Community
11 November, 2023
Car dealer adds new brands
HONDA and Renault have a new home in Cairns with Cairns Cars planning a new $3 million showroom and service centre at Earlville.
Dealer principal Alan Ren said the Japanese and French brands would add to his growing portfolio, which also included Audi, Volvo, Skoda, GWM, Haval, Peugeot and Citroen.
He said with Renault, Cairns Cars would become the go-to for French vehicle buyers with Peugeot and Citroen as well.
One of the reasons he had taken on Renault was its strong commercial vehicle range, including vans, as well as stylish SUVs, such as the Arakana.
Mr Ren said Renault’s future, especially in the electric vehicle space, would be interesting.
He said Honda was going through a transition phase with an agency model where the manufacturer owned all the stock and there were fixed prices across Australia, meaning no haggling for customers. The price for each model was set with no discounting.
Mr Ren said it meant less margins for the dealership but also lower costs without having to carry floor plan stock and fewer staff.
“There might be extra transportation costs to Far North Queensland but the customer is paying the same price for a Honda as they would be in Brisbane. It’s an attractive proposition,” he said.
Mr Ren said Honda had just released the popular CR-V mid-range SUV, which also came as a hybrid, and also the Type R hot hatch, regarded as the best on the market.
“I think Honda will grow in popularity here. We will benefit well from after sales service,” he said.
“They have very smart servicing costs. It’s $199 per service, that is very competitive. It’s the joy of owning a Honda. It’s been fate that I now have Honda. My first car was a 1993 Honda Accord, my first bike was a 2017 Honda CBR500R.”
The new showroom and service centre will be in Mulgrave Rd, just south of Greencross Vet, and where Cairns Cars is selling used cars.
Collins Construction is expected to start on the project early next year and take 12 months.
Six extra sales and service staff have been hired for the new brands.
