Gazley growing

Gazley Motor Group has opened its new dealership for Fiat, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo and Dodge in Wellington after taking over the franchises in November. Myles Gazley, the managing director of the Gazley Motor Group, is excited about the growth prospects each of the brands present and has invested more than $4 million in a new dealership. “They are aspiration brands with a huge amount of customer following and if you look at all of them as a total brand the combined market share is quite large. “Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is not just highly successful now; it is making a considerable investment in the future to further grow its brands. We are, therefore matching this will a multi-million dollar investment of our own so that we may not only provide outstanding customer service now, but also for all the planned future models.” During the first month of the group holding the franchises they sold 25 vehicles to retail customers and six to fleet buyers. The new showroom is located on Cambridge Terrace, formerly the site of Star Mercedes. “We've given these brands one of the best showrooms on the strip and there’s room for more than 20 cars,” he says. “It’s got a fully operating barista with couches in there – it’s lovely.” Formerly the franchises were held by the Armstrong Motor Group, before Gazley was presented with the opportunity to takeover by Fiat-Chrysler New Zealand. The business will be run by Matthew Calder, who brings extensive experience in running premium and luxury dealerships. On the sales side Jeff Edwards has more than 40 years of experience working with Alfa Romeo and Fiat and he is keen to match this with the American brands now included within Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. He is supported by Elliot Andrew who adds to his knowledge of the brands his motorsport experience which provides a unique insight into the performance brands such as Alfa Romeo and SRT. On the aftersales side Shaun Hickman and Nathan Thomas have extensive experience across all the brands handled by the new company. Gazley is also opening a Volkswagen satellite site and service centre in Lower Hutt. The Wellington-based dealer has seen tremendous growth in Volkswagen sales. “Five or six years ago, we were selling 10 Volkswagens per month and today we’re doing more than 32 passengers and 10 commercial vehicles per month.” For the full story read the latest issue of Autofile magazine.