52 | AUTOMOTIVE CroweSport PREFERRED TYRE SUPPLIER TO CROWESPORT A full range available at CroweSport www.yokohama.co.nz Customer service the core focus CroweSport combines servicing, repairs, and vehicle sales from its Christchurch base, employing around 15 staff, including eight technicians. T T Russell Fredric CroweSport director Josh Mitchell says the Christchurch business has always focused on creating an environment where customers feel comfortable, whether they are buying a vehicle or booking repairs. For nearly 60 years, the company has built a reputation, including around Subaru expertise, trusted service, and straight-talking advice. “Our big thing really is being able to give our customers somewhere that they can trust,” Josh says. “We really just wanted an all-in-one place that customers could come and find whatever they need, whether it was a workshop or a new car or whatever, and feel like they were getting looked after by genuine people with no big sales pitch or anything like that.” The business traces its roots back to founder, Trevor Crowe, who began as an apprentice in his father’s workshop as a teenager before establishing Litchfield Motors in Christchurch during the 1960s. Litchfield Motors later became Trevor Crowe Motors, before evolving into a Subaru franchise dealership during the 1990s. Trevor, who remains a director and has longstanding links with rally driving and motorsport, recognised early the potential of Subaru vehicles in the South Island market. Josh says Subaru’s all-wheel-drive platform aligned naturally with Canterbury lifestyles and conditions. “South Islanders like to get out and about. We’re big on skiing and fishing and exploring and that sort of thing. I think the all-wheeldrive platform was a big appeal that you could get an all-wheel-drive station wagon and take it up the ski fields and drive past everybody else with snow chains on.” Following the sale of the Subaru franchise in 1999, CroweSport was established in 2000 as a specialist Subaru workshop. Today, the company combines servicing, repairs, and vehicle sales from its Christchurch base, employing around 15 staff, including eight technicians. Specialising in Subaru vehicles allows the team to diagnose and repair problems more efficiently than general workshops, Josh says. “We’ve worked on every Subaru model that they’ve made, we know all the changes between the different models, and obviously we do the various repairs over and over, so experience really is what means that if a car comes in with a problem, we can diagnose it faster.” The workshop and sales divisions are closely connected, with service packages and ongoing support designed to build long-term relationships with customers. Josh has been with the business for nearly 20 years, and says customer service remains central to the company culture. “I always just liked helping people with the skills that I had,” he says. “I could see there was an issue with the car purchasing process, and I just thought, why can’t you just have mechanics who sell the cars and there’s no sales pitch; we just make sure the cars are really good.” Like much of the automotive sector, CroweSport is adapting to rapid technological change. Modern vehicles now feature increasingly advanced electronics, safety systems, and software-driven components, requiring ongoing investment in staff training and diagnostic capability. Consequently, keeping pace with those developments is critical for specialist workshops. “You always need to be learning so that you’re keeping up with the changes in technology, otherwise it doesn’t take long for you to get left behind,” says Josh. The wider industry is also navigating uncertainty around emissions policy, imports and the shift towards hybrid and electric vehicles. Subaru has so far released one EV model, the Solterra, while continuing to focus on hybrid development. For CroweSport, however, the focus remains on helping customers keep reliable vehicles on the road with honest advice and specialist knowledge.
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