Dealers keen to clear Holden stock
Holden dealerships are offering thousands of dollars off their vehicles as many of them launch stock-clearance sales in the wake of news of the brand’s demise.
Autofile has pored over the websites of the 43 known Holden dealer premises in the country and 60 per cent, or 26 businesses, were promoting special deals or clearances for stock as of noon on March 2.
Among the “super” and “last chance” clearance offers were promises consumers can “save up to $20,000” on the price of a new vehicle.
Most of the franchises’ home pages with a “clearance on now” banner take potential customers to a message. “Please contact us directly to hear about our sales and service specials, offers and incentives,” it says. “We want to make sure you have access to the most current information available.”
The same message appears in the offers section of those websites that have no apparent sale or promotion on at present.
Ebbett, which has premises in Pukekohe, Hamilton, Tauranga, Taupo, Porirua and Wellington, is advertising a “last-chance stock clearance”. It is also offering an “exclusive bulk purchase” deal across its outlets, adding that people can “save thousands on Commodore, Calais and Equinox” models.
The websites of the Brendan Foot Supersite in Lower Hutt, and the GWD Holden branches in Queenstown, Gore and Invercargill, are all touting “Good buy Holden. Final stock clearance on now. Save up to $20,000.”
The former adds: “With the sad news that Holden will no longer operate in New Zealand, the remaining stock at Brendan Foot Supersite is now available in our Good Buy Holden sale. Act quickly as these are the final Holden deals available and will only last while stock remains.”
Cooke Howlison, which operates in Dunedin and Cromwell, is running a “super clearance sale”, that promises three years or 100,000km of free scheduled servicing with new purchases.
Support for customers
There are also 28 Holden dealers with a grey or red panel on their home pages carrying a statement about GM retiring the brand and links to a question-and-answer section.
The message reads: “Although General Motors has announced the retirement of the Holden brand in Australia and New Zealand, please be advised that our dealership continues to operate and will continue to support our valued customers.
“Holden will continue to support customers in the following ways: honour all existing warranties and guarantees, honour all free scheduled servicing offers, ongoing call centre support, provide servicing and spare parts for at least 10 years.”
Rosetown Holden in Te Awamutu adds a personal touch with a tailored message for its customers.
“For more than 32 years, Rosetown Holden has been proud and passionate to represent the iconic Holden brand in the Waikato,” it says.
“We want to reassure our valued customers that we remain committed to you and your motoring requirements. Providing high-quality service and customer care that you’ve come to expect over the last three decades. From service to parts, sales and finance, it’s still business as usual here.
“We understand this news regarding Holden means many of our customers will be wondering about the implications on their vehicle ownership. The Rosetown team is very optimistic about what future opportunities hold for us as a dealership.
“But in the meantime, as things progress we will update you with any news. If you have any questions about the above, please do not hesitate to get in touch… or come in and see us, share a coffee and your fondest Holden memories. We’d love to see you.”
Out of the 43 dealer websites looked at by Autofile, there were 11 that had the general statement only and were not advertising any clearance offers as of noon on March 2. These included Giltrap North Shore, Schofield Holden in Newmarket, Davie Motors Holden in Manukau, Karamu Holden with its sites in Napier and Hastings, and three Blackwells dealerships in Canterbury.
Six dealerships – West City Holden in the West Auckland suburb of Henderson, branches of Nicholsons in Whakatane, Morrinsville and Matamata, and Max Pennington’s AutoCity in Hawera and New Plymouth – had neither the statement about the end of Holden or any special sales campaign when checked by Autofile.
