Dealership’s cars crushed in deluge

A Napier dealership is desperately trying to find replacement cars for customers after a tree tumbled down a hillside and hepled cause damage to six cars.

Rob Townshend, owner of Bayswater Vehicles, says three of the vehicles were written off in the incident at about 7pm on November 9 that followed heavy rain across Hawke’s Bay.

Staff at the multi-franchise dealership on Carlyle Street quickly shifted about 50 vehicles from its storage compound to avoid the risk of further damage.

Townshend said the force of the tree crashing down Napier hill had forced cars to pile into one another and one vehicle was flung through a wall.

“All the cars in the yard were brand-spanking new and all sold as well, but now three have been written off,” he told Stuff.

Parts of the showroom also came close to flooding in the deluge that sparked a state of emergency in Napier.  

Townshend said insurance would cover any damage and he had been contacting distributors to find replacements for the wrecked cars.

“These customers have been waiting for their vehicles for a long time and stock is really hard to get around the country at the moment as there are massive shortages,” he added.