Dealers tackle Chinese growth
Dealers and industry representatives from both sides of the Tasman have converged this week for the Australian Automotive Dealer Association’s (AADA’s) annual convention and expo.
The two-day event was held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre with the emergence of Chinese brands and Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) among the hot topics of discussion.
The convention kicked off with Julia Gillard, a former prime minister of Australia, delivering a speech to attendees.
She was followed by a panel presentation entitled “Driving change: The strategic advantage of women in automotive”, which featured Kym Mellow, general manager of Inchcape New Zealand, among the panellists.
Other features of the opening day on July 22 included a presentation by James Voortman, AADA’s chief executive officer, and workshops on a range of topics such as how to boost used car profits and the use of artificial intelligence in dealerships.
A keynote discussion was also held with Tom Castriota, chairman of the US-based National Automobile Dealers Association.
Issues tackled in presentations on the second day included unlocking parts of the EV market and the future of automotive retail, while some of the workshops looked at accelerating finance and insurance profits and improving digital footprints.
The final feature session of the convention featured Steven Bragg, from Pitcher Partners, an Australian association of independent accounting, audit and business advisory practices, talking about China’s impact on the automotive industry.
His presentation looked at what the growing presence of Chinese EV brands in the market means for dealers, original equipment manufacturers and investors.
Among those from New Zealand attending the convention was Amos Banbury, co-founder and lending manager of better finance.
He says getting to share details of the company’s products face-to-face with so many dealers is a good way to draw attention to what it offers in New Zealand and Australia.
“We have had a stand at the last two events now. It’s great for a branding opportunity and lets you get into conversations that otherwise wouldn’t happen,” he adds.
“It’s a chance to mix with other exhibitors and also dealers, lenders and others in the industry. Having consistency of being there for a couple of years now is also a show of investment in Australia for us.”
