"You just sell cheap cars." "No-one else had stock." These are the things I have been told about MG's December result.
Yet MG outsold MINI, Skoda, Jeep, Audi, Tesla, Volkswagen, Land Rover, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Haval, Honda and Ford (!) for passenger vehicles (i.e. excluding Commercial vehicles) and was #8 in December and YTD was #16.
By the end of December when I left MG to set up Boost Auto, the oldest dealer in the network has been selling MGs for 22 months, the newest just 4 months. The head office team was small (just 6 staff) and of course this was supported by the Australian operation.
Behind that result was a lot of planning, execution of the plan, team work, collaboration, soul searching and determination. The result wasn't luck; it was achieved with hard work and effort. During February I will post about the journey - the good, the bad and the lessons learned (hint: there are many).
Did we have some luck? For sure; others brands predicted the market was going to be softer and planned accordingly at a key time that would affect their ability to supply stock toward the end of the year. MG dealers were supported by a decent marketing support package and MG NZ implemented a 'Bounce back stronger' campaign spending strongly at the tail end of the first lock-down. Last but not least, DPs were fired up about the opportunity and the journey ahead.
Did MG deserve the result? Absolutely; you reap what you sow.