| 53 T T Russell Fredric Committed to South Canterbury Nick Hutchinson - the dealership’s biggest seller is the ever-popular Ford Ranger which holds strong appeal for a variety of owners. South Canterbury: Timaru Motors REGIONAl DEVELOPMENT The juxtaposition of new and old is a comfortable mix for Ford and Mazda dealership Timaru Motors. New to Timaru Motors is its dealer principal Nick Hutchinson who took up his role in March after previously working at Team Hutchinson Ford in Christchurch as fleet sales manager. “I was quite ready for a new challenge. I’d previously held various roles mainly in the vehicle side of things and the opportunity came up and I thought it was a fantastic opportunity.” Long-established is the business and its valued client base which includes people who have bought many vehicles over many decades, Nick says. “Our client based comes from all walks of life; we’ve been around for a long, long time and so have some of our customers. It’s really cool to see that we have these really long-standing customer relationships, but also we’ve got new customers coming in each day which is really exciting too.” “They really like the dealership and they really like the people and they keep coming back, so it’s really nice to see that we are obviously doing something right.” As well as aiming to provide top-level service, Timaru Motors is committed to the South Canterbury community, including through sponsorships of clubs, organisations, events and worthwhile causes. The business makes an important contribution to the local economy through employing 20 staff of which seven are technicians in its well-equipped workshop. In terms of technology, some aspects of vehicle servicing have become more complex, particularly in the past decade, but Timaru Motors have the latest electronic diagnostic tools for Ford and Mazda. Both Ford and Mazda offer high-level equipment and electronics, excellent passenger comfort and safety. The dealerships biggest seller is the ever-popular Ford Ranger which holds strong appeal for a variety of owners and uses, including farmers, contractors and urbanites who enjoy its car-like features, Nick says. “I think it’s a combination of things. The two biggest things are the technology and driveability. Utes are not what they were, going back 15 years ago they were quite agricultural whereas now you’ve got the full practicality of a ute but they drive and handle more like a car.” Some of the features available in new vehicles include radar assisted adaptive cruise control which automatically adjusts speed to maintain a safe following distance, active park assist and a lane keeping system, while the likes of reversing cameras and Bluetooth connectivity are now regarded as standard. Since taking the helm at Timaru Motors, Nick has significantly increased the stock of used vehicles to provide more choice which he says is important when the supply of new vehicles can potentially be subject to global logistical challenges in a post-covid world. Timaru Motors offers petrol, diesel, electric and hybrid options in its range of new Ford’s and Mazda’s, with the Mazda CX5 and Ford Escape being popular medium-sized SUV’s and the compact Ford Puma becoming increasingly popular. For those who love a bit of head-turning grunt, the legendary Ford Mustang can provide an exciting ride, but Nick is also highly impressed with the all-electric Mach-E range which is the fastest-accelerating Mustang available, achieving 0-100 km/h in less than 3.7 seconds. “It’s simply phenomenal how quickly it can accelerate from a standing start.” Shore Construction is a family operated business with over 25 years’ experience servicing Canterbury, Mackenzie and Central Otago. From residential design and builds to commercial new builds and fit outs, we handle the entire build process so you can build with confidence. 0800 688 7313 shoreconstruction.co.nz Shore Construction are proud to be associated with Timaru Motors.
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