Aussie industry group forms

David Vinsen from the Imported Motor Vehicle Dealers Industry Association (IMVIA) says the organisation is looking forward to working with the newly formed Australian Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association (AIMVIA). The AIMVIA formed on Monday at a meeting in Sydney, and follows the IMVIA hosting a group including importers, compliance providers and supply-chain representatives from the Australian industry in April, as reported in Autofile magazine. “They were very interested in the way the New Zealand association operates,” says Vinsen. Discussions centred on the possibility of restrictions on high-volume used imports being relaxed in the wake of the car-making industry closing over the next few years. “AIMVIA has already established a steering committee to discuss potential strategies for lobbying the government to allow importers of new and used vehicles to compete on more even terms, in the face of what will undoubtedly be strong opposition from new vehicle importers,” says Kristian Appelt, a spokesperson for the AIMVIA. Vinsen says it is still yet to be decided how the IMVIA will assist the newly-formed organisation moving forward. “It’s still very early days and neither party are sure,” he told Autofile.