VOLKSWAGEN plans to introduce new dealerships and service centres in regional areas to add to its roll-out of new dealer representation in the metropolitan areas.

Volkswagen entered the top ten in sales last year, from 10,754 in 2004 to 27,400 in 2007. Its 2008 year-to-date figures are also promising, with 22.2 per cent growth over the same period last year.

While Ms Dierks would not comment on which dealers were to be appointed and in which areas, she said that “the target is to cover the areas where our customers are as quickly as possible”.

To service this growth, Volkswagen wants to expand its dealer network of not just full sales and service centres but also regional service centres.

Volkswagen currently has 62 dealers, with recent regional additions including Alice Springs.

Volkswagen is looking at giving some regional service centres the opportunity to sell cars without the imposing investment of having showroom facilities.

“We are thinking about service outlets, where you have the opportunity to sell but not show,” she said.

“We have lots of applicants for the franchise, and we also have ones interested in servicing our cars, which will help us a lot because we have ambulances outside [the Volkswagen service network], we have the mobile homes outside. (Service outlets) reach areas where we don’t have dealers, so probably we’ll go down that track.”

The service centres will have all the authorised Volkswagen technical equipment and training to service the entire Volkswagen vehicle range.

“We also think about the opportunity to have mobile service workshops [such as a fully equipped Crafter vans] near the big fleets.”

Source http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...25745E0016B9AF