COASTLINE BMW on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, run by the Kurz family since 1987, has picked up its fourth Dealer of the Year award for the German prestige brand, this time under the leadership of Tristan Kurz, grandson of the dealership’s founder Karl-Heinz Kurz.

Coastline has won a string of official BMW and Mini accolades over the past three decades, many with Tristan’s father Robert at the helm, and is said to rank among the most highly awarded BMW dealerships in the world.

This latest gong is Coastline’s fourth overall DOTY award for the BMW brand and has been 14 years in the making, with its previous title stretching back to 2002, and before that 2001 and 1996.

Winning smile: Coastline BMW dealer principal Tristan Kurz (right) with BMW Group Australia chief executive Marc Werner.

Last year, the dealership was named 2015 Provincial DOTY – and won this category again for 2016 in addition to the overall award.

In accepting the top award at a presentation ceremony in Melbourne recently, Tristan Kurz, who has been a part-owner in the business since 2008, paid tribute to Coastline BMW’s staff, emphasising that a happy team that does a great job will naturally lead to excellent customer service, which is considered fundamental to any dealership’s success.

“The Kurz family and Coastline BMW are very excited to have won the ultimate Australian BMW dealer award,” he said.

“Above all, we are extremely proud of all our staff at Coastline BMW. It is our staff who make the difference – they not only make our business successful but, most importantly, enable us to provide the level of customer service that is befitting to our amazing brand.”

The award was presented by BMW Group Australia chief executive Marc Werner, who commended Mr Kurz and his team for their achievements and acknowledged the performance of the broader dealer network.

“The commitment shown this year by all dealer principals and their respective teams has been commendable,” Mr Werner said.

Among other dealers recognised for their top performance in the retail incentive program were Brisbane BMW (Major Metro DOTY), Sylvania BMW in Sydney’s south (Small Metro DOTY) and Shepparton BMW in regional Victoria (Rural DOTY).

Runners up in these major categories were: BMW Sydney (Major Metro), Brighton BMW (Small Metro) in Melbourne, Worthington BMW in Kariong, NSW (Provincial), and McGuigan BMW in Port Macquarie, NSW (Rural).

BMW Group Australia also staged its 2016 Mini Excellence Awards presentation at the event, which as in previous years were split into three major categories. Mini Garage Sydney took out Group 1, Doncaster Mini Garage in Melbourne Group 2 and Worthington Mini Garage Group 3.

“We are very proud of our Mini dealers who delivered an exceptional commitment to our customers and to the brand throughout 2016,” said Mini Australia general manager Tony Sesto.

“With strong performance and customer loyalty demonstrated across the network, the winning dealerships – who have faced such stiff competition from their peers – should be extremely proud.”

By Terry Martin