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Notman Motor Group

HAWKE’S BAY HONDA WINS DEALER OF THE YEAR 2020

There’s something new and shiny in Hawke’s Bay Honda’s showroom, but this time it isn’t the latest car.

Director Mark Notman has won Honda’s Dealer of the Year trophy, a huge achievement for the Napier-based franchise that was up against the country’s big-city dealerships.

Achieving this feat made the days leading up to the Level 4 lockdown a busy time for Mark and his team as they rushed to get new cars to their owners and secure the numbers they needed.

Mark said the win could be put down to how important it was for his team to create a welcoming place for people when they’re thinking about buying a new car.

“It starts with being made a coffee when you walk through the door and when you buy a car from us you leave as part of the family,” he said.

“We always say ‘if you’re driving past, pop in for a coffee’ and a lot of people do and are our friends now. They’ll just pop in when they have a moment.”

Mark, a former Oamaru boy, trained as a mechanic before spending the bulk of his career selling cars in London and Christchurch. He and his young family moved north to take over the Hawke’s Bay Honda franchise five years ago.

Peter Ashley, Honda New Zealand’s general manager sales, said Mark’s background in the service side of the industry had helped him be so successful as a dealer.

“Mark is a real people person. We’re absolutely proud of Mark and have been from day one,” he said.

Mark said it was important to him that relationships were maintained through aftersales servicing and that saw a lot of repeat customers come through the doors. The dealership also has the national contract to provide companion driving service Driving Miss Daisy with its vehicles.

As well as that trophy, Mark’s prize was to be a trip to this year’s Indy 500. However, Covid-19 has put that on ice and has Honda working on a new plan to reward its number one dealer.

 

HISTORY

In 2014 Mark Notman made the big move from Christchurch to the sunny Hawke’s Bay with exciting opportunities on the horizon. With family in tow, he saw this opportunity and took on the Hawke’s Bay Honda franchise.  Mark had previous experience in the automotive industry as a trained mechanic, both within New Zealand and abroad. With this wealth of knowledge and sheer determination, Mark took a leap of faith and turned Hawke’s Bay Honda into one of the leading regional branches.

At Notman Motor Group we really believe in the Honda brand, the years of development, award winning and safe vehicles make it a sure thing when talking to customers about why to buy Honda.  In 2016 the Notman Motor Group saw a gap in their fleet and took on the emerging brands SsangYong and LDV. This saw the Notman Motor Group open their doors to new customers with trade and commercial vehicles that complemented the Honda brand.  For more information on the brands we offer, please refer to our Brands page.

We are a well established trader and aim to make your purchase a hassle free and enjoyable experience.  We have a comprehensive range of new and used vehicles to cater to all requirements and budgets. When you’re making the choice of which new car to buy, we want you to choose well, and that choice starts with a coffee with the friendly team at Notman Motor Group.

Director Mark Notman says, “Once you purchase a vehicle from us, you are now part of the family”. Being part of the family means coming in unannounced and sharing a cuppa.

You can find us on the corner of Owen and Carlyle St Napier.  We’re open Monday to Friday 8am until 5pm, and Saturdays from 9am until 4pm.