www.autofile.co.nz OCTOBER 2020 THE TRUSTED VOICE OF THE AUTO INDUSTRY FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS Virtual solutions help to keep trade flowing Companies across the motor-vehicle sector are conjuring up high-tech ideas to survive and grow in the ‘new normal’ How green is p 12 he automotive industry is Japan’s fleet? showing its creative side with a range of innovations Tto help companies continue to do business during the coronavirus pandemic. Changing Covid-19 alert levels, restrictions in travel and the need to p 21 conduct contactless trading have all forced many businesses to rethink how they run their operations. It has led to apps, video-call systems and biometric programs Maserati enters new era being developed specifically for commercial purposes across the Biometrics are being used in contactless transactions – find out why inside this issue motor-vehicle sector, from those Podcasts importing from Japan through to vehicles post-lockdowns. auctions and make their decisions share racing finance companies issuing car loans. With dealers unable to get to on what they want to buy – while expertise While some fresh approaches Japan because of the closure of still in New Zealand. have been short-term solutions, international borders to select Mike Tyler, chief executive others look set to stay and are and buy stock, Autoterminal NZ officer, says the company hopes p 22 being further enhanced by service has innovated to continue doing that by embracing a digital providers across the supply chain. business and maintain the flow of approach it will make it easier for The innovations have been used imports across the border. dealers to carry on doing their jobs. driven by necessity. The inability It is now effectively bringing “The system we’ve developed to travel overseas is one factor, Japan direct to its customers uses technology to give dealers while ideas have grown in response by developing a virtual buying a similar experience to what they Dealer liable to the changing expectations of experience that uses video calling would have if they went to Japan,” consumers looking to purchase to allow traders to look around he told Autofile. for chassis rust p 25 [continued on page 4] GLOBAL VEHICLE LOGISTICS NZ - JAPAN - AUSTRALIA - UK - EUROPE Doing business with Jacanna just got MORE REWARDING! We have partnered with SmartTrade, New Zealand's premier business-to-business rewards programme, to reward you for every shipment made with us. Earn points that can be used to get virtually any reward you want!* Vehicle Shipping General Freight Vehicle Tracking Shipping Schedule Rewards Programme Load it >> Ship it >> Track it >> Clear it >> Deliver it jacanna.co.nz/rewards Tel: +64 9 825 0888 *Terms and conditions apply. Doing business with Jacanna just got Call Steve Owens now on 021 947 752 GUEST EDITORIAL MORE REWARDING! Greener fleet needs DIRECTORS EDITOR to be top priority Brian McCutcheon Darren Risby [email protected] [email protected] We have partnered with SmartTrade, New Zealand's premier business-to-business ph. 021 455 775 What’s the plan to cut transport emissions? New JOURNALISTS Darren Wiltshire Sue Brebner-Fox rewards programme, to reward you for every shipment made with us. Zealand must agree one soon, says Mark Gilbert [email protected] [email protected] ph. 021 0284 7428 Earn points that can be used to get virtually any reward you want!* Matthew Lowe [email protected] don’t wish to be likely influence models DESIGNER alarmist, but here’s available here in New Adrian Payne MOTORSPORT the deal – the EU has Zealand. [email protected] Mark Baker [email protected] Ibeen rigorous in its desire Little has been said to lower emissions. about the future make- Up until 2020, its up of our fleet, which Autofile magazine is also available online as a readable file or downloadable as a PDF. Subscriptions are available at Autofile Online – www.autofile.co.nz. target for the fleet was is surprising given Back copies are also available on the website. 130gCO2/km and most MARK GILBERT our commitments to Copyright: Published monthly by 4Media Ltd, Vehicle Shipping General Freight Vehicle Tracking Shipping Schedule Rewards Programme marques selling there Drive Electric decarbonise transport PO Box 6222, Dunedin 9059. seemed to achieve this. and achieve net-zero All statements made, although based on information believed to be After January 1, 2020, this carbon by 2050. accurate and reliable, cannot be guaranteed, and no liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions. Reproduction of Autofile in became 95gCO2/km. Over the next Hence my question, what’s the print or digital format in whole or part without written permission, five years or so, it will go down to plan? Over the past three years, the whether by copying or any other means, is strictly forbidden. Load it >> Ship it >> Track it >> Clear it >> Deliver it about 75g with big implications government has brought little or All rights reserved. ISSN 0112-3475 (print) ISSN 2350-3181 (online) for car makers if they miss it. The no change to National’s initiatives potential for fines is about NZ$22 from 2016. billion. Fossil-fuelled cars cannot To stimulate debate, Drive contribute much to this target, Electric Inc has pushed out hence the move to more low- a call to action to the main emission vehicles. parties contesting the election. Vehicle Inspection NZ Failing to meet targets will Ambitiously, it suggests our fleet result in one of two outcomes. will need to have 250,000 EVs on One is paying those huge fines our roads by 2025 to have any Entry Certification by lowering shareholder returns hope of achieving our net zero- or increasing prices to recover carbon target. Specialists costs from customers. Both are It is based on this country unpalatable. The other is to not sell needing to cut emissions by about products in what’s one of the most 60 per cent by 2030 to stay within profitable markets for marques. the 1.5 degrees of warming, the The EU isn’t interested in target in the Zero Carbon Act. delaying the introduction of these The overall goal is to achieve a measures, which is why the likes plan for our automotive industry that of Porsche, Ferrari, Audi, BMW, also signals to consumers, fleets, and Daimler and Volkswagen are finance and lease companies that advancing models that are mostly changes are coming. battery electric or plug-in hybrids. We need a plan that signals the All very interesting, I hear where and when, and to inform you say, but what’s the point? Kiwis about options they will have Many European countries have – options that factor in all forms of signalled bans on pure fossil-fuel mobility be that a bicycle, public and non-plug-in hybrid vehicles transport, car-sharing and others. between 2025 and 2040. This The automotive world is changing • Entry Certification for imported cars • Vehicle Appraisals • Pre-Purchase Inspections • WoF • CoF • Road User Charges includes the UK, which has stated fast. That’s why we need a plan. jacanna.co.nz/rewards • Registration & relicensing • Exhaust emission testing this will happen from 2032. That’s not far away in lifecycle terms Drive Electric’s EV discussion document in Tel: +64 9 825 0888 depth; why we need a bipartisan roadmap and, being one of the largest to decarbonise its light fleet and five key 0800 GO VINZ VINZ.CO.NZ right-hand-drive markets, it will policy platforms – page 18 *Terms and conditions apply. www.autofile.co.nz 3 news [continued from page 1] “We’ve decided to do this aspect of the supply chain, the car t because a good portion of our industry is proving surprisingly customers purchase vehicles by resilient with auctions, port going to Japan and buying them, facilities and shipping seeming to but in this Covid-19 world they cope well. can’t do that. They’re now 100 per The main challenge, which cent reliant on us and the guys in no-one expected, is stock supply Japan to buy cars for them. from Japan. The volume of sales in “By using video calls, they can Restrictions on travelling in and out of New Zealand mean businesses are having to get smart New Zealand and reduced supply still see everything at the auction with technology, such as video conferencing. Photo: Brett Phibbs / Auckland Airport in Japan has put huge pressure while getting immediate feedback on suppliers to secure stock for on vehicle condition from our taken to anywhere else around the the system in Queenstown and it customers. auction staff. With our set-up, they country. worked well.” “The virus hasn’t stopped are easily able to do the market “A benefit of taking customers Tyler estimates about 10 to 15 anything. It’s just created a different and pricing research. to Japan was they could see per cent of business has previously way of doing business. It has made “This isn’t a magic bullet to vehicles and we had their full been done through buying trips, the process of buying cars harder solve all the problems for buying attention. They were out of their with those dealers preferring to see because there are things you have vehicles, but it’s a solution to help yards and not distracted by the vehicles for themselves in Japan. to think about that maybe you meet customers’ needs in changed goings-on of car dealerships. If we However, Autoterminal’s didn’t need to before. circumstances.” take them out of that usual work innovation aims to maintain an “Our industry is doing better at Autoterminal has trialled the environment and into a space effective method of buying until this stage than anyone anticipated system with a handful of dealers dedicated to buying cars, then international borders reopen.