New car dealers met in private in search of a common voice
07 Aug 2014|4,233 views
Initiated by Volkswagen, the private meeting on Tuesday saw top management consulting on how to better engage the authorities as a group, amidst the recent changes to regulations.
The meeting saw the presence of representatives from both the distributors and manufacturers of automakers including the German big three, Toyota, Hyundai and among others, Jaguar.
According to The Business Times, only agents from Honda and Nissan did not attend the meeting. Committee members of Motor Traders Association of Singapore (MTA) were also present at Tuesday's assembly although MTA President Glenn Tan, Executive Director of Tan Chong International Limited (TCIL), was away on business.
A grouping of new car distributors called the MTA is already in existence, but membership has been dwindling either because of competitive reasons or dissatisfaction with the MTA itself.
The top three makes of Singapore - Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and BMW - are currently not in the MTA after Mercedes and BMW left in 2009, while Toyota quit in March this year. The largest brand currently in MTA is Volkswagen - who ranked fourth in Singapore last year.
"It is important to be represented by a strong body, especially when policy changes are coming so fast," the Managing Director of a mid-sized brand told The Business Times.
Apparently the meeting was a response by the distributors to the way the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has been engaging them individually, instead of a group, like for example, the consultation with distributors regarding the recategorisation of Category A COE's to include a power cap.
The Managing Director added, "This means our voice will not be as strong because everyone will protect their own interests instead of looking at the big picture and the interests of the whole market." He also revealed that the meeting agenda included topics on how to revamp the MTA and make it more effective, although it meant calling the distributors to team up as one for a common goal.
The Managing Director also revealed that another issue distributors are facing is the consultation with more than one government department besides the LTA, due to issues pertaining to emissions, licensing and financing.
The CEO of a luxury dealership believes this will not be a one-way dialogue and went on to explain, "As international brands, we can share technological advances and industry trends. With industry input, the government can use this platform to define more effective automotive policies in future."
While the discussions are at an exploratory stage, the next meeting is scheduled for September although no date has been fixed yet.
Initiated by Volkswagen, the private meeting on Tuesday saw top management consulting on how to better engage the authorities as a group, amidst the recent changes to regulations.
The meeting saw the presence of representatives from both the distributors and manufacturers of automakers including the German big three, Toyota, Hyundai and among others, Jaguar.
According to The Business Times, only agents from Honda and Nissan did not attend the meeting. Committee members of Motor Traders Association of Singapore (MTA) were also present at Tuesday's assembly although MTA President Glenn Tan, Executive Director of Tan Chong International Limited (TCIL), was away on business.
A grouping of new car distributors called the MTA is already in existence, but membership has been dwindling either because of competitive reasons or dissatisfaction with the MTA itself.
The top three makes of Singapore - Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and BMW - are currently not in the MTA after Mercedes and BMW left in 2009, while Toyota quit in March this year. The largest brand currently in MTA is Volkswagen - who ranked fourth in Singapore last year.
"It is important to be represented by a strong body, especially when policy changes are coming so fast," the Managing Director of a mid-sized brand told The Business Times.
Apparently the meeting was a response by the distributors to the way the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has been engaging them individually, instead of a group, like for example, the consultation with distributors regarding the recategorisation of Category A COE's to include a power cap.
The Managing Director added, "This means our voice will not be as strong because everyone will protect their own interests instead of looking at the big picture and the interests of the whole market." He also revealed that the meeting agenda included topics on how to revamp the MTA and make it more effective, although it meant calling the distributors to team up as one for a common goal.
The Managing Director also revealed that another issue distributors are facing is the consultation with more than one government department besides the LTA, due to issues pertaining to emissions, licensing and financing.
The CEO of a luxury dealership believes this will not be a one-way dialogue and went on to explain, "As international brands, we can share technological advances and industry trends. With industry input, the government can use this platform to define more effective automotive policies in future."
While the discussions are at an exploratory stage, the next meeting is scheduled for September although no date has been fixed yet.
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