1 | Page
CHINESE MEDIA DELEGATION VISITS BURWOOD AND CROYDON COMPANY
Picture Gallery Download: CLICK HERE (Captions below)
A delegation of 18 of China’s leading industry and business journalists have visited a Burwood and Croydon company,Steve Jarvin LDV, to investigate how the Sydney company doesbusiness and what has made it one of Australia’s leading car dealers.
The journalists, who work for a range of newspapers, televisions stations and web sites in China, were brought to Australia by China’s leading light commercial vehicle company, LDV, to see how the company is expanding in major export markets. The group was led by one of the company’s most senior executives, Junling Yang, the Director Aftersales for SAIC Maxus, LDV’s parent company.
“LDV wanted to show the Chinese media how their brand is being sold in one of their major export markets and how they plan to expand around the world,” says Nadeem Khan, General Manager of Steve Jarvin LDV. “So it was a unique honour to be chosen to represent all the export dealers around the world working with LDV, to show how we sell LDV in Australia and look after our customers.”
The media group spent more than two hours at the Parramatta Road dealership with presentations on the business as a whole, how LDV vehicles are presented to customers and a thorough inspection of the service department.
“There was no shortage of detailed questions and they had clearly done their homework before their visit,” explains Mr Khan. “They wanted to know about land values, they asked about how WestConnex will affect the business, both during construction and when it is completed, they compared how we sell vehicles to what happens in China and they were very interested in the fact that we have three electric car charging points as there is an electric LDV van on the horizon. They asked about government policies with regard to car dealers and what support there is for electric vehicles. It was very detailed, but I don’t think there was a question we could not answer!”
LDV is part of China’s largest and oldest vehicle maker, SAIC, which has been producing vehicles since the 1940s and now produces more than five million vehicles a year. Steve Jarvin LDV is already selling the V80 and G10 vans and people movers, with an LDV Ute and SUV set to arrive next year. As well as the media delegation, 11 of SAIC’s most senior executives also visited Sydney, led by Qingsong Lan, the Vice President of the SAIC Group, and Nadeem Khan also had a private meeting with some of the most powerful automotive executives in the world.
“It’s a clear sign of just how customer focused LDV and SAIC are that they wanted to talk to the people right at the sharp end of their business and hear what we had to say about their products,” says Mr Khan. “There are some clear cut differences between our market and that in China, whether it is our need for automatic diesels in vans or easy to clean upholstery in people movers because here in Australia most people movers are used by families with several children, something that is unusual in China, with most people movers being for company and adult transport.”
The Chinese journalists may have seen Steve Jarvin LDV at its best, but when they next visit Sydney it will have changed, with the company planning a move to a nearby, larger site, further lifting LDV’s profile.
“The growth we have already seen, the commitment to help our business we have experienced from LDV and new vehicles know are coming,” says Mr Khan, “has convinced us to make further investments in the future and I am sure what the Chinese media saw here in Burwood is just the beginning for LDV with Steve Jarvin!”
(ends)
Picture Captions
- Picture 01: Nadeem Khan, Dealer Principal, Steve Jarvin LDV
- Picture 02: Nadeem Khan, Dealer Principal, Steve Jarvin LDV
- Picture 03: The Chinese media group at Steve Jarvin LDV
- Picture 04: Nadeem Khan, Dealer Principal, Steve Jarvin LDV (left) with Junling Yang, Director of Aftersales, SAIC Maxus (right), the commercial vehicle division of SAIC that produces LDV vehicles.
- Picture 05: The Chinese media learn how Australians sell Chinese vans in Australia from Steve Jarvin LDV Sales Manager Troy Hooper.
About LDV
LDV is a division of SAIC (Shanghai Automobile and Industrial Corporation), the largest and oldest automotive manufacturer in China as well as being the largest auto company on China’s share market. A Fortune Global 500 company, holding 60th position in the world’s largest companies on the list, SAIC sold more than 5.9 million vehicles in 2015. It was the first company to enter joint ventures with non-Chinese car makers and has formed joint ventures with Volkswagen, IVECO and General Motors.
SAIC Motor's business covers the research, production and vehicle sales of both passenger cars and commercial vehicles. It also covers components including engines, gearboxes, powertrains, chassis, interior and exterior and miscellaneous electronic components, and logistics, vehicle telematics, second-hand vehicle transactions and auto finance services.
In 2009 SAIC acquired LDV, the light commercial vehicle division born from the Anglo Dutch commercial vehicle company Leyland DAF, a company formed from two of Europe’s leading commercial vehicle companies, Leyland Trucks and DAF Trucks. This purchase included the LDV V80 platform, a new platform developed for production in Europe and Asia. LDV is one of Europe's most recognised commercial vehicle brands. Not only has LDV had sales success as a cargo and passenger van, it has been selected by the British government for use by the Royal Bank, Royal Mail and as travel vehicles for the British Royal family. It is also the recipient of numerous international awards.
The LDV G10 is an entirely new platform based on the combined expertise of both LDV and its parent SAIC.
For further information, please contact
Edward RoweLDV Media Consultant / Mobile: 0488 294 966
E:
LDV Automotive
862-874 Elizabeth St
Waterloo NSW 2017
Australia