Sales-rich Mazda breaks dealership ceiling
BY NEIL DOWLING | 14th Apr 2015
Most of the new outlets are spread down the east coast from Brisbane to Victoria with one appointed each in Western Australia and South Australia.
When completed, it will bring the national dealer count to 138, and marks the first increase in Mazda’s retail sites since 2005.
Mazda Australia sales director Vinesh Bhindi said the expansion was in line with population growth and the company deliberately targeted areas with “growth corridors”.
“The population growth in these corridors means we have to put our sales, parts and service centres close to where our existing and future customers are living,” he said.
“The drive behind these appointments is to cater for replacement car and used car requirements.” Mr Bhindi said an example of the growth in population was at Rockingham, south of Perth, which he said was an especially busy residential area.
The new franchise at Rockingham, a coastal city 40 kilometres south of Perth, will be run as a stand alone business by the same people managing the successful WA-based Shacks group that has franchises including Holden.
Mazda Australia received 47 expressions of interest in the Rockingham dealership when it was mooted in GoAuto News last year.
Rockingham Mazda, which opens in December and has Suharto Demiroski as its dealer principal, is the sixth Perth metropolitan dealership stretching 70km from Wangara in the north to Rockingham.
The site, which covers 8710 square metres of showroom, parts, new and used facilities and a 28-bay workshop, will be supported by a 3700-square metre vehicle storage yard.
National dealer group AHG has been appointed as the new Mazda dealer in Hillcrest, Queensland.
Other new Mazda dealerships include two for Melbourne at Caroline Springs and South Morang, one in Campbelltown in New South Wales, and one in North Adelaide.
Most are expected to be operating by the first half of 2016.
Mr Bhindi said there were no plans to alter the showroom design or corporate colours with the new appointments.
“We have a different colour scheme and design in Tokyo but that is not intended for other markets,” he said.
He also said Mazda Australia had no intention of pursuing an internet showroom.
“It’s very difficult to manage when we have different states having different rates for stamp duty and registration,” he said.
“But, individually, our dealers are able to offer internet showroom services for state-based customers.” Mazda Australia sold 100,704 vehicles last year, and in the three months to the end of March, it sold 28,280 vehicles, up 1.8 per cent on the same period in 2014.
The badge is on Australia’s best-selling SUV – the CX-5 – with 6128 sold this year. The company is also on short supply for its new small SUV, the CX-3. Launched last month, it has already sold 865 units.
