NZ Jaguar appointment

Press, 13 December 1986, Page 29

NZ Jaguar appointment

Motoring editor

Jaguar New Zealand, Ltd, a new company in which the major shareholder is the Christchurch-based automotive retailer, the Archibald Motor Group, will be responsible for the sales and servicing Jaguar cars in New Zealand from February 1, 1987. The appointment of the new company, of which Mr John Fairhall, of Christchurch, will be chairman, was announced in Auckland yesterday by Mr Geoff Shenton. Jaguar’s regional manager, overseas operations. Jaguar New Zealand, Ltd, has been established to import and distribute Jaguar cars.

Terms of the distribution agreement were reached between the Jaguar chairman and chief executive, Sir John Egan, and Mr Fairhall during the latter’s visit to the car-maker’s Coventry headquarters recently. Senior management of the new company will hold a portion of the share capital and an investment consortium will be represented on the board by Auckland solicitor, Mr A. Ivanson.

Mr Shenton said that Jaguars had an extremely high reputation in New Zealand and sales had increased in the last few years, although the market for luxury cars was not large. “We believe there is considerable growth potential,” Mr Shelton said, adding that 105 Jaguars had been sold in New Zealand in 1985, double the number sold the previous year, and 1986 sales were on target to exceed the 1985 figure. One of the first responsibilities of Jaguar New Zealand will be to launch Jaguar’s new range of luxury saloons on the local market. First examples of the new XJ6, which this year gained the most prestigious ihotoring award in the United Kingdom — the Guild of Motoring Writers’ Top Car award — ahead of the new BMW 735 i and Mercedes 200/300E range, should reach this country in February or March.

Jaguar New Zealand will distribute the cars through a network of franchised outlets

in the North and South Islands.

Mr Fairhall is no stranger to the luxury, high performance car market. Archibalds, the Christchurch firm of which he is principal, is New Zealand’s leading Alfa Romeo dealer, the third largest Citroen dealer, the fourth largest Audi dealer and with Auckland-based Archibald and Shorter, an exclusive Jaguar dealership in which he has a 50 per cent interest, is the largest Jaguar dealer. Archibalds is also the Christchurch sub-dealer for Honda cars and, as such, the company is well up in the top 10 Honda dealerships in New Zealand. Hondas are assembled and distributed by NZMC, Ltd, the automotive division of Steel and Tube Holdings, Ltd. NZMC has been the distributor for Jaguar Cars, Ltd, also, and has yet to announce that it will no longer represent the Coventry car manufacturer.

The New Zealand Motor Corporation, Ltd, said in a statement yesterday that after discussions with Jaguar Cars Export, Ltd, it accepted that, at a time yet to be agreed, it would cease to act in its present capacity as importer of Jaguar cars for New Zealand. Retail distribution would not be affected by this change, it said.