Top dealers for Jaguar in spotlight

THE Dealer of the Year award season continues apace with Jaguar Australia naming Gold Coast dealership Sunshine Jaguar as its metropolitan DOTY and Geelong’s Rex Gorell Jaguar as its top rural dealership for 2011.

As sister brand Land Rover also presented its top metro dealer award to a Gold Coast dealership – Bruce Lynton Land Rover – Jaguar Land Rover Asia Pacific managing director David Blackhall highlighted the “great work” the two winning Jaguar dealerships have done for the prestige British brand.

To win a DOTY award, Jaguar says its dealers must exhibit “exceptional performance” and “meet strict criteria for all areas of the business, including high customer satisfaction scores in all areas of the Jaguar dealer experience”.

Sales, service, parts operations and brand representation are all taken into account.

“It is an outstanding achievement to be chosen over the tough competition from all of the Jaguar dealers in Australia,” said Mr Blackhall when presenting the award at a gala event at Sydney’s Opera House recently.

“Jaguar dealers in Australia are continuing to impress customers with their dedication to customer care, with the recent launch of the 12MY Jaguar range and attracting new customers to the Jaguar brand from competitor brands.

“These awards of recognition couldn’t come at a better time.”

Jaguar Australia is expecting a “strong year of growth” in 2012 after sales fell 20 per cent last year to 693 units, due largely to the discontinuation of the X-Type.

However, the facelifted XF range launched last October – which included a 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel model that created a $78,900 lower-water mark for the series – has had a positive influence on sales, with XF finishing the year up 13.6 per cent on 550 units.

A wagon version of the XF is due later this year, bolstering the Jaguar line-up that will see the highly anticipated – but strictly limited – XKR-S convertible begin arriving in March.

Further afield, Jaguar is expected to introduce a new compact coupe – as previewed by the C-X16 concept shown last year – and a roadster version, a successor for the X-Type and the brand’s first SUV.

Sunshine Jaguar dealer principal Steve Kelly described the DOTY gong as “the pinnacle award for all dealerships”.

“It stands as recognition for every member of the team for their efforts and dedication in achieving the high standards set,” he said.

“It’s the ultimate honour for our team to be judged as the best metropolitan Jaguar dealership in Australia and motivates us all to continue to strive to win it again in 2012.”

Dealer principal Rex Gorell said his Geelong dealership’s rural DOTY award recognised the achievements “in all areas of the business by staff who are very passionate about the Jaguar brand”.

“Winning the award last year, we realise the benefits with staff moral and customers’ confidence in dealing with a dealership recognised as a high achiever,” he said.