BEECHAM HOLDEN HOLDEN SECURES GRAND MASTERS HONOUR

Beecham Holden, Caboolture, has been awarded top honours in Holden’s 2011 Grand Masters, an excellence program that recognises Australia’s best performing dealerships.

The annual Grand Masters is bestowed on just 32 dealerships each year, out of a total of 244 Holden dealerships Australia-wide. Grand Masters acknowledges Holden’s most outstanding dealerships judging them on sales excellence, customer satisfaction, service delivery, parts performance and astute business management.

Holden’s Chairman and Managing Director, Mike Devereux, said these awards were a well deserved recognition for the outstanding achievements of these dealerships. “Grand Masters is the ultimate dealer performance recognition program.

 The winners have consistently exceeded expectations, they go above and beyond in the name of sales excellence and customer satisfaction,” said Mr Devereux. “This award is not handed out lightly; it is an indication of the dealer’s commitment to an exceptional quality experience for each and every customer, on every occasion. I’m incredibly proud of these guys.”

Chris and Patty Beecham, the owners of Beecham Holden, said they are thrilled to receive this prestigious award.

 “We’re really proud to sell Holden vehicles and this honour is a reflection of the hard work done each and every day by the entire loyal team at Beecham Holden,” Chris said. “We pride ourselves on the principle that the customer always comes first in our dealership, and our commitment to customer satisfaction drives everything we do. We offer some of the best and most exciting new product on the market and we strive for our service and sales results to reflect this.

As our motto has always stated “Good Service is always in Fashion” “We’re also a local, family owned business that is proud to operate in and support our community for the last 25 years and we’re extremely proud of being acknowledged as a Grand Master.”

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All-New Colorado Behind The Scenes

http://www.HoldenHQ.com.au Holden Social Media team member, Sarah Prescott interviews Scott Doughty, Holden Vehicle Performance Manager behind the scenes in Queensland before the launch of the all-new Holden Colorado to the media.

Holden reveals 49 Volt dealers

Holden dealers in every state capital and major metropolitan centre except Darwin and Alice Springs will be able to sell and service the brand’s first electrified vehicle when the ground-breaking new Volt plug-in hybrid goes on sale in Australia within about six months.
Apart from announcing 49 Australian dealers for its upcoming “long-range electric car”, Holden today confirmed its dealers have already received an unspecified number of orders for the Volt and said it will announce the car’s all-important price, as well as specifications and launch timing, by the end of next month.
Latest indications are the Volt, which unlike the all-electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV and upcoming Nissan Leaf employs a 1.4-litre petrol engine engine to boost the driving range of its electric motor, will cost around $60,000 when it hits Australian showrooms around November.
Holden said dealers from Townsville to Bunbury will sell the Volt because its long-range capability means EV ownership is no longer restricted to city dwellers.
Holden Executive Director – Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, John Elsworth, said each dealer has committed to achieve environmental accreditation and invest in new technologies to support Volt servicing requirements.
“Many Holden dealers already have a strong environmental focus but Volt dealers will also be required to achieve at least a level 2 Green Stamp Plus Accreditation through the VACC Green Stamp program,” said Mr Elsworth. “Accreditation assures customers that the dealer takes its environmental responsibility seriously.”
Dealerships that attain such environmental accreditation must implement a minimum number of environmental management practices across their business, including recycling, efficient energy usage and reduced disposal of toxic chemicals.
Mr Elsworth also confirmed the first orders have been placed by Holden dealers, and each approved Volt dealer will be required to install a dedicated charging station and invest in new tooling and training.

“We asked dealers to place their first Volt orders last month and while it’s too early to confirm numbers, we are receiving anecdotal feedback that there’s strong interest.
“We would urge all customers to contact their dealer in the first instance if they want to secure one of the first Volts when they arrive in Australia.”
Holden commenced local testing of Volt last year, but recently announced the first right-hand drive versions of the Volt are now in Australia participating in the Victorian government’s electric vehicle trial.
General Motors also recently announced a battery upgrade to improve the driving range of the Volt, which it bills as the world’s first extended-range EV.
Minor changes to the chemistry of the battery – which now has a total storage capacity of 16kWh (up 15.6kWh) - extend the electric-only range of the Volt from 35 miles to 38 miles (56.3km to 61.2km), while total driving range including the use of the petrol engine increases by one mile to 380 miles (612km).
As a result, the 2013 Volt, which goes on sale in the US in August, will offer an official combined fuel consumption figure of about 2.4 litres per 100km – down from 2.5L/100km.
However, the upgrades also extend the time it takes to complete a full charge. The upgraded Volt will take four hours and 15 minutes to fully recharge from ‘empty’ via a standard 240-volt household power socket – 15 minutes longer than before.
As part of its pre-release campaign, Holden has established a dedicated Volt section on the Holden HQ blog and has invited Australians to register for more information .
Australian Volt dealers are as follows:
Victoria:
Bay City Holden - Frankston
Winter & Taylor - Geelong
Gary & Warren Smith - Oakleigh
Barry Bourke Holden - Berwick
Preston Motors - Essendon
Watson Holden - Bundoora
Barloworld Holden - Glen Waverley
Brighton Holden - Brighton
Booran Holden - Cheltenham
John Collins Holden - Mornington
Mantello Holden - Fawkner
Barry Bourke - Warragul
New South Wales:
Muirs Holden - Ashford
Paul Wakeling Holden - Campbelltown
Hunter Holden - Ryde
Northside Holden - Chatswood
Suttons City - Rosebery
Sutherland Holden - Sutherland
Castle Hill Holden - Castle Hill
Kelly Holden – Cardiff
Geoff King Holden - Coffs Harbour
Queensland:
Eagers Holden - Windsor
Zupps Mt Gravatt - Mt Gravatt
Surfers City Holden - Southport
Beecham Holden - Caboolture (woohoo!!!!)
Oldfield Holden - Capalaba
Motorama City Holden - Moorooka
Tony Ireland Holden - Townsville
Ross Gray Holden - Bundaberg
Sunco Holden - Marroochydore
South Australia:
Peter Page Holden - Elizabeth
City Holden - Adelaide
Hamilton Holden - Somerton Park
Metro Holden - Thebarton
Western Australia:
Brian Gardner Holden - Cannington
Phoenix Holden - Waneroo
City Motors - Perth
Melville Holden - Melville
Rockingham Holden - Rockingham
Shacks Holden - Fremantle
Bunbury Holden - Bunbury
ACT:
Commonwealth Motors - Phillip
Gerald Slaven Holden – Belconnen
Tasmania:
Motors Pty Ltd – Hobart

Huge congrats to the Dealers - More here.http://www.carsales.com.au/news/2012/small-passenger/holden/holden-reveals-49-volt-dealers-30751

Holden Volt Charging Up

Interview with Holden Performance Engineer, Dion Schulz about the work he is doing ahead of the launch of the Holden Volt in Australia later this year. Dion also shows us how simple it is to use the new Volt charging station at Holden's headquarters - 191 Salmon Street, Fishermans Bend.

Local singer 'saved' by Beecham Motors Service department.

Received a lovely letter of Thanks today, Trish we are so pleased we were able to help you. Keep singing! :)

Beecham Motors - Holden Grand Masters

At the end of June 2012, we will celebrate owning Beecham Motors dealership for 25 years, our Silver Anniversary in business. As it happens, we will also be celebrating becoming one of Holden’s Grand Masters 2011.

As Holden says: “It takes a very special Holden Dealer to be recognised for outstanding customer service and business excellence. The Holden Grand Masters program recognises the exceptional commitment and superior performance of our most outstanding Dealerships. 

Judged on sales excellence, customer satisfaction, service delivery, parts performance and astute business management, Grand Master winners exceed expectations, surpass their peers and drive our business further.”

When we attended the first Holden Group meetings, we were intimidated by the professional attitude and commanding performance of other Holden Dealers.

We’d whisper to each other with a nudge: ”He’s a Grand Master!” We would be in awe.

Well, today, that’s us.  Grand Masters.

We decided right from the start that our business would be based on honesty and good service, choosing a slogan that reflected those ideals; “Good service is always in fashion” and we’ve stuck by that.

We’ve literally been under customers cars at midnight Christmas Eve, so our customer could drive to their family, we’ve answered call outs on late rainy weekend nights, we’ve bent over backwards to help not only our customers but also our staff and their families. We are hard workers, not afraid to get out hands dirty. We are loyal, and honest, motivated and love our work, preferring to run our business the way we would like to be treated as a customer.

Our staff are professional and successful, earning huge reputations as some of Australia’s Best Sales men and women. We are so proud of their success. It doesn't end there either! Our mechanics are the best in the business, and our Service and Spare Parts are second to none. Thanks guys, you all rock.

Our Dealership building is new and gorgeous, a pleasure for both customers and staff to work in . Good coffee too!  :)

Twenty-five years ago we walked through the doors of a small Caboolture car yard, out 'in the sticks'; our precious first-born son Lockie only 6 months old in our arms. Over the years we've taught both him and little brother Charlie to ride their push-bikes around the old beloved 'Binny' dome.

Today they are outstanding young men, intelligent, caring and dedicated in their own passions, and this year our oldest son Lockie joined the Dealership and we couldn’t be more proud.

We've all come a long way baby!

Tomorrow we fly to Paris, to celebrate our own Silver Wedding anniversary (yay!) and also to celebrate with the other Grand Masters of Holden.

After 25 years of 12 hour days, 6 days a week, we will put on our high heels and Black Tie, and for a few days, immerse ourselves in a little French, culminating in several Awards Nights. We'll rub shoulders with other Holden Dealers who through sheer hard work, guts and effort, have become the elite of Holden - Grand Masters.

And when we go home, high heels draped over our shoulder, bow-tie undone, we’ll reflect on our journey and our love of our cars and Holden, and the respect we have for our customers and staff.

Thank you and au revoir.

It’s been a great adventure, see you all in two weeks!

 Chris and Patty Beecham

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Holden steps up Colorado tease

GM HOLDEN has rolled out details of its upcoming new-generation, all-diesel Colorado ute range, as stocks of its run-out model dwindle ahead of the later-than-hoped arrival of the 2012 range from General Motors’ Thai factory around mid-year.

The new Colorado – in three body styles and the choice of two diesel engines – is running several months late for Australia, mainly due to delays caused by last year’s devastating floods in Thailand, but also because of high customer demand in Asian markets where the Brazilian-designed vehicle went on sale last year.

Rather than let rivals such as Toyota, Ford, Nissan and Mitsubishi get a free kick, Holden today released range details on a new web mini-site, and will arrange for prospective customers to get a look at the new range in a traveling road show at Holden dealerships over the next few months.

Buyers who tick the box for the new six-speed automatic transmission will get the full 470Nm of torque – achieved at 2000rpm.

The new entry-level engine is the 2.5-litre turbo-diesel that turns out 110kW of power at the same 3800rpm, and 350Nm of torque - also at 2000rpm. This engine will be available only in selected models and only with the five-speed manual gearbox.

Holden’s new premium diesel out-points the market-leading Toyota HiLux’s 126kW/343Nm 3.0-litre diesel, as well as Nissan’s volume-selling 2.5-litre diesel, in its 106kW/356Nm and 126kW/403Nm states of tune.

Holden is claiming bragging rights in braked towing capacity, with a whopping 3.5-tonne limit in Colorados fitted with the larger 2.8-litre engine (3.0 tonnes with the 2.5-litre) – more than half a tonne better than its nearest rival.

All Colorado body styles will sit on the same 3096mm wheelbase – 104mm shorter than the Navara but 10mm longer than the HiLux – while overall length (at 5347mm for the Colorado space-cab and crew-cab) is about 80mm longer than HiLux and about 50mm longer than Navara.

Ground clearance is a high-riding 289mm.

Side curtain airbags are included on the list of standard safety features, along with electronic stability, opening the path to a potential five-star safety rating to match newcomers such as the VW Amarok, Ranger and the related Mazda BT-50.

Bluetooth, air-conditioning, power windows, auxiliary plug and USB port, two auxiliary power outlets and an iPod-compatible audio system also will be standard.

Holden executive director for sales, marketing and aftersales, John Elsworth, said Holden had been working hard to finalise the local range ahead of the Colorado’s official launch since the show car was revealed at the Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne last July.

“The new Colorado is a new era for Holden LCVs and will play a vital role in our product renaissance,” he said.

“We’re so excited about its performance as a tough, daily workhorse and active recreational vehicle that we wanted to preview the range as soon as possible.

“This is the most impressive light truck ever designed by General Motors, and we expect it to be a serious challenger in the competitive Australian light commercial market.

“Our diesel-only powertrain strategy means we’ll offer two very competitive, responsive engines that boast impressive towing capacity of up to 3.5-tonne, which we know our customers will love.”

Mr Elsworth said customers would have the chance to inspect the new range at Holden dealerships from April, with a number of Colorados touring the country in a pre-launch roadshow.

Holden’s current Thai-built one-tonner was originally known as the Rodeo and based on Isuzu mechanicals.