After two dry Corona years, sales in car workshops are increasing again, says Wolfgang Sonnleitner, managing director of the car group of the same name. But: The next setback is imminent with e-mobility.
OÖ Nachrichten: Yesterday evening you opened a location for the Alpine brand in Salzburg. Does it pay off? There’s only one model.
Wolfgang Sonnleitner: Yes, because the parent company Renault still has a lot planned for the brand. In the foreseeable future there will be four models.
They have 15 locations in Austria (Upper Austria, Vienna and Salzburg) and five in Bavaria. Is this the end of the road?
We have grown consistently and steadily since 2000. There are currently plans for an additional location in Germany. In 2021 we sold 8,000 new cars in Austria and 2,000 in Germany. There were also 2,000 used vehicles. With 500 employees, we have achieved a turnover of 250 million euros.
How tight is the delivery situation for your Renault, Nissan, Dacia and Alpine brands? Can you get what you need?
We’re volume traders, we need volume because that’s game-changing. Our availability did not break off as abruptly as with other competitors. We can still order and deliver; if the customer is flexible in terms of color, equipment and drive, then things go faster. Many models are still available this year, but not all.
Have the customers already adjusted to this?
forced. As a retailer, I can’t help the tense delivery situation. The customer just has to plan differently, he has to order much earlier. However, this leads to less brand loyalty because the customer buys what they can get – when it is urgent.
What does this mean for the used car market?
On the one hand, it is pleasant because it is relatively easy to get a good price due to the scarcity. On the other hand, you hardly get any goods. We do buy, also abroad. But only if the price makes sense.
How is the situation in the workshops?
In the corona pandemic, sales suffered massively because the mileage fell dramatically. In Germany it has even halved. The tinsmith shop was actually a vale of tears. It’s all getting better now. In addition, drivers are having their older vehicles repaired more often because they simply cannot get new cars. Workshop turnover has increased noticeably since February and March. This will last for a while – until electromobility catches on. That will then cost 30 percent of sales. And some companies will probably not survive.
Source: Nachrichten
