SYDNEY car dealership Phil Gilbert Motor Group has expanded its business by offering customers new-vehicle subscriptions as an option to its ongoing sales, leasing and finance services.

It has become the latest dealer partner for Australian subscription service provider Loopit and will provide the service at its dealership showrooms or online through its website.

Phil Gilbert Motor Group, which for more than 30 years has been a family-owned and operated dealership, is one of the leading car dealerships in Sydney and represents brands including Toyota, Kia and Hyundai. It has had a presence on Parramatta Road since founded by Phil Gilbert in 1988.

The company’s executive chair, Edwina Gilbert, said there was a growing organic demand for subscription services over the past 12 months.

“With Loopit, we’ve been able to structure the offering exactly to suit our customers’ needs,” she said.

“The out-of-the-box software has made it simple for even our large dealerships to get the subscription program up and running, so we can provide local drivers with a unique, tailored offering.”

Once the Loopit platform is integrated into the dealership website, cars can easily be selected from the stock to make them available for subscription. Customers can then browse through the website, choose the car they want and subscribe online.

Loopit co-founder and managing director Michael Higgins said that through the partnership, customers can subscribe to cars of their choice quickly and easily through the Phil Gilbert Motor Group website or, alternatively, speak to a dealer and subscribe directly in-showroom.

“Phil Gilbert is the latest and largest in a growing number of providers, bringing us closer to the goal of having car subscriptions available for every Aussie at their local dealership,” he said.

The subscription model is aimed to provide more flexibility than car ownership, leasing or finance.

Customers pay a weekly fee for their vehicle with no long-term contract. Costs including insurance and registration are covered in the regular payments. Customers can also swap to different cars as their needs change, rather than being locked into the one vehicle.

Phil Gilbert Motor Group is recognised as a national Top 20 Toyota dealer and currently has 10 showrooms across the Sydney region with more than 190 employees.

Loopit provides a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform for car dealerships, resellers, and manufacturers, to offer their own vehicle subscription services to customers. The platform provides dealerships with ‘subscription in a box,’ including the software, training and services needed to offer car subscription to customers simply and easily.

Loopit, which launched in early 2019, now powers 80 per cent of Australia’s car subscription market.

It launched in New Zealand in 2020, partnering with New Zealand vehicle distribution and dealer group The Giltrap Group and global car rental company SIXT. In 2021 Loopit expanded into the UK.

Mr Higgins said the company this year raised $3.6 million in its first external capital raise which will be used to help grow its market, including accelerating global expansion, and further develop its technology platform.

By Neil Dowling