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John Mellor's GoAuto news Retail revolution Lexus will establish 11 new dealers by 2010 as part of $230m upgrade By MARTON PETTENDY AUSTRALIAN Lexus dealers will invest some $230 million in new and upgraded retail facilities over the next four years to drive the next stage of sales growth for the ambitious Japanese luxury brand. Eleven new outlets by 2010 will represent the fi rst half of the extensive growth plan, beginning with a new dealership at Wodonga, Victoria, that will follow the same ‘blueprint’ established by Australia’s fi rst Lexus outlet to be modelled on the new-look model from Japan – the refurbished Lexus of Perth facility that opened late last month. As GoAuto reported back in October, Lexus Australia plans to almost double the number of dealers it currently has (22) to 40, but that will now happen earlier than expected – by 2012. “Over the next two years, Lexus will add 11 dealers to its network,” said Lexus Australia chief executive John Roca at this month’s LX570 launch. “The fi rst of these will be in Wodonga, in regional Victoria. “The signifi cance of this step is that Lexus will begin to expand its footstep regionally and across Australia. Lexus will concentrate on regional areas that offer high proportions of wealth and strategically increase the overall BRUCE LYNTON. BMW since 1974. BMW WARRANTY ADMINISTRATOR Bruce Lynton, Australia’s longest serving BMW dealer, currently has an opportunity For a BMW Warranty Administrator with previous experience within the Prestige/ Luxury Automotive industry to join their elite team of professionals. In this role you will dedicate your skills and abilities to: • Control and maintain all warranty work. • Support the Service Advisors to facilitate the processing of customer’s vehicles through the Service Department. This is a unique opportunity to join a team of customer focused, results driven people who take pride in being among the very best in their industry. Don’t miss out on this role, apply now! To apply for this position please send your resume and cover letter to: Anthony Alafaci Bruce Lynton PO Box 430, Southport QLD 4215 anthony.alafaci@brucelynton.com Bruce Lynton 82-84 Nerang Street, Southport QLD 4215 www.brucelynton.com service reach for our customers. And this is signifi cant not just for our SUV owners, but all of our Lexus customers. “Furthermore, we’ve just begun a complete refresh of our corporate identity with all dealerships undergoing facility upgrades to bring it into line with our global partners – or Japanese model, if you like – the fi rst of which (was) Lexus of Perth. “This, coupled with our long-term plan to bring our dealership network to 40 dealerships by 2012 and forthcoming product, will see Lexus continue to be a sales success in Australia. “In fact, this commitment will see Lexus spend in the order of $230 million over the next four years on facilities and dealerships, providing Lexus with a strong backbone to support our hefty sales goal,” said Mr Roca. Toyota’s premium vehicle division remains comfortably ahead of Volkswagen’s equally determined Audi marque in the local luxury- SUBSCRIBE FREE: www.mellor.net A PRIL 16, 2008 Page 18 Bruce Lynton has been established on the Gold Coast since 1974 and is Australia’s longest serving BMW dealer. In February 2008 Bruce Lynton was awarded the 2007 BMW Dealer Trophy. This is your opportunity to join an award winning, dynamic team. STOCK CONTROLLER Bruce Lynton also has an excellent opportunity for an experienced Stock Controller to support our busy sales teams. In this diverse role you will assist Sales Managers to complete documentation for vehicle sales, maintain successful relationships with vehicle manufacturers, liaise with other dealers to acquire vehicles, maintain accurate vehicle stock levels, and arrange vehicle transport whilst also providing general administrative support. Previous experience in a similar role, excellent communication and customer service skills, profi ciency with Microsoft Programs, an interest in the automotive industry and experience with Reynolds & Reynolds are essential criteria for this position. To apply for this position, please send your resume and cover letter to: Bruce Keown Bruce Lynton PO Box 430, Southport QLD 4215 bruce.keown@brucelynton.com Lexus of Perth car stakes, but well behind Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Lexus sales have grown by about 1000 sales annually for the past four years in Australia and in 2007 it sold 8200 vehicles. Despite being into the last year of its model life, sales of the current RX were 15.7 per cent up on 2006 levels, while the new IS medium sedan has surpassed the RX as Lexus’ most popular model, attracting 4096 customers in 2007 (up 21.2 per cent). Globally, parent compact Toyota says that with about 850,000 sales this year (25 per cent up on 2007, when it sold 680,000 vehicles), Lexus’ total sales volume will approach that of its German contemporaries. “In the next two to three years Lexus will sell more than a million vehicles per annum, which will bring us the economies of scale and the ability to develop even more technology, Mr Roca told GoAuto. IS-F to match C63 – next page Bruce Lynton
John Mellor's GoAuto news Join the new team leading the auto industry online Career opportunities in our rapidly growing, Melbourne-based business Relationship Manager - OEM clients • Manage the delivery of online solutions & products for our Automotive Manufacturer and Partner clients • Identify new business opportunities • Ideal for the CRM Professional with a strong attention to detail, a can-do attitude & who can work autonomously To fi nd out more about these roles, please email employment@datamotive.com.au Strategic Data Management Role SUBSCRIBE FREE: www.mellor.net A PRIL 16, 2008 Page 19 IS-F to match C63 Repositioned IS supercar and all-new RX series to lead next wave of Lexus growth By BYRON MATHIOUDAKIS LEXUS will fl ex the muscles of its compact IS sedan like never before this year, starting with this month’s important limited-edition IS250X and ending with the M3-rivalling IS-F, which will be launched at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney in October and will better even the surprising new Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG sedan on price or equipment – or both. Lexus Australia chief John Roca has told GoAuto that the aggressively low price positioning of last month’s new C63, which at $139,500 fi res a salvo across the bows of both BMW’s M3 coupe ($157,000) and Audi’s RS4 sedan ($164,500), was perfect timing for Lexus and its fi rst V8-powered compact sedan. Prior to that, Lexus Australia had long IS250X said its IS-F target price was around $150,000, which would have undercut its German V8 competitors from both BMW and Audi – as well as the $160,490 C55 AMG that was discontinued in June 2007. “We start negotiations (with Lexus HQ in Japan) on the IS-F price in two weeks,” said Mr Roca. “Previously, the RS4 and M3 were the benchmarks in the class, but now the C63 changes all that. “The C63 price was the fi rst thing we told them ... They’ve launched that car very aggressively and obviously we’ve got to take that into account. We haven’t fi nalised our specifi cations yet, so obviously we’ll be looking to offer some sort of spec premium – at the very least,” he said. Now launched in every major market outside Australia, the IS-F will receive an interior facelift in response to overseas criticism its cabin is not suffi ciently different from that of the IS250, and Australian deliveries have been held back until the fresher model is available. The upgraded IS-F will feature a revised dashboard with a unique, higher-mounted satellite-navigation monitor. “We’ll get the upgraded version with a bespoke sat-nav screen,” said Mr Roca. “The difference would only have been a few months.” Powered by a 5.0-litre DOHC V8 that produces at least 300kW of power and 500Nm of torque, mated exclusively to the LS460 fl agship’s eight-speed automatic transmission (which in IS-F guise features steering wheel paddle shifters that are claimed to change gears in one-tenth of a second), the most rapid reardrive Lexus sedan ever sprints to 100km/h in 4.9 seconds and an electronically-limited top speed of 270km/h in pre-production guise. Like the M3 and C63, it will feature a switchable three-stage traction/stability control system. Mr Roca said Lexus hopes to sell at least 10 examples of the IS-F each month, but stressed that supply will be limited and that the fi rst V8powered compact Lexus sedan could prove far more popular than that “if we can price it right”. Closer to home is yet another limited-edition X-badged version of the IS250, which is now on sale. Priced at $64,790 and claimed to offer $10,000 of extra value, the latest IS250X follows the launch last August of another Xrated IS, which also features 18-inch alloys, sports suspension, Mark Levinson audio, satnav and a sunroof, among other items. Continued next page M TIVE Proudly part of the Carsales Network • Responsible for overall quality of our business data • Manage relationships with 3rd party suppliers & external customers • Assist with strategy for business development • Protect & manage our valuable Intellectual Property
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