No more Skoda dealers in WA

[NicZA]

Canning Skoda for Chrysler???
Great more american junk on the roads
I bought 2 cars through that skoda dealership, personally think its very short-sighted of them.

[mrx]

I think selling the Skoda's alongside the VW's is actually better, provided the salespeople aren't "anti-Skoda". Most people I speak to have no idea what a Skoda is, and wouldn't bother looking if they haven't already heard about it. If it's right there, then it's easy - but yeah, they didn't really give it much of a go.

[faisan]

Why would they bother with another Dodge/Chrysler dealership? Do they even sell that many?

[davidh]

Chrysler wouldn't even survive without the merge with Fiat, and Fiat ranked last in the UK JD Power survey (Skoda has ranked among the top for a number of years).
If Skoda should be sold by VW dealers, then perhaps Fiat should sell Chrysler/Dodge? Then, as manufacturers continue to merge, we would only have to worry about a couple of dealers in total.
Disappointing outcome, and I hope Skoda still plans a presence in WA.

[gregozedobe]

..... I hope Skoda still plans a presence in WA.

According to my local Skoda salesman today there definitely will continue to be "someone" in WA selling new Skodas.

[indulis]

I think selling the Skoda's alongside the VW's is actually better, provided the salespeople aren't "anti-Skoda". Most people I speak to have no idea what a Skoda is, and wouldn't bother looking if they haven't already heard about it. If it's right there, then it's easy - but yeah, they didn't really give it much of a go.

They (AHG I am guessing) have let the Skoda dealership go- when the cars in stock are gone they wont be selling any more. The in stock cars are getting a bit long in the tooth with new model Octavias available over east, and new VRS manufacturing due to start in June.

I put in an offer on the blue VRS slightly below their "sale price" in the AHG 3 day sale 3 weeks ago, but they weren't willing to take it. They were stuck on "what the car owed them". I showed them low km demos (some really optioned up) on carsales for around $30k, and said it is about the value to me not the cost to them. Old model, been in stock for 6 months, no more dealership.

Oh well, I will patiently wait for the new VRS to be released on Oz and buy it from over east, or may take a 1.8 petrol DSG Octavia earlier, as from all accounts the new 1.8 L 118 KW engine with the new dry 7 speed DSG is pretty nice and gives the 125 KW diesel a run for its money for torque, with similar fuel economy and performance.

[mrx]

The Red Skoda RS wagon they used to have as a demo when we bought ours was passed in at auction for $30k, and then sold the week later privately. Sounds to me like someone picked up the bargain of the century. The trim was a little scuffed inside, but I'm sure it could have been fixed with the $15k saved on the regular drive away price!

[gregozedobe]

..... from all accounts the new 1.8 L 118 KW engine with the new dry 7 speed DSG is pretty nice and gives the 125 KW diesel a run for its money for torque, with similar fuel economy and performance.

IIRC the 1.8 TSI engine has its maximum torque at only 1,500rpm, which is significantly earlier than the TDI engines. Mind you, the CR version has less turbo lag than the previous PD 125Kw TDI (they were a bit "nothing, nothing, something, whack ! "

[davidh]

Now the Skoda website has dropped the Osborne Park dealership and the closest dealer by post code is South Australia - 2/3 the way across the country- 2700km away.

It would be nice to get someone who knows what is going on. I phoned Skoda, speaking to someone at the information centre, and they said "they would like to have a new dealer, but times are tough and not many want to invest right now."

That doesn't bode well for a car manufacturer that has pulled the pin on Australia before, and only returned at the height of the economic boom.

I have been waiting for the Superb. So now, to spend $50k on a car, I have to additionally travel interstate to test drive the car, then again to pick it up, pay freight, and have a very complicated warranty repair process.

[MJKooLio]

Spoke to Osbourne Prk VW earlier today this is what he wrote:

* Golf GTi should be here at the end of the year (we are hoping for November)

* The new Polo is expected to reach Australia’s shores around the same time – there was a big write up in Saturdays & Sundays newspapers – that’s where we get our info from; no details have been released as of yet.

* SKODA is going to be handled by the DVG Group.