AUSTRALIAN car subscription company Carbar has appointed Shane Taylor to the newly created position of executive general manager of dealer relations.

Mr Taylor has more than three decades’ experience at senior levels in the automotive industry, working in both the retail and auction sectors – most notably at Manheim Australia, where he had spent the past five years as business development director.

Over about 15 years, Mr Taylor held a number of other positions at the leading auction group, which is part of Cox Automotive Australia, including head of dealer, and national sales manager in charge of dealer sales and, earlier, passenger and commercial vehicles.

He also spent three years as general manager based in Western Australia.

Earlier in his career, Mr Taylor worked for four years at the large Peter Warren Automotive dealer group, serving as sales manager of pre-owned vehicles on the Gold Coast, and held a similar role with AP Eagers in Brisbane.

Announcing the appointment, Carbar Autos co-founder and chief executive Desmond Hang said Mr Taylor would “work closely with auto dealerships to help them access subscription services and capitalise on this new auto purchasing trend”.

“Shane is a fantastic addition to our team and the perfect person to help us educate the broader auto retail industry on car subscriptions,” Mr Hang said.

“It’s not a trend to be afraid of, it’s an opportunity.

“Shane’s contacts and industry knowledge are second to none. We look forward to partnering with the auto retail industry and helping ensure they get ahead of this shift towards car subscriptions.”

Mr Taylor said he was excited about the what he sees as a “very exciting journey” and that he believes “subscription is going to be a big part of the future of the industry”.

He also emphasised that Carbar was not competing with dealers, but an opportunity for them to access subscription services to expand their business.

“Subscription is on everyone’s lips in the auto industry, but nobody truly understands it,” he said.

“I’m looking to fix this, and my door is open to any dealers who want to discuss how a subscription model can help their business.”

As GoAuto has reported, Carbar recently raised $16.8 million from investors in a ‘Series B’ round, with the largest shareholding going to insurance giant IAG.

The fledgling company launched its subscription service in Melbourne in August 2018, opened in Sydney in June this year, and is now preparing to expand into Western Australia and Queensland.

Carbar previously only listed cars the company either owned or secured through its pilot program – the latter comprising a select group of dealers, fleet companies and car manufacturers – but has now broadened its reach to give automotive dealers access to its platform to list their cars for subscription.

The company said Mr Taylor will lead this drive, encouraging dealerships to leverage their inventory for subscriptions.

By Terry Martin