Sweet taste of success with Chery

A Whangarei car dealership has won a national award for best dealer of the year.

Northland Auto Sales has been awarded with 'Chery' Dealer of the Year Award for the 2012/2013 year.

Chery is a Chinese state-owned enterprise and the country's largest vehicle exporter.

Northland Auto Sales director Robin Ginders said it's a great achievement for "little old Whangarei".

"It was actually out of the blue," he said. "We didn't expect it."

It's a relatively new brand for the dealership, who sold off the Suzuki brand approximately two years ago. "We started on the ground floor with Chery - an unknown brand in Northland."

He said it's a good fit with the Northland market. "Its pricing fits into the used car category, so you can buy a brand new car for the price of a five-year-old Jap import."

The newest model to the stable is the J3 Auto.

Northland Auto Sales is no stranger to winning. Previously the dealership won dealer of the year when selling the Hyundai brand, commended on its sales and after-sales service.