MOTOR vehicle companies in Australia have continued to announce ‘Dealer of the Year’ and related retail incentive award winners in recent weeks, with Subaru, Audi, Skoda and Daimler commercial vehicle brands among those celebrating the performance of their top-performing dealerships in 2015.

Eastern Subaru in Lilydale in Melbourne’s outer north-east was named the Japanese brand’s 2015 Retailer of the Year, as well as the Southern Region Retailer of the Year.

Dealer principal Michael LaFerlita was presented with the awards by Subaru Australia managing director Nick Senior, who said the retail program recognises “holistic achievement” across each dealership’s entire business, including “the vital parameters of customer service, sales, service and parts and accessories”.

“Michael and his team at Eastern Subaru have done an exceptional job and have proven that consistent high quality across every aspect of the business is the key to both great customer service and sales success,” he said.

Other regional winners were: Key Motors, Townsville (Queensland/Northern region), Subaru Toowong (Queensland/Brisbane region), Rolfe Subaru, ACT (NSW/Eastern region), McGrath Subaru, Liverpool (NSW/Sydney region), Performance Subaru, Hobart (Tasmania), Jarvis Subaru, Adelaide (South Australia/Central region) and City Subaru, Victoria Park (Western Australia).

Audi Centre Parramatta in Sydney’s west has returned to the top of the field in the German prestige brand’s retail network, taking out the 2015 Major Metropolitan Dealer of the Year award after deferring to Audi Centre Mosman last year.

This was the Parramatta dealership’s third title, following consecutive wins in 2012 and 2013, but the first under the leadership of dealer principal Chris Chamberlain. The Mosman dealership finished third, with Audi Centre Five Dock in second place.

Audi Centre Newcastle took out the Metropolitan DOTY award for the third year running – this time ahead of Audi Alto Pennant Hills and Audi Centre Indooroopilly – while Audi Centre Townsville bagged its fifth Rural/Provincial DOTY award since the program was established in 2007.

Audi Centre Hobart was second in the rural category, ahead of Audi Centre Orange.

“The Audi Dealer of the Year award is rightly coveted by our network and can only be won by a great team, where everyone in the business works with tireless commitment to deliver ‘customer delight’ to each and every one of our owners,” said Audi Australia managing director Andrew Doyle.

“While we are only able to award one winner each year, the level of competition makes it clear that our entire network is very focused on establishing new standards of excellence in every business area.”

Peninsula Skoda in Melbourne’s outer south-east was named 2015 Dealer of the Year for the VW Group’s Czech brand, and picked up its second successive Provincial DOTY award in the process.

Dealer principal Michael Beamish was presented with the awards by Skoda Australia director Michael Irmer, who said several dealerships were in contention for the national title and praised the Seaford-based dealership for its “tireless effort towards customer service”.

In only the second year of the program, last year’s inaugural winner, Richmond Skoda from inner-city Melbourne, was again named Metro DOTY while John Oxley Skoda from Port Macquarie, NSW, took out the Rural DOTY award.

Alto Skoda Pennant Hills in Sydney’s northern suburbs was named Skoda Financial Services DOTY.

As well as recognising excellence in areas such as sales (including parts and accessories) and customer satisfaction, the Skoda DOTY awards also take into account the amount of progress a dealership has made in the brand’s national facility upgrade program.

Following the awards presentation for Mercedes-Benz passenger car and light-commercial retailers last month, Daimler Truck and Bus has announced DOTY winners for its heavy commercial dealers.

Among dealerships under the Mercedes-Benz Trucks division, Daimler Trucks Sydney was named Metropolitan DOTY (presented to dealer principal Greg Gardiner), ahead of Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles Laverton in Victoria, while Daimler Trucks Sunshine Coast was named Rural DOTY (collected by DP Cameron O’Hara), with Daimler Trucks Newcastle in second place.

Mercedes-Benz Truck and Bus director Michael May also presented various individual awards – made to reflect the fact that “an excellent customer experience requires a big effort from many different people in many different roles” – including Salesperson of the Year (Laverton’s Ted Ogluszko), Rookie of the Year (Sydney’s Mark Reynolds), Service Manager of the Year (Sydney’s Mark Purser) and Parts Manager of the Year (Perth’s Dean Scekic).

Daimler Trucks Perth was also named 2015 Daimler Truck Financial Guild DOTY as well as Metro DOTY for the Freightliner brand, while the Mavin Truck Centre, based in Kempsey, NSW, took out the Freightliner Rural DOTY award.

Individual Freightliner winners included Mavin’s Stephen Pinkstone (salesperson), Sydney’s Terry Haskins (parts manager) and Bendigo-based Poyser Truck’s Darren Atherton (service manager).

For the Daimler-owned Fuso brand, the Metro DOTY went to Fuso Geelong for the third successive year (presented to DP Richard Furnari), while Murwillumbah Truck Centre in far north-eastern NSW was named Rural DOTY, with the award accepted by DP Steve Bedser.

Individual Fuso awards included Salesperson of Year: Leon Benivento (Daimler Trucks Sydney); Rookie of Year: Brendan Young (Daimler Trucks Perth); Parts Manager of Year: Brian Ritchie (Stilwell Trucks); and Service Manager of Year: Barnaby Terry (CJD).

By Terry Martin