A member of the imported used vehicle supply chain is calling on the Government to reverse and postpone the April 1 ESC rule to protect jobs in the industry following the outbreak of Covid-19.
Moana Blue Shipping and Logisitics owner Nigel Grindall says in line with company expectations shipping volumes dropped due to the implementation of the ESC rule.
“At the moment bookings are as normal and we won’t know the full impact of the government announcements around the Covid-19 situation until the end of this week,” says Grindall.
“The government says it is taking measures to protect business, and I think there is an opportunity here for the Ministry of Transport and the New Zealand Transport Agency to reverse and postpone the latest implementation of the ESC rule to protect jobs in the used import industry,” says Grindall.
As yet the used vehicle supply chain has not yet been affected by the current situation but there are some warning signs ahead says another industry expert.
Autohub New Zealand chief executive officer Frank Willett says to protect the wellbeing of staff and clients, his company has taken the decision to cut any non-essential staff travel.
“Right now, there has been no major impact from Covid-10 and it’s business as usual,” says Willett.
“I am more concerned about the over purchasing of non-esc vehicle stock which is arriving now, the exchange rate has tumbled due to the Covid-19 outbreak, so from the time of purchase to the time of landing, there’s been a 10% increase in cost, that’s not good,” he says.
“We try to be as transparent as possible in our communications with our clients, and we would hope the same would be returned to us. If our clients need any form of assistance, we do hope they will contact us urgently,” says Willett.
