You can expect more from Continental Cars.
At Continental Cars we deliver excellence in everything we do, from the presentation of our dealerships to the on-going relationships we have with our customers. And when you purchase from us, you’ll drive away in a car that we stake our reputation upon, and receive an unparalleled level of service every time you return to maintain or upgrade it.
The journey started in 1967 when a young Tim Bailey arrived at small workshop premises, behind an unused Mobil petrol station at 40 Great South Road, Newmarket
As one of the three first A Grade technicians in New Zealand and with Service Manager experience at Town and Country Cars behind him, he started the company with nothing more than £600, a toolbox, an old Morris Minor van and a dream.
Tim’s passion was servicing continental cars, and so was born Continental Cars. From setting a new benchmark in customer service and from the humble beginnings of servicing and selling used Fiat Bambinas, the company continued to grow to a size that required investment to move the company forward and be New Zealand’s number one destination for European vehicles.
The first car we sold was a Ferrari Dino 246 GT.
Since then, as the only Ferrari dealer in New Zealand, we have introduced so many customers to the brand that New Zealand has developed to be one of the highest achievers in Ferrari sales per capita in the world, especially in the top end models.
In 1999, we were the first dealership in the southern hemisphere to provide a factory designed and sanctioned “Piazza” showroom.
In 2003 we added the neighboring site to Volkswagen to extend the area for used and commercial vehicles as well as showroom extensions and enhancements.
Sime Motors involvement began with the acquisition of the company.
Over the following years Sime Motors (previously Sime Darby Motors) invested heavily in new facilities that allowed the marques we represent to expand into purpose built dealerships in Newmarket.
Sime began in 1910 when Scotsman William Middleton Sime and Englishman Henry Darby teamed up to form a company to manage a rubber estate in Malacca.
From these modest colonial beginnings Sime has grown into one of Southeast Asia’s leading conglomerates. At present the Sime employs over 100,000 people in approximately 300 companies located in 20 countries around the world and has Revenue in excess of US $10 Billion. Today the Sime head office are located in Kuala Lumpur, in the capital of Malaysia.
Sime’s success is due in part to their ability to recognise a winning formula and to that end they are committed to Continental Cars being managed by New Zealanders.
It would be fair to say that Audi has become a cornerstone marque for Continental Cars.
Continental Cars Audi is housed in the world-class Audi hangar which was officially opened by the Prime Minister in October 2001. The Dealership is one of the largest such facilities in Australasia, and is situated on the original site that the company first occupied back in 1967.
The construction of the Porsche Centre at 40 Great South Road in early 2002 took brand representation to a new level.
A dedicated facility, sales and service team, and an environment where real Porsche people can congregate.
We recently celebrated the Grand Opening of Continental Cars Ferrari brand new Auckland showroom.
Here are some photos from the fantastic opening night.
In 2017 the Continental Cars name still continues its growth with the rebranding of Jerry Clayton BMW (who have been with Sime Motors New Zealand since 2003) to Continental Cars BMW.
Construction begins on the new Wairau home for Continental Cars BMW, with the site expected to be complete mid 2018. When complete it will be the biggest luxury car dealership in New Zealand.
Continental Cars Ferrari have always had a loyal customer base in the South Island and in June 2017 we were excited to celebrate our commitment to these customers with the opening of a new Ferrari Service Centre in Christchurch .
The Continental Cars’ journey started in 1967 when a young Tim Bailey started the company with nothing more than £600, a toolbox, an old Morris Minor van and a dream. Since that day Continental Cars has grown from strength to strength, and we’ve made a short video to take a look back – we hope you enjoy.
The National Audi NZ Excellence awards were held at Bishop Selwyn Chapel in Parnell on the 23rd of February. We were delighted that our Senior Sales exec, Kerry Hoffman was the Winner of the prestigious C & D segment. Jason McCrorie, Senior Service Advisor, was the runner-up in the highly competitive Service Advisor of the Year.
Continental Cars Volkswagen are proud to be winners for 2017 in Passenger Sales Department of the Year.
Recently Continental Cars Ferrari has won Ferrari Australasian Dealer of the Year 2017!
Ferrari Awards also included Marketing Manager of the Year 2017 (Carmen Gravatt) and Sales Manager of the Year 2017 (Craig Pryor). We are all be very proud of this achievement, specifically the Ferrari team and the individual award recipients.
Keep up to date throughout the year with our Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen, BMW and Ferrari hosted events. Every owner who purchases a car from us also becomes a part of our Continental Cars Family and gains access to information about our special key events.
Sime Motors in New Zealand is one of the country’s largest importers and retailers of quality commercial and private vehicles, with almost 800 employees located between Whangarei and Invercargill.
Sime Motors NZ has a number of businesses in New Zealand, and these businesses are grouped into three key strategic divisions: Commercial, Distribution, Retail.
Employees range from groomers, technicians, marketers, technical specialists and sales people to a variety of support personnel covering almost every aspect of the motor industry.
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