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SUBARU Australia has hinted that network expansion could be on the cards but stresses it would be a strategic change that would look for any missed opportunities in its national coverage.

The company’s general manager Blair Read told GoAutoNews Premium that it has a “great relationship” with its network and that “healthy forward orders” were attributed to “a strong, cooperative approach” between the OEM and its dealers.

Asked if he saw changes ahead for the dealer network as necessary to maintain profitability, he said that wasn’t a consideration.

“The past 12 months have underlined the value of our network and the great relationship we have with it,” he said.

“Cooperation and flexibility on both sides have been key to our success, in an admittedly challenging environment, over the past year.

“Perhaps the only change we might consider is a strategic – but strictly limited – network expansion, to address potential holes in our geographical footprint.”

Outback

Mr Read also said the company was continuing to examine and monitor changes to the retailing of its cars, including online sales.

“Certainly there’s a lot of thought going into the future of selling but for us it’s very much about a holistic approach that offers customer choice,” he said.

“Ultimately, there are still a significant number of prospects and customers who want to see, compare and drive their potential purchase and the physical dealership experience is still the best way to achieve that.”

Subscription services are also being discussed.

“We study any trends or opportunities that emerge with evolving public taste and the subscription model is one that is receiving attention from many automotives,” he said.

“It certainly warrants serious attention, but as with every aspect of what we do, it has to add value to our customer experience and choice if it is ever to become a long-term part of our strategy.”

Blair Read

Subaru Australia has been involved in the DriveMyCar – a division of listed entity Collaborate Corporation which also runs the subscription service Carly – which is a car-share service that allows potential new-car buyers to try before they buy.

It provided 10 Levorg cars to DriveMyCar in early 2017 and added another 101 Imprezas in February, then a further 105 cars in October of that year. The relationship ended in early 2018 and was replaced by Peugeot – which is also distributed by Inchcape – that provided 110 cars.

Mr Read said Subaru Australia was always keen to explore new areas and said the experience with DriveMyCar was valuable in terms of gaining insights and experience.

He said programs like car-sharing were something that he believed could have value.

“We talk a lot about customer-centric approaches and initiatives such as car-share/rent programs are just one of many aspects that offer people choice,” he said.

“To some extent it’s a question of evaluating the scale so we can consider both the customer benefit and return for the company.”

By Neil Dowling

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