January issue out now

The industry will feel the full impact of electronic stability control (ESC) rule on the market by mid-2020, predicts Greg Hedgepeth, chief executive officer of Turners Cars. “End-users looking to buy smaller imported cars or vans will need to pay higher prices because only more recent variants will have ESC.”

And Dan Buckley, boss of 2 Cheap Cars, warns sticker prices are likely to go up by a few thousand dollars come this year’s fourth quarter when lower-priced stock without the system installed is no longer on yards in New Zealand in quantities they are now. Sean Stevens, acting CEO of VINZ, believes the ESC issue will be “tricky” for the market to deal with. Plus: exclusive guide to Honda Fits and Suzuki Swifts likely to have system fitted.

Ford NZ’s Simon Rutherford was delighted to collect the AA Driven NZ Car of the Year 2019 award for the Focus. “Who would have thought our little car would be the winner,” he said. We have all the results and great pictures from our industry’s most prestigious and respected car awards.

Fred Lewis, founder of the Enterprise Motor Group, pays tribute to the “right-hand man” in his business. He and Marek Powierza met as children and started working together in the formative years of the used-imports industry. Find out about Powierza’s arrival in New Zealand as a four-year-old Polish refugee. 

In other news, the MIA calls time on its memorandum of understanding with VIA, the latest on stink bugs and 2019’s industry statistics in-depth.

AdTorque Edge’s Todd Fuller explains why investment needs to be made in key long-term marketing foundations to ensure dealers put their best feet forward in the digital landscape.

Tony Everett, of the MTA, emphasises the importance for traders to have insurance to cover all situations, such as the hailstorm that hit Timaru in November. He’s heard one yard is facing bankruptcy because its policy was inadequate or unsuitable.

VIA’s Kit Wilkerson looks into the huge investment in driverless cars. “The potential for being the first to market is too great and I expect the amount of money being thrown at the problem will continue to increase,” he opines.
A study by EECA shows embracing energy-efficient technologies can deliver a substantial boost to helping power our fleet of electric vehicles as demand on the national grid increases.

And, finally, we review 2019 – from disarray at the NZTA, to the agency’s policy on governing conflicts of interest in the supply chain and preventing a stink-bug invasion. There was controversial talk about shifting car imports to Northport, while Julie Anne Genter’s clean-car proposals copped a whole heap of scorn.