VOLUME 8 ISSUE 8 SEPTEMBER 2017 Confidence for the road ahead. AA floats safety ratings Dealers feel at point of sale election pinch mmigration policy is looming as a major election issue for dealers. ehicle safety ratings should be access to important distinctions, Stocks I Most parties propose changing displayed with cars at the point of says. immigration policy if they’re part of Vsale, the Automobile Association “Motorists, especially people buying the next government. says. cars for the first time, can easily be over- But Auckland City BMW manag- As part of its traditional call to politi- whelmed by what is available and can ing director Ian Gibson says any cuts cal parties ahead of the election, the AA find it difficult to work out which factors to migrant numbers would hurt his has suggested buyers should be given they should consider most.” business on a number of fronts. the ANCAP and Used Car Safety Ratings Her preference is for cars to be la- “Immigration is a huge one for the during their decision-making belled in the same way as new car industry. New immigrants process. whiteware, with a simple star fuel sales,” Gibson says. AA motoring services rating or Consumer Infor- He’s already noticed that a change manager Stella Stocks says mation Notice attached to in the Chinese government’s mon- New Zealand has an enor- the car to help in the buying etary policy is making it more difficult mous second-hand car decision. to get money out of that country, market with 160,000 im- The move would put little which has impacted his business. ports crossing the border in extra work on the shoulders Bringing migrants into New Zea- 2016, compared with about of dealers, she says. land is also a big factor in keeping 140,000 new car sales. “They are printing out a dealerships fully staffed, he says. New cars are safer than CIN now - is there any extra “We also need immigrants to work they have ever been but the cost to that? I would say very in the dealerships. You can put an ad average age of used imports little.” out there and it doesn’t matter if it’s is rising. VIA chief executive David for a technician, a groomer or a sales- “This means the gap Stella David Vinsen says the industry would person – you get hardly any replies. between the safety perfor- Stocks Vinsen not be opposed to labelling, “I’ve got people from all over the mance of used and new cars especially if it was a simple world working here. The auto industry is widening.” addition to the CIN but he reckons the has developed so much in the last ten For many motorists the safety differ- effort would be mostly pointless. years, we haven’t developed enough ence between cars is not immediately ap- “If it was on the CIN, it could be printed people to cater for that growth.” parent and consumers should have easy Continued on page 49 Gibson says he has brought ten technicians from overseas in the last INSIDE 18 months to top up his team of 25. Winston’s port bottom line 3 VIA chief executive David Vinsen Rules for parking unregistered cars 6 echoes Gibson’s concerns about Push for autonomous trials 7 changes to immigration policy. A visit to Mercedes World 10 3 6 Continued on page 14 The market leader for over a decade. Shift to the Autohub Team and experience the Autohub difference. GLOBAL VEHICLE LOGISTICS NZ · JAPAN · AUSTRALIA · UK · EUROPE | www.autohub.co FOUNDATION SPONSORS AutoTalk acknowledges the support of our foundation sponsors: www.autosure.co.nz WEEKLY PASSENGER & COMMERCIAL VEHICLE AUCTIONS 2 | AUTOTALK SEPTEMBER 2017 | www.autotalk.co.nz NEWSTALK AutoTalk Magazine and autotalk.co.nz are published by Auto Media Group Used EVs on the 8/152 Quay Street, Limited. P.O. Box 10 50 10, Auckland City, 1030. Ph. 09 309 2444. political agenda GROUP EDITOR AUTO TRADE TITLES Scott Morgan oliticians from differ- 021 240 2402 ent parties don’t often [email protected] Pagree on much. But when it comes to the MANAGING EDITOR importance of electric vehi- Richard Edwards cles in the used car market, 021 556 655 they seem to have made an [email protected] exception. New Zealand First’s Denis O’Rourke, National’s Jonathan Young, Act’s David Transport minister Simon Seymour, Labour’s Michael Wood and the Greens’ Julie Anne Genter debated PUBLISHER Bridges recently told AutoTalk transport issue at the Road Transport Forum in Wellington. Vern Whitehead National’s promise to make eventually trickle down to the But he says his party would 021 831 153 one third of the government used car market. also expect a bigger com- [email protected] fleet – or 5000 vehicles – But the party mitment than 5000 EVs to be electric by 2021 will make wants incentives purchased by the Govern- a difference in the used car introduced to help ment, which in time would CHIEF REPORTER market. businesses switch favour the private buyer. Robert Barry 022 0180 998 That’s because when those from petrol or die- Simon “Most New Zealanders buy [email protected] EVs exit the government fleet, sel to electric cars, Bridges second-hand cars. If you give they will get into the hands of she told the summit. businesses a financial incen- private buyers, he says. “If you remove fringe tive to [buy electric] then that SALES MANAGER His colleague National MP benefit tax off company cars, flows on to you and I.” Dale Stevenson 021 446 214 Jonathan Young mirrored you create a second-hand EV Labour’s Michael Wood [email protected] Bridges’ sentiments at the market in three to five years. pointed out that might be Road Transport Forum’s elec- “You’ve got to invest in of more use in New Zealand tion summit in Wellington last infrastructure to give people than other places because OPERATIONS MANAGER month. certainty.” the country produces 85% Deborah Baxter The Greens’ transport New Zealand First trans- renewable energy. 027 530 5016 spokeswoman Julie Anne port spokesman Denis “EVs aren’t the panacea. [email protected] Genter also promoted boost- O’Rourke says it also favours In Australia and the United ing the number of new EVs “phasing out liquid fuels in States, EVs are powered by on the road, which would favour of EVs”. coal.” SUBSCRIPTION SPECIALIST John Stephens 027 530 5023 Port move “pie-in-the-sky” [email protected] Auto Media Group Limited makes inston Peters’ New Zealand First plan port from the Waitemata every endeavour to ensure information contained in this publication is accurate, plan to move all that would see legislation Harbour has been highly however we are not liable for any losses Wcar imports from forcing Ports of Auckland critical. or issues resulting from its use. the Ports of Auckland to container operations to be Carr and Haslam manag- Annual subscription: $84 + gst ($96.60) Northport in Whangarei by moved north by 2027. ing director Chris Carr says Printed by: Alpine Printers. 2019 is being described as Industry reaction to the move is an attempt to political grandstanding. the idea of removing the get publicity. The move is part of a Auckland Council-owned Continued on page 17 autotalk.co.nz autotalk.com.au dieseltalk.co.nz INDUSTRY SUPPORTERS RECOGNISED BY dieseltalk.com.au evtalk.co.nz evtalk.com.au wheeltalk.co.nz identicar.co.nz AUTOTALK SEPTEMBER 2017 | www.autotalk.co.nz | 3 NEWSTALK Video links customers to service experience mage Console is connect- service department receives phone. Once you send a ing automotive service a notification. video it’s great – you can Iteams directly with their A message accompanying show you’re telling the customers through video. the video via email lets the truth. Managing director Shaun customer know “You record the licence Fletcher has brought the the cost of the plate so they can see it’s technology, which sends a repair. their vehicle. Normally video of what needs fixing on “It gives the within five to ten minutes, a vehicle, into the New Zea- service team you get the go-ahead.” land market from Ireland. transparency Clay says the system The technology allows to show the Shaun saves his staff plenty of the service department to customer what’s Fletcher time because they’re build trust with the customer going on,” Fletcher says. spending less of it on the which in turn increases sales In terms of the back-end phone. and profitability, he says. software, he says it integrates “I would say it saves Videos are produced by well with dealer manage- them 20 minutes per call.” back during the working day, the service team via a sup- ment systems. Another advantage for Clay says. plied smartphone and sent Giltrap Prestige Volkswa- the dealership is having Fletcher is working to get direct to the customer via gen service manager Shaun video footage as back-up in the product into other deal- text and email. Clay has been using the case the customer accuses erships after the successful The video arrives on a product for six months and staff of damaging the car. Giltrap trial. bespoke branded landing says customers love it. It also benefits customers Email info@imageconsole. page and, once viewed, the “Everyone carries a smart- who don’t have time to call co.nz for more information. Importer launches its own EV brand ell-known used The supermarket com- committed to the growth of “Many corporates have vehicle importer pany sourced 28 Nissan EVs in New Zealand.