Honda and Hino name top-performing dealers

HONDA Australia and Hino Motor Sales Australia both staged gala dealer awards events in Sydney recently to recognise the contributions made by their top-performing retailers.

While Honda announced its 2012 Dealer Excellence Award winners at the acclaimed Quay restaurant, Hino held its annual ‘Dealer of the Year’ presentation at Doltone House and paid tribute to not only its best performers in overall terms but to dealerships and staff across a variety of areas, including sales, parts and service.

Rather than name an individual DOTY in specific categories, the Honda awards program was revised in 2010 to honour several outstanding dealers across four groups based on sales targets.

Each dealership has the opportunity to win an award if it meets the qualifying criteria – covering business areas such as sales, service, parts and customer satisfaction – and finishes in the top five of its respective group.

Seventeen dealers were recognised for their performance in 2012 – a year in which Honda sales overall rebounded 19 per cent (to 35,812 new registrations) after natural disasters in Japan and Thailand caused severe supply shortages in 2011.

The company is now aiming to sell 40,000 units this year, 50,000 in 2014 and 60,000 in 2015.

In group one, the winners and their representatives at the awards night were: Dave Potter Honda, SA (Chris Potter) Yarra Honda and Eastern Honda, Vic (Tony Jowett) Burswood Honda, WA (Bob Peters) and Honda North, WA (Paul Gardner).

The top dealers in group two were: Formula Honda, SA (Aaron Puvi) Nordic Honda, SA (Hillar Puvi) Torque Honda, Qld (Janelle Wojtowicz) Northway Honda, Vic (Andrew Booth) and New World Honda, Vic (Cameron Bertalli).

There were four winners in group three – Darwin Honda, NT (Catherine Phillips) Sunshine Coast Honda, Qld (Phil Drinnan) Trinity Honda, Qld and Ireland Honda, NSW – and three winners in group four: Motors Honda, Tas (John Templeton) Carlin & Gazzard Honda, SA (Peter Gazzard) and Pace Honda, Vic (Peter Dullard).

Honda Australia director Stephen Collins said: “We believe we have some of the best people in the business in our dealer network and this is our way of recognising their commitment to excellence.”

Meanwhile, Hino has named Brisbane-based Sci-Fleet Hino as its 2012 Metropolitan Dealer of the Year, and Bendigo Truck Centre as its Regional Dealer of the Year.

It was each dealership’s second successive title in the same category, and, in accepting their award, Sci-Fleet dealer principal Craig Andersson and Bendigo Truck Centre DP Steve Elliott both acknowledged the hard work and dedication of their staff.

Among the other award recipients were: number one sales volume (WA Hino Sales and Service) regional number one sales volume (Vanderfield Hino Toowoomba) sales excellence – metro WA (gold: Hino Sales and Service, silver: Newcastle Hino, bronze: Prestige Hino) sales excellence – regional (gold: Bunbury Hino, silver: Vanderfield Hino Darwin, bronze: Hi Way 1) parts excellence – metro (gold: Sci-Fleet Hino, silver: CMI Hino Adelaide, bronze: WA Hino Sales and Service) parts excellence – regional (gold: Carlisle Hino, silver: Vanderfield Hino Toowoomba, bronze: Bendigo Truck Centre service excellence – metro (gold: Prestige Hino, silver: CMI Hino Adelaide, bronze: Sci-Fleet Hino) and service excellence – regional (gold: Vanderfield Hino Lismore silver: Pacific Hino, bronze: Vanderfield Hino Toowoomba).

Hino’s awards presentation was attended by Hino Motors president Yoshio Shirai, general manager of the Asia Oceania division Shin Nakamura, Hino Australia chairman and CEO Ken Sekine and president and COO Steve Lotter.