Mitsubishi honours top dealers

MITSUBISHI Motors Australia Limited has named John Barbera from Paceway Mitsubishi in Western Australia as its 2010 Metropolitan Dealer of the Year, one of three additional gongs that have joined the Japanese brand’s annual ‘Distinguished Dealer’ awards program.

While MMAL continues to recognise dealer principals across Australia with the ‘Distinguished’ program, which is described as “the highest accolade for excellence in all-round dealership performance and customer satisfaction”, the company has added Dealer of the Year awards for the top-performing metro, provincial and rural dealers.

The top provincial dealer award went to Ross Armstrong from Commonwealth Motors Mitsubishi in the ACT, while Derek Mcilroy from Mcilroy Mitsubishi in South Australia was named Rural DOTY.

The three top dealers were also awarded as 2010 Distinguished Dealers.

Other dealer principals honoured in the 2010 program were: Queensland: Craig Burgess (Toowong Mitsubishi), Paul Norris (Nundah Mitsubishi), Mark Beitz (Bartons Mitsubishi), Ross Gray (Ross Gray Mitsubishi) New South Wales: Kevin Booth (Booth’s Mitsubishi), David Cosgrove (Albion Park Mitsubishi), Allen Thomas (Thomas Bros Mitsubishi) Victoria: Conrad Taylor (Werribee Mitsubishi), Paul Buruma (Knox Mitsubishi), Paul Kennedy (Lilydale Mitsubishi), John Johnson (Colin Watson Mitsubishi), Colin Rantall (Castlemaine Mitsubishi), Colin McDonald (Donalda Motor Service) South Australia: Carmine Papillo (North East Mitsubishi) and Western Australia: Gary Fitch (John Hughes Mitsubishi).

Open to all Mitsubishi dealerships across the brand’s 200-plus retail network, the awards program assesses areas such as customer satisfaction, sales performance, and service and facility standards.

The 2010 awards were recently presented at a series of business symposiums by MMAL’s outgoing president and CEO, Masahiko Takahashi, and his successor Gen Nishina.

Mr Takahashi, who as GoAuto reported last week is working to increase dealer profitability – but has stopped short of targeting a four per cent net return on sales – said the award-winning dealers “have shown dedication and vision” as MMAL strived to achieve excellence “in every facet of our operations”.

Mr Nishina added: “The Distinguished Dealer award is only presented to those passionate and devoted dealer principals who enthusiastically embrace the Mitsubishi brand and our dynamic range of products.”