Big moves at Alto

There are major changes afoot at the Alto group, one of the biggest and most versatile car and parts distributors in NSW.

IMMEDIATELY NOTICEABLE IS THE relinquishing of the BMW brand ‘ for which Alto had provided spectacular showrooms, panel shops and mechanical repair centres in Artarmon and Pennant Hills. The move is in line with BMW’s global policy of controlling at least 50 per cent of its retail market by direct ownership of distributorships.
In its place, Alto has signed on with Audi. Alto will convert its Artarmon showroom and used car centre from BMW to Audi once the BMW stock is cleared ‘ although it will still continue with repairs and servicing for its established BMW customers.
The Pennant Hills changeover is more complex. Alto will refurbish the existing BMW showroom for Toyota ‘ which it also distributes. A new Audi facility to handle new and used cars will be built next door where there is currently a Toyota dealership.
Meanwhile, back at Artarmon, the Alto Ford dealership, which was sold to the RJV group in 2005, has come back to Alto after the failure of RJV. And just down the road Alto Volvo, Jaguar, and Land Rover are continuing uninterrupted.
Or, if you like dealing with Alto and you want a Hummer, you’ll find the group has a dealership in Newcastle to look after you. The changes may appear to be dramatic on the surface, but they will be accomplished with much less trauma inside the company. While Audi and BMW are hot rivals in the retail market, they have many similarities when it comes to sales appeal, repairs and servicing. Both adhere to the principles of high precision German engineering; both specify Celette alignment benches and Glasurit paint: both insist on stateof- the-art showroom, repair and servicing facilities. Alto ticks all the boxes, requiring only the physical building or renovation of showrooms and offices.
Both of Alto’s body shops are outstanding and have won awards for their facilities and operations. Pennant Hills is one of the finest body shops in Australia. It features tiled floors, an aluminium isolation room and the best lighting and equipment available. After a relatively slow start it is now fully staffed with three beaters, three painters, four apprentices, a detailer and administration people. It is fully stretched keeping up the work coming in from the various dealerships in the group plus a steady inflow from past customers and insurers. There is a plan to upgrade the Artarmon body repair shop which will be put into effect once the more urgent dealership building is completed. And there is no shortage of room for this. In addition to owning the property used by all its dealerships on Pacific Highway, Alto also owns the block next door to the existing repair shop.