Best and worst dealers

The average number of sales per dealer has increased for two weeks in a row and reached 15 vehicles last week, according to the latest statistics from Apexdealerdata.com.

The total was up from 14 and 12 in the previous two respective weeks as July is predicted to be the second-best month of the year for registrations.

A Christchurch-based dealership with 55 sales was the best performer last week and had 97 per cent of its stock priced “on market”.

In contrast, a North Island business had 97 per cent of its vehicles priced above the on-market range and managed only one sale. 

Apexdealerdata.com’s AI-driven decision engine rates the pricing of vehicles as higher, on market or lower based on what it works out as the best price for the quickest return and most value for a car.

Matt Grant, chief executive officer, says: “You are currently 72 per cent less likely to sell a car if you underprice it and that’s margin you are giving away for no reason.”

The average number of days to sell a car remains at 65, according to his company’s figures, and 819 dealers secured sales last week.

The Apexdealerdata.com market reports appear every Monday on Autofile Online.