Arne Knaben, Volvo Group Australia president, officiated proceedings at the official opening of the new state-of-the-art CMV dealership at Albury-Wodonga on Friday, May 11.
According to Arne, the success of the Albury-Wodonga dealership is key to the Volvo Group for two reasons:
• The considerable business growth in the region;
• The critical need to support the heavy-duty transport network operating between Melbourne and Sydney.
“Last year we recognised the need to increase our presence in this region, and we would like to thank CMV for its substantial investment in constructing this impressive new facility on a greenfield site,” Knaben said. “Taking over the Albury-Wodonga operation is a logical expansion for CMV, as it is the major distributor of Volvo Group products and services in the state. I know our customers will benefit from the experience and professionalism that CMV will bring to this important regional centre.”
CMV’s joint managing director, Paul Crawford, said the development of the Albury-Wodonga dealership in McKoy Street is an important link in CMV’s network of purpose designed, heavy-duty truck and bus dealerships.
“These dealerships allow our customers convenient B-double and bus access to strategically located dealerships throughout Victoria and South Australia,” Crawford said. “We are delighted to be part of the dynamic growth of the Albury-Wodonga region and look forward to building and strengthening the business in the years ahead.
“As far as the new dealership is concerned, we would like to extend an open invitation to any operator in the region to come in and meet us and inspect our new facility. We will support all customers in the Albury-Wodonga region as well as offering support to any operator on the busy Hume Highway between Melbourne and Sydney.”
Dealer principal, Darren Cowan, said the new dealership location was chosen to ensure there would be plenty of parking spaces for B-doubles. The new site also includes an in-ground pit, overhead crane, lifting legs, wash bay and driver rest facilities.
“We are selling new and used vehicles,” Darren said, “and of course, providing first-class service with rapid turnaround times. We understand that every minute off the road translates into lost revenue, so we strive to get our customers’ vehicles back into operation as quickly as possible, without cutting any corners.
“We’re looking forward to getting out there and meeting all of our new customers. We’d like to extend an invitation to everyone in the region who’s got Volvo, Mack or UD trucks. Come in and meet us and see what we can do for you.”