A Melbourne-based dealer principal running three Volvo dealerships says while it’s good that everyone is back at work and the service departments are running overtime, sourcing quality used cars remains a challenge.
“The used car cycle has been broken by the shutdown and we need to start again from scratch,” says Sue Alford who is the dealer principal for Volvo Car South Yarra, Volvo Car Doncaster and Volvo Car Brighton.
Alford says while new vehicle sales are not at the same level now as they were in June, the first weekend of trading in November was very positive and there is stock available to meet the demand.
“During the lock-down we took deposits via internet and telephone on new vehicles subject to the buyers being able to come into our dealerships to view and test drive the car before completing the sale,” Alford says.
“So, we had a few cars on hold which we’ve now been able to arrange finance and delivery for.
“Finance inquiry is high, and we’ve seen remarkable penetration in the market over the past few weeks. But the service department is flat out and staff are working overtime trying to catch up on the backlog of maintenance services for customers who were unable to bring their cars in.
“I believe given that the border has closed with New South Wales that many people will be travelling within Victoria over the Christmas-New Year period and they are now trying to book their cars in for service as soon as they can get a booking.
But the highlight of the month for Alford was the opening of the company’s third dealership Volvo Cars Brighton which opened its doors to customers on November 1.
“It’s our third Volvo Car site and we’re very excited about the opportunity to bring the brand to the Brighton area,” Alford says.
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