% 960 1.3%Mazda Mazda2 66 77 -14.3 0.9% 712 0.9%Ford Falcon 65 45 44.4 0.9% 835 1.1%Nissan Pathfinder 65 7 828.6 0.9% 191 0.3%Dodge Journey 64 46 39.1 0.9% 476 0.6%Jeep Grand Cherokee 64 39 64.1 0.9% 502 0.7%Ssangyong Korando 63 36 75.0 0.8% 480 0.6%Ford Fiesta 60 85 -29.4 0.8% 892 1.2%Bmw 116i 59 13 353.8 0.8% 378 0.5%Holden Malibu 58 - - 0.8% 334 0.4%Others2254 2130 5.8 30.2% 25936 34.1%total7453 6484 14.9 100.0% 76062 100.0%

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BackgroundSamuela Vaeagi bought a 1995 Subaru Impreza from Anqin Investment Ltd, trading as Great Motors, in August 2013.

The buyer rejected the vehicle under the CGA after claiming it had a serious fault the trader refused to repair.

Vaeagi sought the tribunal’s order to uphold his rejection and for the trader to refund his purchase price.

The dealer denied it was the seller of the Impreza. It claimed it was a private sale, but had repaired the vehicle at its cost.

After it had done so, the dealer called the Vaeagi to collect the car but he hadn’t done this.

The caseWhen the trader supplied the vehicle on August 17 for $6,900 it had travelled 126,000km.

Vaeagi wasn’t supplied with a consumer information notice (CIN) nor a vehicle offer and sale agreement. The car’s warrant of fitness (WOF) hadn’t been issued within one month prior to sale.

The Impreza broke down on August 19. When Vaeagi called the trader, he was told the dealer had no money and he would have to fix it himself.

The trader did, however, agree to repair the glove box, obtain a WOF and repair a bumper dent.

On August 21, Vaeagi towed the car to Kelston Auto Repair Ltd, which diagnosed a faulty crankshaft pulley.

It recommended he should take the car back to the dealer to be fixed.

Vaeagi took it back on the same day and met Mr T Li, the

salesman who sold him the car. The buyer said Li ignored him

and played with his cellphone. Vaeagi apparently tapped Li on the head to get his attention and was immediately asked to leave the dealer’s premises.

Vaeagi made further visits to the premises – on August 23 with his son and on August 24 with Ms McKenzie-Vaafusaga – to try to persuade the dealer to fix the car. Li refused to talk to him on both occasions.

The buyer filed an application with the tribunal on August 28, but his application didn’t say what remedy he was seeking.

The dealer, represented by director Mr Q Ding, said the vehicle had been repaired by the previous owner Kevin Yu.

Ding produced an invoice dated August 25 from Complete Auto Repairs Ltd for a crank pulley, starter motor and pulley key which, with labour and GST, totalled $1,127. It wasn’t a GST invoice and didn’t show the customer’s name.

Yu, who gave evidence for the trader, claimed he was the car’s previous owner and the dealer had sold it for him.

When asked if he paid for the repairs, Yu said he paid in cash but was unable to produce a GST receipted account to prove this.

The tribunal called Complete Auto Repairs Ltd and took sworn evidence via telephone conference from Mr B Liu, the business’ owner.

Liu said the vehicle had been brought in by the trader about three weeks ago when he replaced the crank shaft pulley and key.

He said he invoiced the trader, believed the trader had paid for

the repair and the car had been returned.

Also, while being questioned by the tribunal, he said that when he sent the letter the dealer had called him to tell him the car had been repaired and he should collect it.

The finding The tribunal was satisfied the car sold by the trader wasn’t of acceptable quality when it was supplied because it broke down after two days use and was clearly not durable.

It was also satisfied from evidence given by the buyer that the trader was required to remedy the fault and refused to do so.

The purchaser, had he acted promptly, could have rejected the vehicle at that time on the basis of the trader’s refusal to repair the faults.

He didn’t do so but sought to try to persuade the trader to change its mind.

For whatever reason, the dealer appeared to have reconsidered its position and arranged to uplift the vehicle from Kelston Auto Repair Ltd – probably in early September after the buyer had filed his application – and had the car repaired at its cost by Complete Auto Repairs Ltd.

The purchaser’s rejection letter of September 25 was too late to be effective because by the time he posted it to the trader he was – as he admitted – already aware the car had been fixed.

The tribunal dismissed the application for rejection because the faulty crankshaft pulley, while breaching section six of

The case: The buyer of a second-hand Impreza tried to claim a refund of the vehicle’s purchase price because of a major

fault. But he was aware the dealer

had repaired the car at its own cost by the time he submitted a

rejection letter.

The decision: The tribunal

ruled there was no basis to for the

rejection to be upheld under the

Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA).

At: The Motor Vehicle Disputes

Tribunal, Auckland.

the CGA, wasn’t a serious fault and didn’t amount to a failure of substantial character.

The dealer was required by the buyer to repair the vehicle. After initially refusing to do so, it apparently changed its mind and repaired the car at its own cost.

The buyer, therefore, now had no basis to reject the car. His letter to the trader September 25 was sent after he became aware it had been repaired.

OrderThe buyer’s application was dismissed and he was told to uplift the vehicle from the trader’s premises.

Notes on caseThe registered motor vehicle trader – not for the first time – sought to avoid liability under the CGA by claiming that it had sold the car privately.

The dealer was told it should be aware that whenever it becomes involved in the sale of a vehicle it becomes a “supplier” under the extended definition of that word as defined in the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993.

The tribunal, in its addendum, expects Anqin Investment Ltd, trading as Great Motors in Glen Eden, to discharge its obligations under that act.

Dealer tried to avoid legal liability by claiming car was sold privately

disputes

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Whangarei Auckland Hamilton Thames Tauranga Rotorua Gisborne Napier New Plymouth Wanganui Palmerston North Masterton Wellington Nelson Blenheim Greymouth Whangarei Auckland Hamilton Thames Tauranga Rotorua Gisborne

Napier New Plymouth Wanganui Palmerston North Masterton Wellington Nelson Blenheim Greymouth Westport Christchurch Timaru Oamaru Dunedin

Invercargill Whangarei Auckland Hamilton Thames Tauranga Rotorua Gisborne Napier New Plymouth

Wanganui Palmerston North Masterton Wellington Nelson Blenheim Greymouth Whangarei Auckland Hamilton Thames Tauranga Rotorua

Ar

ou

n d t h e c ou nt

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Osaka 20 Oct 30 Oct 15 Nov 29 Nov Nagoya 21 Oct 31 Oct 16 Nov 30 Nov Yokohama 22 Oct 1 Nov 17 Nov 1 Dec Auckland 7 Nov 17 Nov 4 Dec 19 Dec Wellington 13 Nov 23 Nov 11 Dec 26 Dec Lyttelton 16 Nov 29 Nov 11 Dec 29 Dec

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Biggest increases/Decreases By town year-on-year

(OctOber 2013 vs OctOber 2012)

Biggest increases new Used

westport  100.0% Blenheim  95.5% thames  51.2% nelson  64.9% napier  34.1% rotorua  52.0%

Biggest decreases new Used

wanganui  27.7% westport  41.7% gisborne  26.8% Masterton  20.0% timaru  23.7% timaru  12.4%

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aucklaNd, wellINgtoN, chrIstchurch hamIltoN, tauraNga, duNedIN, PalmerstoN North

Used imPORt PassengeR Vehicle RegistRatiOns by city

october 2013

autoport.net

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Annual high for stockpileThe amount of stock held

by used car dealers during

October was the highest

monthly total of the year.

There were 10,374 units

imported last month with a

variance of 1,829 on 8,545 sales.

The number of cars in stock

amounted to 9,323 compared to

7,494 in September.

There have been two other

major increases during 2013 – with

variances between imports and sales

of 3,121 in April and 2,507 in May.

Graeme Macdonald, chairman

of the North Island branch of the

Imported Motor Vehicle Industry

Association, says the current

stockpile should correct itself – as it

normally does.“If the monthly stockpile was

10,000 on a regular basis it means

there are solid holding numbers,”

he told Autofile. “North of that

and we would be looking at an

oversupply issue.

“There was good buying in Japan

in March, and we saw high arrival

numbers in April, May and June.

“The stockpile occurs more at

certain times of the year. Since

I came back into the industry in

1996, it has ebbed and flowed.”

Used car stock levels are

traditionally based on what’s

happening in Japan and what

consumers are buying here.

Conditions there have improved

recently and the exchange rate

has gone up.“October and November are

normally difficult for the industry,

so the stockpile tends to go

up,” says Macdonald. “But trade

swings up over Christmas and the

holidays, so it goes down.

“December and January are

good months for sales because

people take time off work, the kids

are off school and people may have

Christmas bonuses or holiday pay.

“It’s a time when Kiwis tend to

make financial decisions, so dealers

need to have plenty of stock to

match demand.“When the market’s down in

Japan, stock is hard to get. When

it’s buoyant, you tend to buy what

you can because you don’t know

what will be available next time.

“Dealers also need to bear in

mind it takes four to six weeks to

get stock from Japan.”

Larger operations, of say 300

units, are more static with their

holding not changing too much.

A drop of 50 units may not be

too drastic. But stock can vary

enormously by proportion on yards

with 30 to 40 cars.

“They can suddenly be selling

without having bought for a few

weeks and being 10-15 units down

makes them more susceptible,”

says Macdonald.

“Dealers then jump online to

buy more from Japan, but that’s

always been the way.

“You can oversupply when

buying conditions are good, but

the marketplace normally corrects

itself by pulling back from Japan or

selling down. The numbers might

drop for a month or two before

trundling up again.

“There’s no magic supply-chain

miracle. When it’s slow, it tends to be

slow for everybody. If you can get

good supply with a good exchange

rate, everyone benefits.”

did come down after the global

financial crisis [GFC].

“Stocking levels then increased

again and they respond to the

number of new vehicles sold and

the rate at which they are sold.

“They basically go up when

sales go up, but I’m not so sure

about the days stock is held for

being longer and can’t explain that.

“Average sales per day came

down during the GFC and before

that they were much higher.”

If 80,000 vehicles are sold one

year and 100,000 are sold the

following year, the average sales

per day should be higher – and

the MIA is expecting more new

vehicles to be sold this year than

during 2012.There were 54,404 sales in 2009,

62,029 in 2010, 64,019 in 2011

and 76,871 in 2012, and the MIA is

predicting about 82,000 passenger

vehicle and SUV sales this year.

“We’re looking at about 30,600

light commercials and we’re on

track for 112,000 or 113,000 new

vehicle sales overall.”

Business confidence being

high and strong regional

economies in Auckland and

Christchurch are boosting sales.

“Trades people are upgrading

their vehicles,” says Crawford.

“Although passenger cars aren’t so

hot, SUVs are.“People in the housing market

are refinancing their mortgages

to buy big-ticket items especially

when they are confident about

keeping their jobs.”

All that said, some of the

regional centres, such as Hawke’s

Bay and Palmerston North, aren’t

showing as much growth as

other centres.“But 80 per cent of New Zealand’s

population is in Auckland and

Christchurch. “If you add in Dunedin and

Wellington, these centres cover a

large proportion of the population

and all have strong economies.”

Year to date, 77,438 new cars

have been imported and 68,612

have been registered to give a

variance of 8,826 so far this year.

Days with stock at hand has

been steadily increasing from 78 in

January to 131 in October.

Last year 90,754 units were

imported and there were 76,871

sales for a variance of 13,883.

Stock levels of new cars have

increased every month

except one this year, with

October’s total of 29,509 being the

highest of 2013.There were 7,962 sales last

month, also this year’s biggest

amount, while the variance was

1,400 with 9,362 units imported –

the second highest amount after

11,065 imports in August.

The total stock figure at the

end of December was 20,683 and

that dropped to this year’s low of

18,653 in January.

David Crawford, chief executive

officer of the Motor Industry

Association (MIA), says current

models aren’t sitting around in

stock for too long.

“The industry tends to manage

stock levels quite well and does this

day in, day out,” he told Autofile.

“My data suggests this is a

cyclical thing and levels were no

higher in previous years, but they

Industry manages levels well

Dealer stock of new cars in New Zealand - Oct 2013

2012 Imported NeW CArS SoLd VArIANCe StoCk

AVerAge SALeS per dAy - ytd

dAyS StoCk

At hANd

MIA stock estimate as at end of December 2011 12,984

Jan ‘12 5,026 7,499 (2,473) 10,511 242 43

Feb ‘12 7,368 5,633 1,735 12,246 223 55

Mar ‘12 7,228 6,499 729 12,975 218 59

Apr ‘12 6,285 5,430 855 13,830 209 66

May ‘12 7,742 5,942 1,800 15,630 205 76

Jun ‘12 8,870 7,142 1,728 17,358 211 82

Jul ‘12 7,894 6,208 1,686 19,044 209 91

Aug ‘12 8,589 5,959 2,630 21,674 207 105

Sep ‘12 6,828 6,637 191 21,865 209 105

Oct ‘12 8,155 7,336 819 22,684 211 107

Nov ‘12 8,953 6,484 2,469 25,153 212 119

Dec ‘12 7,816 6,102 1,714 26,867 211 128

ytd total 90,754 76,871 13,883

2013 Imported NeW CArS SoLd VArIANCe StoCk

AVerAge SALeS per dAy - ytd

dAyS StoCk

At hANd

Total stock at the end of December 2012 26,867

Jan ‘13 5,355 7,385 (2,030) 24,837 238 104

Feb ‘13 7,027 5,799 1,228 26,065 223 117

Mar ‘13 6,329 6,800 (471) 25,594 222 115

Apr ‘13 7,391 5,908 1,483 27,077 216 125

May ‘13 7,429 6,347 1,082 28,159 214 132

Jun ‘13 8,051 7,542 509 28,668 220 130

Jul ‘13 8,423 6,769 1,654 30,322 220 138

Aug ‘13 11,065 6,828 4,237 34,559 220 157

Sep ‘13 7,006 7,272 (266) 34,293 222 154

Oct ‘13 9,362 7,962 1,400 35,693 226 158

Nov ‘13 - - - - - -

Dec ‘13 - - - - - -

ytd total 77,438 68,612 8,826

2013 predicted sales 82,380

Dealer stock of used car imports in New Zealand - Oct 2013

2012 Imported USed ImportS SoLd VArIANCe StoCk

AVerAge SALeS per dAy - ytd

dAyS StoCk

At hANd

Total stock at the end of December 2011 8,579

Jan ‘12 3,191 6,375 (3,184) 5,395 206 26

Feb ‘12 4,920 6,000 (1,080) 4,315 210 21

Mar ‘12 6,504 6,429 75 4,390 209 21

Apr ‘12 6,613 5,877 736 5,126 206 25

May ‘12 7,693 6,793 900 6,026 208 29

Jun ‘12 6,947 6,184 763 6,789 208 33

Jul ‘12 5,335 6,641 (1,306) 5,483 209 26

Aug ‘12 5,540 6,621 (1,081) 4,402 210 21

Sep ‘12 5,506 6,222 (716) 3,686 209 18

Oct ‘12 5,688 6,867 (1,179) 2,507 211 12

Nov ‘12 8,486 7,183 1,303 3,810 213 18

Dec ‘12 6,414 7,119 (705) 3,105 215 14

ytd total 72,837 78,311 (5,474)

2013 Imported USed ImportS SoLd VArIANCe StoCk

AVerAge SALeS per dAy - ytd

dAyS StoCk

At hANd

Total stock at the end of December 2012 3105

Jan ‘13 4,468 7,397 (2,929) 176 239 0.7

Feb ‘13 8,247 6,922 1,325 1,501 243 6

Mar ‘13 8,852 7,581 1,271 2,772 243 11

Apr ‘13 10,539 7,418 3,121 5,893 244 24

May ‘13 10,967 8,460 2,507 8,400 250 34

Jun ‘13 8,089 7,862 227 8,627 252 34

Jul ‘13 8,623 9,629 (1,006) 7,621 261 29

Aug ‘13 8,635 8,648 (13) 7,608 263 29

Sep ‘13 7,501 7,615 (114) 7,494 262 29

Oct ‘13 10,374 8,545 1,829 9,323 263 35

Nov ‘13 - - - - - -

Dec ‘13 - - - - - -

ytd total 86,295 80,077 6,218

2013 predicted sales 96,145

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Days stock in nZ - UseD import cars

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

New Passenger Vehicle Sales by Make - November 2013Make Nov '13 Nov '12 +/- % Nov '13

Mkt Share 2013 total 2013 Mkt ShareToyota 1746 1190 46.7 23.4% 14670 19.3%Holden 685 673 1.8 9.2% 8102 10.7%Ford 618 596 3.7 8.3% 6519 8.6%Hyundai 572 624 -8.3 7.7% 6695 8.8%Mazda 512 485 5.6 6.9% 5447 7.2%Nissan 382 281 35.9 5.1% 3342 4.4%Suzuki 376 405 -7.2 5.0% 4436 5.8%Mitsubishi 351 272 29.0 4.7% 3661 4.8%Honda 310 312 -0.6 4.2% 2994 3.9%Volkswagen 288 261 10.3 3.9% 3527 4.6%Kia 202 240 -15.8 2.7% 2563 3.4%BMw 172 178 -3.4 2.3% 1861 2.4%Subaru 165 153 7.8 2.2% 1645 2.2%Audi 163 150 8.7 2.2% 1748 2.3%Mercedes-Benz 128 82 56.1 1.7% 1398 1.8%Peugeot 108 60 80.0 1.4% 1001 1.3%Jeep 92 65 41.5 1.2% 775 1.0%Ssangyong 86 49 75.5 1.2% 724 1.0%Dodge 64 46 39.1 0.9% 478 0.6%Skoda 63 56 12.5 0.8% 654 0.9%Lexus 54 44 22.7 0.7% 508 0.7%Land Rover 51 22 131.8 0.7% 443 0.6%Mini 44 43 2.3 0.6% 474 0.6%Chery 34 21 61.9 0.5% 351 0.5%Alfa Romeo 24 31 -22.6 0.3% 182 0.2%Great wall 23 38 -39.5 0.3% 211 0.3%Fiat 21 2 950.0 0.3% 142 0.2%Renault 21 8 162.5 0.3% 98 0.1%Volvo 18 19 -5.3 0.2% 229 0.3%Porsche 13 11 18.2 0.2% 182 0.2%Citroen 12 16 -25.0 0.2% 286 0.4%Jaguar 12 5 140.0 0.2% 128 0.2%Chrysler 10 13 -23.1 0.1% 120 0.2%Can-Am 9 6 50.0 0.1% 75 0.1%Daihatsu 6 19 -68.4 0.1% 258 0.3%Aston Martin 4 1 300.0 0.1% 25 0.0%Maserati 4 2 100.0 0.1% 14 0.0%Mahindra 3 - - 0.0% 6 0.0%MG 2 0 200.0 0.0% 12 0.0%Chrysler Jeep 1 - - 0.0% 1 0.0%Mclaren 1 0 100.0 0.0% 6 0.0%Others 3 5 -40.0 0.0% 71 0.1%total 7453 6484 14.9 100.0% 76062 100.0%

New Passenger Vehicle Sales by Model - November 2013Make Model Nov '13 Nov '12 +/- % Nov Mkt

Share2013

total2013 Mkt

ShareToyota Corolla 626 462 35.5 8.4% 5283 6.9%Toyota RAV4 289 80 261.3 3.9% 2521 3.3%Holden Commodore 260 171 52.0 3.5% 2399 3.2%Mazda Cx-5 239 141 69.5 3.2% 1989 2.6%Toyota yaris 227 267 -15.0 3.0% 2235 2.9%Suzuki Swift 218 254 -14.2 2.9% 2750 3.6%Ford Mondeo 184 98 87.8 2.5% 1201 1.6%Hyundai ix35 168 81 107.4 2.3% 1338 1.8%Mitsubishi Lancer 168 84 100.0 2.3% 894 1.2%Toyota Camry 168 131 28.2 2.3% 1270 1.7%Holden Captiva 135 319 -57.7 1.8% 2039 2.7%Volkswagen Golf 134 103 30.1 1.8% 1469 1.9%Toyota Highlander 118 79 49.4 1.6% 1092 1.4%Ford Focus 114 212 -46.2 1.5% 1429 1.9%Honda Jazz 113 76 48.7 1.5% 922 1.2%Ford Kuga 112 18 522.2 1.5% 952 1.3%Mazda Mazda3 109 151 -27.8 1.5% 1537 2.0%Toyota Aurion 107 23 365.2 1.4% 447 0.6%Holden Cruze 106 80 32.5 1.4% 1925 2.5%Hyundai Santa Fe 103 261 -60.5 1.4% 1847 2.4%Honda Civic 100 115 -13.0 1.3% 852 1.1%Mitsubishi Outlander 97 118 -17.8 1.3% 1258 1.7%Hyundai i30 95 103 -7.8 1.3% 1255 1.6%Nissan Qashqai 93 106 -12.3 1.2% 884 1.2%Toyota Landcruiser Prado 87 38 128.9 1.2% 557 0.7%Nissan x-Trail 86 52 65.4 1.2% 779 1.0%Ford Territory 83 137 -39.4 1.1% 1188 1.6%Volkswagen Tiguan 78 53 47.2 1.0% 689 0.9%Hyundai Accent 77 29 165.5 1.0% 572 0.8%Honda CRV 71 82 -13.4 1.0% 793 1.0%Mazda Mazda6 70 82 -14.6 0.9% 960 1.3%Mazda Mazda2 66 77 -14.3 0.9% 712 0.9%Ford Falcon 65 45 44.4 0.9% 835 1.1%Nissan Pathfinder 65 7 828.6 0.9% 191 0.3%Dodge Journey 64 46 39.1 0.9% 476 0.6%Jeep Grand Cherokee 64 39 64.1 0.9% 502 0.7%Ssangyong Korando 63 36 75.0 0.8% 480 0.6%Ford Fiesta 60 85 -29.4 0.8% 892 1.2%Bmw 116i 59 13 353.8 0.8% 378 0.5%Holden Malibu 58 - - 0.8% 334 0.4%Others2254 2130 5.8 30.2% 25936 34.1%total7453 6484 14.9 100.0% 76062 100.0%

Your fi rst choice in automotive lending.UDC Finance Limited lending criteria applies.

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

850 wds

5000  

5500  

6000  

6500  

7000  

7500  

8000  

8500  

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

2012  

2013  

New Passenger registrations - 2012-2013

AUTOFILE.CO.NZ - made for dealers Register now at www.autofi le.co.nz for INSIGHT EXTENDED INDUSTRY ANALYSIS ONLINE

Total New Cars 74532012: 6484  14.9%

Total Used Cars 93602012: 7183  30.3%

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UK, Japanese and local vehicles.Finance available.

The TRUSTED online wholesale trading site.

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

Nelson Blenheim Greymouth Whangarei Auckland Hamilton Thames Tauranga Rotorua Gisborne Napier New Plymouth Wanganui Palmerston North Masterton

Wellington Nelson Blenheim Greymouth Westport Christchurch Timaru Oamaru Dunedin Invercargill

Whangarei Auckland Hamilton Thames Tauranga Rotorua Gisborne Napier New Plymouth

Wanganui Palmerston North Masterton Wellington Nelson Blenheim Greymouth Whangarei Auckland Hamilton Thames Tauranga Rotorua

AR

ou

n d T h E C ou nT

Ry

november 2013

autoport.net

The TRUSTED online wholesale trading site.

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

www.armacup.com

YOUR FIRST CHOICE IN SHIPPING

TWO SAILINGS PER MONTH JAPAN TO NZ

Port CallsLiberty

V1Sepang Express

V10Morning Miracle

V6Liberty

V2

Osaka 2 Dec 15 Dec 28 Dec 16 Jan

Nagoya 3 Dec 16 Dec 29 Dec 17 Jan

Yokohama 4 Dec 17 Dec 30 Dec 18 Jan

Auckland 19 Dec 3 Jan 16 Jan 7 Feb

Wellington 26 Dec 10 Jan 23 Jan 14 Feb

Lyttelton 29 Dec 12 Jan 7 Feb 22 Feb

LATEST SCHEDULE

PORT TO DOOR SERVICEINCLUDING:

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

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

ThamesNEW: 57 2012: 41  39.0%USED: 40 2012: 48  16.7%

TaurangaNEW: 206 2012: 248  16.9%USED: 364 2012: 267  36.3%

GisborneNEW: 43 2012: 48  10.4%USED: 34 2012: 40  15.0%

MastertonNEW: 43 2012: 52  17.3%USED: 35 2012: 33  6.1%

BlenheimNEW: 53 2012: 31  71.0%USED: 38 2012: 36  5.6%

TimaruNEW: 57 2012: 57  0%USED: 70 2012: 54  29.6%

DunedinNEW: 215 2012: 178  20.8%USED: 251 2012: 181  38.7%

RotoruaNEW: 39 2012: 115  66.1%USED: 87 2012: 53  64.2%

NapierNEW: 190 2012: 173  9.8%USED: 158 2012: 128  23.4%

WellingtonNEW: 584 2012: 558  4.7%USED: 749 2012: 584  28.3%

ChristchurchNEW: 1439 2012: 1135  26.8%USED: 1438 2012: 1119  28.5%

OamaruNEW: 18 2012: 19  5.3%USED: 25 2012: 14  78.6%

InvercargillNEW: 105 2012: 127  17.3%USED: 78 2012: 62  25.8%

WhangareiNEW: 128 2012: 109  17.4%

USED: 179 2012: 123  45.5%

WanganuiNEW: 60 2012: 39  53.8%USED: 51 2012: 43  18.6%

HamiltonNEW: 441 2012: 371  18.9%USED: 546 2012: 415  31.6%

NelsonNEW: 88 2012: 76  15.8%

USED: 148 2012: 84  76.2%

AucklandNEW: 3393 2012: 2733  24.1%

USED: 4646 2012: 3588  29.5%

Palmerston NorthNEW: 160 2012: 246  35.0%USED: 234 2012: 171  36.8%

New PlymouthNEW: 113 2012: 114  0.9%

USED: 146 2012: 116  25.9%

WestportNEW: 3 2012: 2  50.0%

USED: 13 2012: 4  225.0%

GreymouthNEW: 18 2012: 12  50.0%

USED: 30 2012: 20  50.0%

www.autofile.co.nz | 29

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Imported Passenger Vehicle sales by Make - november 2013

Make Nov '13 Nov '12 +/- % Nov '13 MkT Share 2013 ToTaL 2013 MkT

Share

Toyota 2237 1906 17.4 23.9% 22189 24.8%

Nissan 2058 1545 33.2 22.0% 15998 17.9%

Mazda 1621 1210 34.0 17.3% 15278 17.1%

Honda 874 691 26.5 9.3% 9251 10.3%

Suzuki 470 297 58.2 5.0% 4861 5.4%

Subaru 377 292 29.1 4.0% 3975 4.4%

Mitsubishi 347 273 27.1 3.7% 4013 4.5%

Volkswagen 290 183 58.5 3.1% 3021 3.4%

BMW 278 171 62.6 3.0% 2827 3.2%

Audi 177 123 43.9 1.9% 1757 2.0%

Mercedes-Benz 152 77 97.4 1.6% 1379 1.5%

Ford 113 106 6.6 1.2% 1120 1.3%

Volvo 49 30 63.3 0.5% 486 0.5%

Chevrolet 45 47 -4.3 0.5% 614 0.7%

Jaguar 35 26 34.6 0.4% 301 0.3%

Land Rover 28 23 21.7 0.3% 317 0.4%

Lexus 25 10 150.0 0.3% 170 0.2%

Daihatsu 23 11 109.1 0.2% 170 0.2%

Hyundai 16 22 -27.3 0.2% 156 0.2%

Holden 15 15 0.0 0.2% 181 0.2%

Dodge 13 10 30.0 0.1% 109 0.1%

Porsche 13 11 18.2 0.1% 128 0.1%

Mini 12 14 -14.3 0.1% 162 0.2%

Peugeot 12 11 9.1 0.1% 120 0.1%

Chrysler 9 3 200.0 0.1% 74 0.1%

Smart 8 2 300.0 0.1% 19 0.0%

Renault 6 5 20.0 0.1% 76 0.1%

Cadillac 5 4 25.0 0.1% 31 0.0%

Ferrari 5 2 150.0 0.1% 24 0.0%

Pontiac 5 6 -16.7 0.1% 34 0.0%

Alfa Romeo 4 7 -42.9 0.0% 32 0.0%

Kia 4 4 0.0 0.0% 35 0.0%

Jeep 3 9 -66.7 0.0% 59 0.1%

Plymouth 3 0 300.0 0.0% 24 0.0%

Citroen 2 2 0.0 0.0% 23 0.0%

Others 26 35 -25.7 0.3% 423 0.5%

Total 9360 7183 30.3 100.0% 89437 100.0%

Imported Passenger Vehicle sales by Model - november 2013

Make ModeL Nov '13 Nov '12 +/- % Nov MkT Share

2013 ToTaL

2013 MkT Share

Nissan Tiida 638 565 12.9 6.8% 4105 4.6%

Mazda Demio 480 306 56.9 5.1% 4252 4.8%

Suzuki Swift 385 238 61.8 4.1% 4069 4.5%

Mazda Axela 340 333 2.1 3.6% 3905 4.4%

Honda Fit 324 172 88.4 3.5% 2970 3.3%

Mazda Atenza 274 181 51.4 2.9% 2487 2.8%

Toyota Corolla 273 298 -8.4 2.9% 2997 3.4%

Toyota Wish 247 161 53.4 2.6% 2175 2.4%

Mazda MPV 234 164 42.7 2.5% 2055 2.3%

Toyota Vitz 227 216 5.1 2.4% 2259 2.5%

Subaru Legacy 209 188 11.2 2.2% 2407 2.7%

Toyota Estima 200 155 29.0 2.1% 1367 1.5%

Nissan Note 192 154 24.7 2.1% 1390 1.6%

Nissan March 189 123 53.7 2.0% 1568 1.8%

Volkswagen Golf 168 108 55.6 1.8% 1729 1.9%

Nissan Bluebird 165 121 36.4 1.8% 1563 1.7%

Nissan Wingroad 137 92 48.9 1.5% 994 1.1%

Honda Odyssey 126 116 8.6 1.3% 1442 1.6%

Toyota Ist 123 165 -25.5 1.3% 1703 1.9%

Mazda Premacy 121 109 11.0 1.3% 1089 1.2%

Mitsubishi Outlander 120 76 57.9 1.3% 1513 1.7%

Mitsubishi Colt 110 87 26.4 1.2% 1153 1.3%

Nissan Teana 109 57 91.2 1.2% 997 1.1%

Nissan Presage 108 87 24.1 1.2% 951 1.1%

Toyota Auris 103 69 49.3 1.1% 946 1.1%

Toyota Avensis 103 85 21.2 1.1% 993 1.1%

Honda Stream 100 77 29.9 1.1% 960 1.1%

Toyota Passo 91 38 139.5 1.0% 533 0.6%

Honda Accord 85 98 -13.3 0.9% 1135 1.3%

Toyota Ipsum 79 82 -3.7 0.8% 895 1.0%

Toyota Blade 71 48 47.9 0.8% 646 0.7%

Nissan Murano 70 28 150.0 0.7% 580 0.6%

Nissan Serena 70 38 84.2 0.7% 548 0.6%

Mazda Verisa 68 43 58.1 0.7% 578 0.6%

Toyota Caldina 68 76 -10.5 0.7% 862 1.0%

Others 2953 2229 32.5 31.5% 29621 33.1%

Total 9360 7183 30.3 100.0% 89437 100.0%

AND TRUE WHOLESALE STRICTLY DEALER ONLY Reece McKerrow

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Greg Bardsley Ph: 0279 363 595

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www.autofile.co.nz | 31

Sales steer to smaller carsA total of 9,360 used

imported cars were sold in November to make it the

second best month of the year.Registrations were ahead of

the same month last year by 2,177 units and up by 30 per cent.

Year-to-date sales are up 18,245 units, or 26 per cent, with 2013 set to be the strongest year for used imported car sales since 2007.

Kiwis seem to be favouring smaller four-cylindered cars in this part of the market.

The most popular individual model last month was Nissan’s Tiida with 638 sales, followed by the Mazda Demio on 480 units and Suzuki’s Swift on 385.

Used imported commercial vehicles followed suit to also record their second best month for the year.

Sales of 621 were 287 – or 86 per cent – ahead of November 2012. So far this year, they are up by 2,344 units, or 74 per cent, meaning 2013 will be the strongest year for the sector since 2008.

Many industry segments are on-track to reach levels not seen for some time. While the winners are shifting around a bit each month, there are overall gains across virtually every sector.

New and used imports are recording solid improvements, which gives reason to be optimistic about the months ahead.

Bryce Campbell, director of Bryce Campbell Car Sales in Tauranga, says “cold walk-ins” are down. Buyers are researching online first and his website is attracting customers from across the country.

“In the past fortnight, we’ve had two buyers from Whangarei, two from Auckland and one from Hamilton,” he says. “Everyone in

those areas has a wide choice and they’re more prepared to travel.”

Campbell adds the local market is constantly changing and “there’s no easy street” for vehicle sales – they just have to be top quality – while many of the trade-ins at dealerships are coming from Tauranga’s older community.

“They are trading top-quality vehicles that have been serviced and looked after, but utes are hard to import and quite pricey. My market is less than $20,000.”

Shaun Jarvis, managing director of Dunedin Car Company,

told Autofile it was the worst November he has seen since 1999.

His business specialises in New Zealand-new priced from $6,000 to $25,000 and his stock ranges from small cars to large SUVs.

Jarvis feels last month’s disappointing figures were probably because the stock bought for November was $12,000-plus.

“Most buyers were looking for cars in that $8,000 bracket so the higher end dried up,” he says. “Up until now, I haven’t had a problem buying stock. It’s there but it’s just

AND TRUE WHOLESALE STRICTLY DEALER ONLY Reece McKerrow

Ph: 021 988 727

Greg Bardsley Ph: 0279 363 595

www.heiwa-auto.co.nz

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higher in the market and harder to get.”

Jarvis says it’s difficult picking a pattern about where the market is heading because October and November have been some of his busiest months in the past.

“We had a very good September and it was one of the best months in four years. We’ve gone from a booming month to a quiet period.”

Jarvis believes many dealers have been sacrificing margins for turnover.

“At the end of the day, no one makes any money when this happens and a lot of deals are

done for the sake of cash turnover. To me, you can’t run of business if you’re not making a dollar.”

On the bright side, he says genuine inquiry is picking up. Would-be buyers don’t seem like tyre-kickers and finance take-up has generally improved as well.

“When buying in the past, there used to be ports of call, such as yards and franchises and going down to Auckland once a week,” says Bryan Lambert, of Allkars Sales Ltd in Whangarei.

“We now do business all over

the country. That’s one of the good things with Trade Me – we have a countrywide audience instead of just a local one.

“People are fussy when it comes to buying because purchases are often decided before they come onto the yard and they’ve decided what they are willing to pay.”

With the likes of Nissan selling new cars with low-rate deals on finance, “you know margins are being cut but someone sees it and thinks, ‘I’ll have some of that’.

“Buyers are probably just paying for such deals on the cost of cars. That can only be done with new cars because they have set prices.”

Lambert describes selling second-hand cars as “all different” so it’s hard to compare the two.

“If I sell finance, the minimum I can get away with is about 12 per cent, while one thing that has helped to keep us going over the past 25 years is being open to buying everything.”

Overall though, the business is “doing alright” and “year to date we’re doing the same numbers this year as last year”.

Graeme Macdonald, chairman of the North Island branch of the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association, says auction houses changing the way they operate to become more retail focused has had a bearing on the industry.

He feels this has been especially the case since Turners introduced its “buy now” system.

“Everyone’s working in the same marketplace,” says Macdonald. “The auction model is just one of the tools we have towards finding an end user.

“It sits among car warehouses, the internet, direct selling and the bricks-and-mortar approach.”

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2013  

2012  

Used import passenger registrations - 2012-2013

32 | www.autofile.co.nz

100k barrier to be breachedThe number of used

passenger vehicles crossing the border this

year will probably be about 30 per cent more than in 2012.

November was the biggest month of 2013, with 11,184 units imported beating the previous high of 10,967 in May.

The running total for arrivals this year now stands at 97,469, with the annual figure set to break the 100,000 barrier.

This year will return the highest annual total since 2007 when 125,757 used passenger vehicles were imported, while 2013 will end about one-third ahead of 2012’s total of 72,239.

Out of five source nations monitored, only the UK failed to return its best monthly total of the year – 283 units arrived last

month compared to 297 in May.Australia wasn’t far behind

with 205 imports, or eight more than in October, while the US on 132 and Singapore with 22 also posted annual highs.

Imports from Japan made five figures – 10,516 – for the third time, ahead of 10,402 in May and 10,006 in April.

The year-to-date total from Japan is now 91,621 units compared to 2012’s full-year aggregate of 67,442.

However, trade in used imports has been mixed according to some dealers contacted by Autofile.

Antoni Mcdermott, of Universal Imports in Grey Lynn, Auckland, describes November as “pretty average”.

He says: “The Warehouse got a boost from people’s money or

people were saving for Christmas.” That said, the market has been

picking up in December. The strong dollar is helping bolster the yard’s stock, with the face-lifted Subaru Legacy of 2006-07 and 2006 BMWs some of the cars imported.

Mcdermott doesn’t feel the high cross-rate between the Kiwi dollar and the yen is pushing up prices in Japan. “If you’re shopping well, you won’t notice them.”

Bryan Lambert, of Allkars Sales Ltd in Whangarei, says: “We haven’t gone to Japan to buy, but we do that through an agent and that’s a good system for us.

“Lately, the stock hasn’t been quite right. The 2004/05 stuff is hard to buy cheaply enough to sell and you have to watch deals on new cars for sale here.”

Mike Sheaff, of Sheaff Vehicles

in Tauranga, says his business has seen a swing towards new cars.

“Prices in Japan are a bit higher and the emissions standards on imports have made it harder too.”

Despite the issues with importing from Japan, its monthly market share is currently standing at 94 per cent, which is up by 1.4 per cent over 2012.

Used imports from the UK have dropped from a market share of 3.7 per cent in 2012 to 2.5 per cent so far in 2013. This year’s total stands at 2,651 units compared to 2,730 in 2012.

Vehicles coming across the ditch amounted to 1,199 last year and stand at 1,761 for this year. Australia’s current share of the market is 1.8 per cent, up by 0.2 per cent from 2012.

www.heiwa-auto.co.nz

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JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUg SEPt Oct NOv DEc

2009

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Used Import Passenger Vehicles By Country Of Export CoUNTrY oF exporT

2013 2012JaN ’13 Feb ’13 Mar ’13 apr ’13 MaY ’13 JUN ’13 JUL ’13 aUg ’13 Sep ’13 oCT ’13 Nov ’13 2013 ToTaL MoNThLY

MrkT Share 2012

ToTaLMarkeT

Share

Australia 110 122 157 176 171 118 196 167 148 197 205 1761 1.8% 1199 1.6%

Great Britain 281 191 194 221 297 206 240 263 237 238 283 2651 2.5% 2730 3.7%

Japan 3939 7810 8401 10006 10402 7654 8048 8074 6974 9801 10516 91621 94.0% 67442 92.6%

Singapore 11 14 6 8 9 9 17 14 10 9 22 129 0.2% 154 0.2%

USA 94 89 83 106 63 81 96 99 113 115 132 1071 1.2% 976 1.3%

Other countries 33 21 11 22 25 21 26 18 19 14 26 236 0.2% 336 0.5%

Total 4468 8247 8852 10539 10967 8089 8623 8635 7501 10374 11184 97469 100.0% 72837 100.0%

2012

UsEd IMPOrT PassEngEr VEHIClEs arrIVals

CHOICE. 100,000 vehicles per month

Reece McKerrowPh: 021 988 727

Greg Bardsley Ph: 0279 363 595

www.heiwa-auto.co.nz

2013

www.autofile.co.nz | 33

Stock shortage affects NZ-new

sECOndHand Car salEs - november 2013

deaLer-To-pUbLiC pUbLiC-To-pUbLiC pUbLiC-To-deaLerNov '13 Nov '12 +/- % MarkeT Share Nov '13 Nov '12 +/- % Nov '13 Nov '12 +/- %

Whangarei 566 583 -2.9 3.24 1626 1611 0.9 279 284 -1.8

Auckland 5772 5319 8.5 33.08 13413 13260 1.2 4283 4201 2.0

Hamilton 1378 1371 0.5 7.90 3088 2844 8.6 1091 1139 -4.2

Thames 213 210 1.4 1.22 467 448 4.2 92 98 -6.1

Tauranga 928 934 -0.6 5.32 1790 1834 -2.4 579 661 -12.4

Rotorua 284 253 12.3 1.63 612 676 -9.5 141 134 5.2

Gisborne 182 154 18.2 1.04 362 368 -1.6 100 99 1.0

Napier 544 537 1.3 3.12 1319 1314 0.4 426 375 13.6

New Plymouth 466 440 5.9 2.67 953 941 1.3 287 244 17.6

Wanganui 197 163 20.9 1.13 423 401 5.5 116 113 2.7

Palmerston North 818 811 0.9 4.69 1468 1555 -5.6 767 671 14.3

Masterton 156 163 -4.3 0.89 343 311 10.3 100 101 -1.0

Wellington 1454 1463 -0.6 8.33 2605 2717 -4.1 1173 1217 -3.6

Nelson 272 317 -14.2 1.56 895 917 -2.4 221 205 7.8

Blenheim 196 164 19.5 1.12 366 331 10.6 116 96 20.8

Greymouth 82 118 -30.5 0.47 227 212 7.1 48 64 -25.0

Westport 23 24 -4.2 0.13 89 115 -22.6 1 - -

Christchurch 2440 2360 3.4 13.98 4865 4708 3.3 1784 1671 6.8

Timaru 280 283 -1.1 1.60 494 522 -5.4 176 149 18.1

Oamaru 97 71 36.6 0.56 202 172 17.4 25 34 -26.5

Dunedin 663 668 -0.7 3.80 1582 1574 0.5 485 435 11.5

Invercargill 437 407 7.4 2.50 951 941 1.1 328 298 10.1

NZ total 17448 16813 3.8 100.00 38140 37772 1.0 12618 12289 2.7

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

Compliance made simple... since 1999

Proud to sPonsor the secondhand car sales statistics

Dealer-to-public transactions recovered slightly in November

after dropping in October, with just 21 more vehicles sold last month.

There were 17,448 dealer-to-public sales, up by 3.8 per cent compared to November 2012, while trade-ins increased by 2.7 per cent to 12,618 units.

Some car dealers contacted by Autofile are still recovering from that drop in custom a few months ago.

John Paddy, of Mainly Cars in Palmerston North, describes October as “incredibly quiet” – sentiments that coincided with a six per cent drop in the city’s sales when compared to the same month in 2012.

But the region picked up in November, with registrations up by 30 on the previous month.

“Over the past year, we’ve been strong and our past quarters have been pretty consistent,” says Paddy. “We haven’t had a big or low month.”

He believes dealers have been increasing stock before Christmas, which may be causing price increases and shortages.

“Stock is hard to find across the board and auction prices have gone ballistic,” says Paddy.

“It’s that time of year when dealers are looking for extra stock. There’s such a big shortage of cars for our end of the market, which is less than $8,000.

“There are less and less cars on the road, and vehicles get damaged or wear themselves out.”

Despite sales drops in some regions, Invercargill continues to return strong figures.

Dealer-to-public sales saw an 8.5

per cent increase in October and a 7.4 per cent rise last month, with the latter amounting to 437 sales.

Michael Mason, dealer principal of Southern Automobiles, has recently returned to the industry after a stint in real estate.

He says the good weather around Invercargill has helped farmers get extra work done and boost yard sales.

“There’s always demand for good late-model used vehicles. We’re doing probably 40 per cent used balanced with new.”

Mason points out that the number of trades has failed to keep up with demand for used vehicles, so he has been buying New Zealand-new stock from around the country.

Auckland’s used vehicle market remained buoyant – up by 8.5 per

cent, compared to November 2012. This was an increase on October’s sales by 35 units.

Antoni Mcdermott, of Universal Vehicles in Grey Lynn, hopes next year will remain strong. “But I don’t have a crystal ball. With this industry you never know what you’re going to get.”

Job losses in mining are continuing to take their toll on the used vehicle market in Greymouth.

Dealer-to-public sales were down by 30.5 per cent, the country’s biggest percentage drop. November 2012’s total of 118 compared to 82 last month.

Oamaru gained most last month – up from 71 to 97 for a 36.6 per cent increase. Wanganui came second on 20.9 per cent and 197 trader-to-public sales, up by 163 units.

34 | www.autofile.co.nz

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new Passenger Vehicle sales by Make - november 2013

Make Nov '13 Nov '12 +/- % Nov '13 MkT Share 2013 ToTaL 2013 MkT

Share

Toyota 1746 1190 46.7 23.4% 14670 19.3%

Holden 685 673 1.8 9.2% 8102 10.7%

Ford 618 596 3.7 8.3% 6519 8.6%

Hyundai 572 624 -8.3 7.7% 6695 8.8%

Mazda 512 485 5.6 6.9% 5447 7.2%

Nissan 382 281 35.9 5.1% 3342 4.4%

Suzuki 376 405 -7.2 5.0% 4436 5.8%

Mitsubishi 351 272 29.0 4.7% 3661 4.8%

Honda 310 312 -0.6 4.2% 2994 3.9%

Volkswagen 288 261 10.3 3.9% 3527 4.6%

Kia 202 240 -15.8 2.7% 2563 3.4%

BMW 172 178 -3.4 2.3% 1861 2.4%

Subaru 165 153 7.8 2.2% 1645 2.2%

Audi 163 150 8.7 2.2% 1748 2.3%

Mercedes-Benz 128 82 56.1 1.7% 1398 1.8%

Peugeot 108 60 80.0 1.4% 1001 1.3%

Jeep 92 65 41.5 1.2% 775 1.0%

Ssangyong 86 49 75.5 1.2% 724 1.0%

Dodge 64 46 39.1 0.9% 478 0.6%

Skoda 63 56 12.5 0.8% 654 0.9%

Lexus 54 44 22.7 0.7% 508 0.7%

Land Rover 51 22 131.8 0.7% 443 0.6%

Mini 44 43 2.3 0.6% 474 0.6%

Chery 34 21 61.9 0.5% 351 0.5%

Alfa Romeo 24 31 -22.6 0.3% 182 0.2%

Great Wall 23 38 -39.5 0.3% 211 0.3%

Fiat 21 2 950.0 0.3% 142 0.2%

Renault 21 8 162.5 0.3% 98 0.1%

Volvo 18 19 -5.3 0.2% 229 0.3%

Porsche 13 11 18.2 0.2% 182 0.2%

Citroen 12 16 -25.0 0.2% 286 0.4%

Jaguar 12 5 140.0 0.2% 128 0.2%

Chrysler 10 13 -23.1 0.1% 120 0.2%

Can-Am 9 6 50.0 0.1% 75 0.1%

Daihatsu 6 19 -68.4 0.1% 258 0.3%

Aston Martin 4 1 300.0 0.1% 25 0.0%

Maserati 4 2 100.0 0.1% 14 0.0%

Mahindra 3 - - 0.0% 6 0.0%

MG 2 0 200.0 0.0% 12 0.0%

Chrysler Jeep 1 - - 0.0% 1 0.0%

Mclaren 1 0 100.0 0.0% 6 0.0%

Others 3 5 -40.0 0.0% 71 0.1%

Total 7453 6484 14.9 100.0% 76062 100.0%

new Passenger Vehicle sales by Model - november 2013

Make ModeL Nov '13 Nov '12 +/- % Nov MkT Share

2013 ToTaL

2013 MkT Share

Toyota Corolla 626 462 35.5 8.4% 5283 6.9%

Toyota RAV4 289 80 261.3 3.9% 2521 3.3%

Holden Commodore 260 171 52.0 3.5% 2399 3.2%

Mazda Cx-5 239 141 69.5 3.2% 1989 2.6%

Toyota yaris 227 267 -15.0 3.0% 2235 2.9%

Suzuki Swift 218 254 -14.2 2.9% 2750 3.6%

Ford Mondeo 184 98 87.8 2.5% 1201 1.6%

Hyundai ix35 168 81 107.4 2.3% 1338 1.8%

Mitsubishi Lancer 168 84 100.0 2.3% 894 1.2%

Toyota Camry 168 131 28.2 2.3% 1270 1.7%

Holden Captiva 135 319 -57.7 1.8% 2039 2.7%

Volkswagen Golf 134 103 30.1 1.8% 1469 1.9%

Toyota Highlander 118 79 49.4 1.6% 1092 1.4%

Ford Focus 114 212 -46.2 1.5% 1429 1.9%

Honda Jazz 113 76 48.7 1.5% 922 1.2%

Ford Kuga 112 18 522.2 1.5% 952 1.3%

Mazda Mazda3 109 151 -27.8 1.5% 1537 2.0%

Toyota Aurion 107 23 365.2 1.4% 447 0.6%

Holden Cruze 106 80 32.5 1.4% 1925 2.5%

Hyundai Santa Fe 103 261 -60.5 1.4% 1847 2.4%

Honda Civic 100 115 -13.0 1.3% 852 1.1%

Mitsubishi Outlander 97 118 -17.8 1.3% 1258 1.7%

Hyundai i30 95 103 -7.8 1.3% 1255 1.6%

Nissan Qashqai 93 106 -12.3 1.2% 884 1.2%

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 87 38 128.9 1.2% 557 0.7%

Nissan x-Trail 86 52 65.4 1.2% 779 1.0%

Ford Territory 83 137 -39.4 1.1% 1188 1.6%

Volkswagen Tiguan 78 53 47.2 1.0% 689 0.9%

Hyundai Accent 77 29 165.5 1.0% 572 0.8%

Honda CR-V 71 82 -13.4 1.0% 793 1.0%

Mazda Mazda6 70 82 -14.6 0.9% 960 1.3%

Mazda Mazda2 66 77 -14.3 0.9% 712 0.9%

Ford Falcon 65 45 44.4 0.9% 835 1.1%

Nissan Pathfinder 65 7 828.6 0.9% 191 0.3%

Dodge Journey 64 46 39.1 0.9% 476 0.6%

Jeep Grand Cherokee 64 39 64.1 0.9% 502 0.7%

Ssangyong Korando 63 36 75.0 0.8% 480 0.6%

Ford Fiesta 60 85 -29.4 0.8% 892 1.2%

Bmw 116i 59 13 353.8 0.8% 378 0.5%

Holden Malibu 58 - - 0.8% 334 0.4%

Others 2254 2130 5.8 30.2% 25936 34.1%

Total 7453 6484 14.9 100.0% 76062 100.0%

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sales going along like a rocket, but I wonder what the figures show,” he says. “Perhaps there are a lot of pre-registrations and rentals, but we don’t get involved in them.

“With Nissan we’re towards the bottom of wheel with the Navara because there are so many new models it’s up against, but the pricing on it is still good.”

Southey says the marque has some exciting new stock coming in, with the Qashqai and Pulsar being “very good” as has inquiry on the new Pathfinder and its automatic.

“The Qashqai, as a two-wheel-drive SUV, is performing quite surprisingly and older folk are

heading to it,” he told Autofile.“SUV sales have been very

good over the past couple of years, so the Qashqai has come at the right time.”

A lot of old Pulsar owners are coming back for the new model, which Southey is pleased to have instead of relying on the old Tiida.

“The Pulsar has been going well, both the sedan and hatchback, but it’s the Navara that’s been a bit slower than you need in a rural area.”

Honda has been “bossing along” with sales reaching targets due to the marque benefiting from a good, loyal customer base.

“The Jazz is our biggest seller while the CR-V is in a segment we used to have pretty much to ourselves, so we have to work hard on that,” explains Southey. “That said, the current model’s a nice unit.

“The sedans are paying for it a bit, but the Civic hatch is having good sales and the Accord is up there with everything else.

“Overall, we would always like to be selling more but as long as we’re getting our market, that’s pretty much where we’re at. At the moment, I would say the market isn’t as buoyant at it was.”

Meanwhile, Tony Alexander, the BNZ’s chief economist, says it’s “hard to imagine a more mixed set of comments” in the automotive sector, with companies reporting business as going one way or the other.

In his latest monthly confidence survey, he says 69 per cent of 577 respondents are expecting the economy to be in a better condition in a year’s time, which is up by 37 per cent compared to 12 months ago.

One car dealer says “new utes and SUVs continue to sell well with used vehicles at best steady”, while another describes trade as “fantastic”.

“We’re having the best year since 2007 with solid levels of inquiry on new and used,” adds a Bay of Plenty franchise.

Another says business is “terrible and we’ve never had it this bad”, and when interest rates rise “this will increase cost of doing deals”.

November was huge for new vehicle registrations, with 10,388 sales

compared to 8,581 in the same month of last year.

More new vehicles have now been sold than for all of 2012 – 104,408 so far in 2013 compared to 100,795 last year.

Toyota remained as the overall market leader in November with 24.4 per cent market share and 2,535 units. Ford was second on 11 per cent with 1,146 sales and Holden came third with 9.2 per cent and 952 units.

Year-to-date passenger car sales were up 7.5 per cent on the same period of last year with 7,453 units sold last month, which was the highest November total since 1984.

The Motor Industry Association is predicting that if strong sales of commercial vehicles continue this month, it’s likely the market will see its biggest sales year since 1981 when the statistics started to be collated.

Last month, Toyota secured the largest market share of passenger car registrations at 23.4 per cent and 1,746 units, as reported first on www.autofile.co.nz.

Holden came second with a 9.2 per cent share, or 685 units, while Ford was third with 8.3 per cent and 618 units.

The Corolla was the top-selling passenger model with eight per cent market share and 626 units.

It was followed by Toyota’s RAV4 on four per cent with Holden’s Commodore third and just one percentage point behind.

Andrew Mackenzie, chief executive officer of Albany Toyota, reports a good November with 142 sales overall – predominately passenger cars and SUVs.

The Hilux’s facelift and run-

record sales year on cardsout prices meant commercial sales remained strong throughout last month.

Sales of the marque’s signature class vehicles are heading for a record year, while Mackenzie says more used units were sold compared to new at the Albany-based franchise.

He says the business, which has twice won Toyota’s dealership of the year award, has a key point of difference from Auckland’s other franchises in “being out in the country, outside the concrete jungle”.

Mackenzie is also excited about growth in areas north of Auckland, especially Orewa and Silverdale.

“Staffing is still hard, particularly getting technicians,” he says. “Staffing in general isn’t easy and we’re looking long term in bringing in apprentice sales people.”

Despite the national statistics, not all franchises contacted by Autofile this year have reported trade mirroring the headline figures.

Roger Southey, dealer principal of Southey’s Auto World in Masterton, says business has been “a bit patchy” with Nissan and Honda.

“We’re reading about new car

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New passenger registrations - 2012-2013

Log onto www.autofile.co.nz for the full story on BnZ’s survey

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BMW extends its lead at the topThe sales figures for November

show BMW New Zealand has further extended its lead at

the top of the ladder in the premium automotive segment.

The marque achieved 171 registrations for the month and, compared with the same time last year, sales of its new models are up 18.5 per cent.

Nina Englert, managing director of BMW NZ, says the statistics show that Kiwis’ appetites for “attractive, highly specified and dynamically superior new models have never been stronger”.

She says: “Our line-up is without peer and model for model can’t be matched. I’m proud there’s such a strong product variety available ranging from the sub-$50,000 1 Series through to the xDrives and our M cars.”

Englert says the advertised price of all new BMW models for sale locally is the final transaction price – and this is finding traction in both the business and private markets.

Out of BMW’s 171 passenger cars and SUVs sold last month, the marque had the closet split of private-business registrations.

Private registrations came in at 81 units or 47.4 per cent of its total.

“All on-road costs, including 10,000km of road-user charges in the case of our diesel-powered models, are included in the list price,” Englert explains.

“This drive-away price promise provides greater transparency for our customers and means there aren’t any financial surprises when they drive their new vehicle for the first time.”

BMW’s November sales figures

were buoyed by the launch of the all-new X5, which is the world’s most popular premium sport activity vehicle.

“The X5 is the quintessential Swiss army knife of the automotive world and Kiwis love the possibilities it’s able to provide,” says Englert.

“Thanks to strong forward orders, I anticipate it will continue to be an unparalleled sales success.”

Audi pushed Mercedes-Benz into third place in the sector last month. Audi sold 162 cars, of which 92 – or 56.8 per cent – were business transactions.

There were 123 Mercedes sold in November and 54.5 per cent – or 67 units – were bought by businesses.

The overall best-selling marque of the month was Toyota. It sold 1,745 units, which was more than double the total of its closest rival, Holden.

Of that total, 84.3 per cent of its transactions – or 1,471 vehicles – were made in the business sector.

Holden sold 689 units during November, with 70.7 per cent being business registrations, while Ford came third on 618 sales, with 23.9 per cent being private transactions.

Hyundai on 572 sales and Mazda on 512 completed the top five in a market that returned a total of 7,420 last month and 64.8 per cent were to businesses.

Toyota isn’t having it all its own way in the new commercials market, however.

Year to date, the Hilux is the top-selling ute on 4,583 units and it’s being closely followed by Ford Ranger’s on 4,352 – although it’s unlikely the blue oval will be able to overturn that lead by the end of 2013.

Passenger Car sales by Private/Business split (InClUdEs sUVs)

Make privaTe % privaTe bUSiNeSS % bUSiNeSS ToTaL

Alfa Romeo 9 37.5 15 62.5 24

Aston Martin 2 66.7 1 33.3 3

Audi 70 43.2 92 56.8 162

BMW 81 47.4 90 52.6 171

Chery 15 44.1 19 55.9 34

Chrysler 5 50.0 5 50.0 10

Citroen 5 41.7 7 58.3 12

Daihatsu 4 66.7 2 33.3 6

Dodge 38 59.4 26 40.6 64

Fiat 12 57.1 9 42.9 21

Ford 148 23.9 470 76.1 618

Great Wall 18 78.3 5 21.7 23

Holden 202 29.3 487 70.7 689

Honda 214 69.5 94 30.5 308

Hyundai 155 27.1 417 72.9 572

Jaguar 7 70.0 3 30.0 10

Jeep 39 42.4 53 57.6 92

Kia 66 32.7 136 67.3 202

Land Rover 19 37.3 32 62.7 51

Lexus 27 50.0 27 50.0 54

Lotus 1 100.0 0 0.0 1

Maserati 3 75.0 1 25.0 4

Mazda 159 31.1 353 68.9 512

Mercedes-Benz 56 45.5 67 54.5 123

Mini 14 31.8 30 68.2 44

Mitsubishi 228 65.0 123 35.0 351

Nissan 194 50.9 187 49.1 381

Peugeot 70 64.8 38 35.2 108

Porsche 5 38.5 8 61.5 13

Renault 7 33.3 14 66.7 21

Skoda 20 31.7 43 68.3 63

Ssangyong 29 34.1 56 65.9 85

Subaru 62 37.6 103 62.4 165

Suzuki 205 54.5 171 45.5 376

Toyota 274 15.7 1471 84.3 1745

Volkswagen 136 48.4 145 51.6 281

Volvo 13 72.2 5 27.8 18

Other 0 0.0 3 100.0 3

Total 2612 35.2 4808 64.8 7420

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

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nEW VEHIClE MarKET sEgMEnTaTIOn - november 2013

Nov '13 Nov '12 MTh% diFF 2013 YTd 2012 YTd % YTd

Passenger 4,683 4,051 15.6 47,695 46,118 3.4

SUV 2,737 2,414 13.4 28,045 24,191 15.9

Light Commercial 2,539 1,791 41.8 24,835 19,363 28.3

Heavy Commercial 354 274 29.2 3,344 2,670 25.2

Other 75 44 70.5 489 488 0.2

Total market 10,388 8,574 21.2 104,408 92,830 12.5

Light 1,185 1,149 3.1 13,721 12,894 6.4

Small 1,921 1,686 13.9 19,772 19,042 3.8

Medium 789 653 20.8 7,313 7,017 4.2

Large 519 319 62.7 4,588 4,884 -6.1

Upper Large 27 21 28.6 253 235 7.7

People Movers 152 116 31.0 921 885 4.1

Sports 90 107 -15.9 1,127 1,161 -2.9

SUV Small 679 555 22.3 6,301 5,145 22.5

SUV Medium 1,179 791 49.1 11,585 8,580 35.0

SUV Large 833 1,026 -18.8 9,742 10,129 -3.8

SUV Upper Large 46 42 9.5 417 337 23.7

Light Buses 40 64 -37.5 441 411 7.3

Vans 507 359 41.2 4,884 4,422 10.4

Pick Up/Chassis Cab 4x2 692 475 45.7 7,280 4,941 47.3

Pick Up/Chassis Cab 4x4 1,300 893 45.6 12,230 9,589 27.5

Heavy Commercial 354 274 29.2 3,344 2,670 25.2

Other 75 44 70.5 489 488 0.2

Total market 10,388 8,574 21.2 104,408 92,830 12.5

nEW VEHIClE salEs BY BUYEr TYPE - november 2013

Nov '13 Nov '12 MTh % 2013 YTd 2012 YTd % YTd

Passenger 4,683 4,051 15.6 47,695 46,118 3.4

Private 1,547 1,528 1.2 17,376 15,996 8.6

Business 1,844 1,810 1.9 21,122 21,339 -1.0

Gov’t 108 205 -47.3 2,146 2,684 -20.0

Rental 1,184 508 133.1 7,051 6,099 15.6

SUV 2,737 2,414 13.4 28,045 24,191 15.9

Private 1,065 793 34.3 10,309 8,355 23.4

Business 1,242 1,322 -6.1 15,038 13,132 14.5

Gov’t 53 76 -30.3 559 601 -7.0

Rental 377 223 69.1 2,139 2,103 1.7

Light Commercial 2,539 1,791 41.8 24,835 19,363 28.3

Private 572 328 74.4 5,202 3,731 39.4

Business 1,741 1,318 32.1 17,610 13,695 28.6

Gov’t 84 102 -17.6 1,249 1,410 -11.4

Rental 142 43 230.2 774 527 46.9

Sub Total 9,959 8,256 20.6 100,575 89,672 12.2

Private 3,184 2,649 20.2 32,887 28,082 17.1

Business 4,827 4,450 8.5 53,770 48,166 11.6

Gov’t 245 383 -36.0 3,954 4,695 -15.8

Rental 1,703 774 120.0 9,964 8,729 14.1

heavy Commercial 354 274 29.2 3,344 2,670 25.2

Other 75 44 70.5 489 488 0.2

Total 10,388 8,574 21.2 104,408 92,830 12.5

A total of 2,935 new commercial vehicles were sold last month, which

was the highest November total since records started in 1981.

If strong commercial sales are seen again in December, the overall new vehicle market could have its best-ever annual tally.

The total number of all new vehicles sold in November came to 10,388. This brought the year-to-date total to 104,408.

Last month, light commercial vehicle registrations were up by 41.8 per cent compared to the same month of 2012 – 2,539 units versus 1,791. Year-to-date sales are 28 per cent ahead over the same period in 2012 – 24,835 compared to 19,363.

Sales to rental companies jumped

He says the Hilux’s facelift has resulted in a diagonal belt for the middle passenger being fitted in order to gain five ANCAP stars, which is important in the increasingly safety-conscious market. “The product is much stronger than a lot of people give it credit for.”

Rey McCone, dealer principal of Canterbury Mazda, describes the new commercials market in Christchurch as “extremely competitive” with BT-50 sales “going quite well”.

The dealership has just been offering good deals on the ute and with so many offers going on, he says it’s essential to be in that part of the market.

Steve Grenfell, dealer principal of Blackwalls Motor Group in

Commercials record big riseby 46.9 per cent, private sales went up by 39.4 per cent and business registrations rose by 28.6 per cent over the same year-to-date periods.

Roger Southey, of Southey’s Auto World in Masterton, says: “The Navara is a good ute and it has performed really well for us.

“There are now some fancy new things on the market and we have to fight that a bit. But people cannot get enough of the V6 diesel. They are thrilled with its towing, loading and all-round performance.”

Craig McDermid, chief executive officer of Blenheim Toyota, says: “Commercial vehicles always dominate the market, but the marques have been more competitive than I’ve seen in my two-plus decades in the industry.”

Christchurch, says the Colorado and Captiva still remain strong, while the ute is finding a lot of favour through its size.

“The Colorado is a big truck, but not super big, and it’s not as high as Mazda’s BT-50 or the Ford Ranger.

“It’s competitive in the performance stakes and its price point represents good value.”

Toyota had the largest November market share for commercial sales with 789 vehicles or 26.9 per cent. Its Hilux was also the top-selling model – 585 units represented a 20 per cent market share.

It was followed by Ford’s Ranger with 16 per cent and 482 units and the Holden Colorado at nine per cent market share on 255 units.

38 | www.autofile.co.nz

new Commercial sales by Make - november 2013

Make Nov '13 Nov '12 +/- % Nov '13 MkT Share

2013 FULL Year

2013 MkT Share

Toyota 789 578 36.5 26.9% 6938 24.4%

Ford 528 231 128.6 18.0% 5090 17.9%

Holden 267 181 47.5 9.1% 2485 8.7%

Volkswagen 188 125 50.4 6.4% 1318 4.6%

Nissan 169 253 -33.2 5.8% 2635 9.3%

Mitsubishi 148 115 28.7 5.0% 1916 6.7%

Isuzu 118 95 24.2 4.0% 1437 5.0%

Mercedes-Benz 100 52 92.3 3.4% 507 1.8%

Mazda 99 112 -11.6 3.4% 1190 4.2%

Mitsubishi Fuso 58 44 31.8 2.0% 475 1.7%

Great Wall 54 66 -18.2 1.8% 746 2.6%

Hino 50 48 4.2 1.7% 464 1.6%

Hyundai 45 14 221.4 1.5% 558 2.0%

Man 40 8 400.0 1.4% 97 0.3%

Ssangyong 39 25 56.0 1.3% 413 1.5%

Fiat 33 24 37.5 1.1% 257 0.9%

UD Trucks 26 11 136.4 0.9% 169 0.6%

DAF 22 18 22.2 0.7% 203 0.7%

Foton 21 0 2100.0 0.7% 146 0.5%

Scania 15 11 36.4 0.5% 182 0.6%

Others 126 86 46.5 4.3% 1231 4.3%

Total 2935 2097 40.0 100.0% 28457 100.0%

new Commercial sales by Model - november 2013

Make ModeL Nov '13 Nov '12 +/- % Nov '13 MkT Share

2013 FULL Year

2013 MkT Share

Toyota Hilux 585 350 67.1 19.9% 4588 16.1%

Ford Ranger 482 184 162.0 16.4% 4355 15.3%

Holden Colorado 255 170 50.0 8.7% 2310 8.1%

Toyota Hiace 197 199 -1.0 6.7% 2140 7.5%

Nissan Navara 169 247 -31.6 5.8% 2562 9.0%

Mitsubishi Triton 111 55 101.8 3.8% 1209 4.2%

Mazda BT-50 99 112 -11.6 3.4% 1190 4.2%

Volkswagen Crafter 85 19 347.4 2.9% 306 1.1%

Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 81 34 138.2 2.8% 366 1.3%

Isuzu D-Max 73 42 73.8 2.5% 758 2.7%

Volkswagen Amarok 71 75 -5.3 2.4% 758 2.7%

Hyundai iload 44 12 266.7 1.5% 521 1.8%

Ford Transit 43 40 7.5 1.5% 661 2.3%

Ssangyong Actyon Sport 39 25 56.0 1.3% 413 1.5%

Great Wall V240 37 47 -21.3 1.3% 511 1.8%

Mitsubishi L300 37 60 -38.3 1.3% 703 2.5%

MAN 18.33 34 0 3400.0 1.2% 34 0.1%

Fiat Ducato 33 24 37.5 1.1% 254 0.9%

Mitsubishi Fuso Canter 29 20 45.0 1.0% 229 0.8%

Hino 500 26 20 30.0 0.9% 252 0.9%

Others 405 362 11.9 13.8% 4337 15.2%

Total 2935 2097 40.0 100.0% 28457 100.0%

Used Commercial sales by Make - november 2013

Make Nov '13 Nov '12 +/- % Nov '13 MkT Share

2013 FULL Year

2013 MkT Share

Toyota 271 145 86.9 43.6% 2537 45.9%

Nissan 130 54 140.7 20.9% 1264 22.8%

Mazda 43 19 126.3 6.9% 285 5.2%

Isuzu 35 16 118.8 5.6% 232 4.2%

Fiat 33 9 266.7 5.3% 71 1.3%

Ford 23 16 43.8 3.7% 286 5.2%

Chevrolet 20 5 300.0 3.2% 123 2.2%

Mitsubishi 15 14 7.1 2.4% 117 2.1%

Hino 9 12 -25.0 1.4% 134 2.4%

DAF 4 1 300.0 0.6% 24 0.4%

Renault 4 0 400.0 0.6% 18 0.3%

Suzuki 4 1 300.0 0.6% 16 0.3%

Volkswagen 4 3 33.3 0.6% 46 0.8%

GMC 3 3 0.0 0.5% 24 0.4%

Holden 3 4 -25.0 0.5% 72 1.3%

Mercedes-Benz 3 6 -50.0 0.5% 49 0.9%

Peugeot 3 0 300.0 0.5% 13 0.2%

Dodge 2 7 -71.4 0.3% 33 0.6%

MAN 2 4 -50.0 0.3% 52 0.9%

Scania 2 2 0.0 0.3% 4 0.1%

Others 8 13 -38.5 1.3% 132 2.4%

Total 621 334 85.9 100.0% 5532 100.0%

Used Commercial sales by Model - november 2013

Make ModeL Nov '13 Nov '12 +/- % Nov '13 MkT Share

2013 FULL Year

2013 MkT Share

Toyota Hiace 196 114 71.9 31.6% 1902 34.4%

Nissan Caravan 60 15 300.0 9.7% 596 10.8%

Nissan Vanette 42 22 90.9 6.8% 417 7.5%

Mazda Bongo 36 16 125.0 5.8% 228 4.1%

Fiat Ducato 32 8 300.0 5.2% 68 1.2%

Toyota Dyna 26 12 116.7 4.2% 226 4.1%

Toyota Regius 21 10 110.0 3.4% 194 3.5%

Isuzu Elf 14 9 55.6 2.3% 138 2.5%

Nissan Atlas 14 6 133.3 2.3% 117 2.1%

Ford Transit 12 8 50.0 1.9% 147 2.7%

Toyota Toyoace 12 3 300.0 1.9% 84 1.5%

Isuzu Como 10 0 1000.0 1.6% 26 0.5%

Isuzu Forward 7 4 75.0 1.1% 47 0.8%

Toyota Hilux 7 2 250.0 1.1% 59 1.1%

Mitsubishi Canter 6 7 -14.3 1.0% 53 1.0%

Nissan Navara 6 8 -25.0 1.0% 95 1.7%

Toyota Townace 6 1 500.0 1.0% 25 0.5%

Chevrolet C10 4 0 400.0 0.6% 15 0.3%

Chevrolet Pickup 4 0 400.0 0.6% 21 0.4%

Chevrolet Silverado 4 3 33.3 0.6% 40 0.7%

Others 102 86 18.6 16.4% 1034 18.7%

Total 621 334 85.9 100.0% 5532 100.0%

commercial sales

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dealer stock of imported used cars in new Zealand

2012USed iMporTS

variaNCe SToCkaverage

SaLeS per daY - YTd

daYS SToCk

aT haNdiMporTed SoLd

Total stock at the end of December 2011 8,579

Jan ‘12 3,191 6,375 (3,184) 5,395 206 26

Feb ‘12 4,920 6,000 (1,080) 4,315 210 21

Mar ‘12 6,504 6,429 75 4,390 209 21

Apr ‘12 6,613 5,877 736 5,126 206 25

May ‘12 7,693 6,793 900 6,026 208 29

Jun ‘12 6,947 6,184 763 6,789 208 33

Jul ‘12 5,335 6,641 (1,306) 5,483 209 26

Aug ‘12 5,540 6,621 (1,081) 4,402 210 21

Sep ‘12 5,506 6,222 (716) 3,686 209 18

Oct ‘12 5,688 6,867 (1,179) 2,507 211 12

Nov ‘12 8,486 7,183 1,303 3,810 213 18

Dec ‘12 6,414 7,119 (705) 3,105 215 14

YTd total 72,837 78,311 (5,474)

2013USed iMporTS

variaNCe SToCkaverage

SaLeS per daY - YTd

daYS SToCk

aT haNdiMporTed SoLd

Total stock at the end of December 2012 3105

Jan ‘13 4,468 7,397 (2,929) 176 239 0.7

Feb ‘13 8,247 6,922 1,325 1,501 243 6

Mar ‘13 8,852 7,581 1,271 2,772 243 11

Apr ‘13 10,539 7,418 3,121 5,893 244 24

May ‘13 10,967 8,460 2,507 8,400 250 34

Jun ‘13 8,089 7,862 227 8,627 252 34

Jul ‘13 8,623 9,629 (1,006) 7,621 261 29

Aug ‘13 8,635 8,648 (13) 7,608 263 29

Sep ‘13 7,501 7,615 (114) 7,494 262 29

Oct ‘13 10,374 8,545 1,829 9,323 263 35

Nov ‘13 11,184 9,360 1,824 11,147 268 42

Dec ‘13 - - - - - -

YTd total 97,479 89,437 8,042

2013 predicted sales 97,738

DAYS StOck iN NZ - USED iMPORt cARS

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160

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

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ck

dealer stock of new cars in new Zealand

2012NeW CarS variaNCe SToCk average

SaLeS per daY - YTd

daYS SToCk

aT haNdiMporTed SoLd

Stock estimate as at end of December 2011 12,984

Jan ‘12 5,026 7,499 (2,473) 10,511 242 43

Feb ‘12 7,368 5,633 1,735 12,246 223 55

Mar ‘12 7,228 6,499 729 12,975 218 59

Apr ‘12 6,285 5,430 855 13,830 209 66

May ‘12 7,742 5,942 1,800 15,630 205 76

Jun ‘12 8,870 7,142 1,728 17,358 211 82

Jul ‘12 7,894 6,208 1,686 19,044 209 91

Aug ‘12 8,589 5,959 2,630 21,674 207 105

Sep ‘12 6,828 6,637 191 21,865 209 105

Oct ‘12 8,155 7,336 819 22,684 211 107

Nov ‘12 8,953 6,484 2,469 25,153 212 119

Dec ‘12 7,816 6,102 1,714 26,867 211 128

YTd total 90,754 76,871 13,883

2013NeW CarS variaNCe SToCk average

SaLeS per daY - YTd

daYS SToCk

aT haNdiMporTed SoLd

Total stock at the end of December 2012 26,867

Jan ‘13 5,355 7,385 (2,030) 24,837 238 104

Feb ‘13 7,027 5,799 1,228 26,065 223 117

Mar ‘13 6,329 6,800 (471) 25,594 222 115

Apr ‘13 7,391 5,908 1,483 27,077 216 125

May ‘13 7,429 6,347 1,082 28,159 214 132

Jun ‘13 8,051 7,542 509 28,668 220 130

Jul ‘13 8,423 6,769 1,654 30,322 220 138

Aug ‘13 11,065 6,828 4,237 34,559 220 157

Sep ‘13 7,006 7,272 (266) 34,293 222 154

Oct ‘13 9,362 7,962 1,400 35,693 226 158

Nov ‘13 9,591 7,453 2,138 37,831 228 166

Dec ‘13 - - - - - -

YTd total 87,029 76,065 10,964

2013 predicted sales 83,125

DAYS StOck iN NZ - NEw cARS

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dealer stock levels

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AutohubChristmas2013_Final.indd 1 29/11/13 4:48 PM