The quarterly updated and published December edition of the Automotive Dealer Magazine is now available and can be accessed online.
This edition is packed with news and features providing crucial information and opinions on key issues impacting Dealer organisations and profitability.
Download your copy today.
Sadly, last month Robert Allen, a highly respected Western Australian dealership owner passed away aged 81.Robert has had a 60-year career that spanned the glory days of the nation’s car retailing industry. Robert started his career in the automotive industry in 1962, when a Dealer who sold him a car offered him a job as a salesman. In 1968 he started to operate his own dealership and a year later, teamed up with Lee Elvish, to run Bermuda Motors. Later he formed a partnership with Gardner and Peters (Metro Motors). From 1984 he partnered up with Harold Schoolland under the Allen Group and has had franchises including Honda, Mazda, Kia, Suzuki, Isuzu Ute, Mitsubishi, Subaru, Skoda, Nissan and Peugeot Citroen. Mr Schoolland, who had worked as a business partner with Robert for 37 years and described the business relationship as “a very rewarding and satisfying partnership”.Mr Allen was known for supporting automotive employees, he established many apprenticeship programs in WA. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues.
AADA is pleased to announce that award-winning broadcaster Peter Switzer as Host of the 2022 AADA Convention & Expo, 8 – 9 March 2022.
Headlining an action packed AADA Convention & Expo program, Peter Switzer is an Australian business and financial commentator, radio and television presenter, lecturer, and author. Switzer founded his own company The Switzer Group which has since grown into three diverse businesses involving media, financial services, and investment management.
We are looking forward to working with Peter and delivering a hard-hitting program detailing the challenges that automotive dealers face in these rapidly changing times.
Electric Vehicles, F&I Operations, Dealership Customer Data and Digital Transformation will feature in a program with over 60 speakers covering all aspects of dealership operations.
The AADA Expo is 70% sold and is shaping up to be the most future focused display of products and services providing automotive dealers with the latest in marketing solutions, equipment, digital technology, processes, and systems.
Further announcements about the 2022 AADA Convention & Expo will be made in the coming days.
For event information contact:
Patrick Tessier
Convention Director
E Patrick@aadaconvention.com.au
M +61 412 685 857
Sadly Noel Huxley Gould, a highly respected Holden Dealer passed away aged 83 suddenly earlier this week. When asked what made him choose a career in the automotive industry Noel once said:“It actually chose me. I was fresh out of school and crossing Federal Street in Rainbow, and Jack Strauss, the owner of Strauss Brothers – who became a wonderful friend and mentor of mine – approached me and said, ‘What are you doing next year, Noel?’ and I said, ‘I’m going to work for the Austin Dealer.’ He said ‘Bullshit. He’s not much of a Dealer, come and see me.” And there began a 60+ year career as one of Australia’s iconic Holden Dealers, Noel Gould. Beginning his career in 1954 in Rainbow, Victoria, Noel Gould was a Holden man. Throughout a successful career he owned and operated nine Holden Dealerships across Australia along with a number of other dealerships and brands. His belief in the Dealer system saw him a leader in the Melbourne Holden Dealer Association and a strong advocate of the Holden brand. Asked what he thought was the most challenging aspect of running a dealership? He answered, “Finding the right people, nurturing them and getting them to do the things that they should do”. Noel believed the car industry provided enormous opportunity to those who were prepared to work hard, be disciplined, and cared about customers. Noel Gould leaves a legacy of passionate and successful Dealers that he mentored through his long career. Our thoughts are with his family, his wife Marlene and children at this sad time.
Governments around the world are subsidising electric vehicles or offering incentives to attract more electric vehicle (EV) buyers. Many car Manufacturers have already committed to switch to electric vehicles only in the next decades.
In Australia, electric vehicles are slowly gaining in popularity with 8,688 electric vehicles sold in the first half of 2021. In Australia, State Governments are taking the lead in encouraging the electric vehicle uptake. Most states offer concessions or exemptions on stamp duty and registrations, while some impose a tax to offset the loss of the fuel tax that goes to road maintenance.
The Electric Vehicle Council recently released its “State of Electric Vehicles report” which includes a scorecard which rates each state based on its holistic policy environment for electric vehicles and the development of policy actions over the last twelve months.
The AADA has put together the below visual guide to help you understand what incentives your State Government is offering for drivers to take up EVs.
Sadly, Robert (Bob) Clifton Binks, a highly respected Ford and Toyota Dealer passed away aged 77 after a long battle with advancing Parkinson’s.
Bob, who was a past long-serving chairman of the Ford National Dealer Council, had a diverse automotive career which he first started working for Volkswagen and later in the marketing department of Ford Australia until he decided to open his own dealership, Bob Binks Ford, in Coffs Harbour.
He later sold his Coffs Harbour dealership, to move to operate a Ford franchise, also named Bob Binks Ford, in Footscray. In 1984, he opened Star Ford in Brighton Road St Kilda and later bought Goulds Toyota in Northcote which was the first Toyota dealership in Melbourne. He then moved from Victoria to Queensland and opened another Ford dealership, Bob Binks Surfside Ford, in Miami and Tweed Heads.
Our thoughts are with his family; his wife Anne, the three children Julie, Peter and Roger, their spouses John, Kim and Shannan; and his seven grandchildren; Charlie, Max, Jett, Bowie, Roscoe, Natalia and Tino.
Australia’s new car Dealers make an important contribution to their local communities – not only through the jobs they provide and economic contribution they make, but also through donations to charities, sponsorships of local sporting teams or the support of local events and initiatives.
Every day, #DealersGiveBack to their communities. We want to recognise and highlight the important contribution our members make to their communities. We want to share your stories about the positive impact dealerships have with your Government and fellow Australians.
To do so, we need your help! If your dealership does something special, please let us know by sending us an email or tagging AADA in a post about your good cause on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.
Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics released its shows that for the first time, there were more than 20 million registered motor vehicles on our roads with the national fleet increasing by 1.7% from 2020 to 2021. 18.1 million of those registered vehicles were Passenger and Light Commercial vehicles.
While the Australian Capital Territory had the youngest fleet with an average age of 9.5 years, Tasmanian vehicles were the oldest at 13.3 years. The average age of vehicles across Australia increased to 10.6 years.
Toyota topped the list of passenger vehicles for the 16th consecutive year with 3 million registrations.
Scholarships of $1,000-$5,000 per person are available for women in the automotive sector
Women & Leadership Australia provides world-class leadership development programs for emerging, middle, and senior women leaders in the automotive sector. Their programs bring together the latest in leadership theory and practice with a focus on applied learning and are designed to foster excellence and equity in leadership across Australia.
Scholarships are now available through Women & Leadership Australia to encourage more women to step into leadership roles and to support the further development of current women leaders.
Scholarships of $1,000-$5,000 will support participation in one of three leadership development courses designed for emerging through to senior leaders.
Apply by 10 September or find out more by clicking here: http://www.wla.edu.au/automotive.html
The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO), the Hon Bruce Billson GAICD will deliver the Keynote Address at this years’ 2021 AADA Convention & Expo.
As the ASBFEO Bruce Billson GAICD is an independent advocate for small business owners. His office has the legislative powers needed to effectively influence our nation’s lawmakers, ensuring legislation and regulations are put in place to help small businesses grow.
Mr Billson believes that small businesses are the engine room of the economy so we need to do all we can to ensure they have the freedom to innovate, employ and thrive well into the future.
Registrations are open for the 2021 AADA Convention & Expo. This year, Australia’s largest automotive event will be onsite at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, 14 – 15 September, plus, every session will be available online, both live and on-demand. The AADA Convention & Expo program and schedule will be announced on Tuesday 13 July.
AADA is anticipating a record attendance for this first mass gathering of our industry in two years. The AADA Convention & Expo program will also present our biggest workshop program ever with over 40 business sessions and 60 speakers. It assembles some of the finest minds and leaders in the retail automotive industry, delivering solutions and strategies for every facet of dealership operations. Our speakers will inspire, entertain, educate, and equip attendees with the knowledge to improve operations.
If you are a leader in the Australian Automotive Industry and want to get “Future Focused”, you can’t afford to miss the 2021 AADA Convention & Expo.
To register visit aadaconvention.com.au.
See you in September.
