All of them. Sales are counted on vehicles registered so they include things like dealer demos or in Skodas case the cars used in the Tour or Kias case the cars used for the Tennis. They also include rental cars. Over a 12 month period though it's a fairly small number in relation to the numbers that are sold to private buyers.
Eventually they all get sold as demos to private buyers anyway.
The current Skoda Driveaway deal with 5yr Warranty are all unregoed demos, aren't they?
-2011 Nissan 370z Coupe Manual--2006 Husqvarna SMRR450-
What you have stated is by definition impossible, a demo has to be registered to be a demo. Just because a vehicle is on display (showroom, frontyard) it does not make it a demo vehicle it is purely a new car until it is registered.
Impossible, hey?
Righto....
I am sure, that in theory, that all demos are meant to be registered.
Reality, on the other hand... At a Skoda dealer on Saturday, it was explained to me that all the vehicles on the floor that are under the 'driveaway deals' program, have all been put into the Skoda system as demos, but only a few had been actually regoed with VicRoads, and they needed to tell us this due to trying avoid any trouble down the track.
Having worked at one of the german car dealers a few year back, I can tell you that there were a whole lot of sales sold from new vehicles to used vehicles that were sold as demos, sans numberplates.
Trust me, if there is a trick that Dealers or Importers can do to boost numbers, they will pull it.
Infact, go look at the Skoda.com.au website, and read the fine print on the driveaway deals ad.
Next, go to a Skoda dealer and point at a 'new' car without rego plates, and ask if that is part of the promotion. I can tell you the answer already.
Last edited by sh|tbmxrider; 30-01-2012 at 11:40 PM.
-2011 Nissan 370z Coupe Manual--2006 Husqvarna SMRR450-
I remember we discussed this in another thread regarding warranty issues. Apparently, there are 2 registration.
One with Skoda Aus, and this one is to give Skoda Aus a record of how many cars a dealer has sold, and therefore give bonuses....etc. Warranty clock also starts ticking once a car is registered with Skoda. Dealers will be more likely to do this one to boost up their figure and achieve their sales target for the month/year. (and therefore bonus)
Another registration is one with the state authority. This is the rego that makes a car legal to drive. Warranty date is not based on this, although most new car sales, rego with Skoda and state happens in the same day, leading to the belief that warranty starts on the day the car is registered with the state. This is the figure that vfacts will base on.
A possible scenario is that a dealer can simply register a new car for a month for test driving purposes (they can do that, but not us private buyers, we need a minimum of 6months), and register with Skoda at the same time. As far as Skoda Aus is concern, the car is sold, or legally as a demo. After the month, the car is no longer registered and there won't be any number plate, and it will still smell new, and probably still has < 100km on the clock, and dishonest dealer an sale it to you as brand new vehicle. They might offer you extended dealer warranty to cover it up. The car will be registered with state again with a different number plate, and may be considered another new car sale?
There is a German car company who lets say thinks that they are a Star in the auto industry who up until recent never discounted their new car products in an substantial way. They did however regularly discount demos because after all they are demos and are technically a used car when purchased (the state vehicle reg system will show that they were first registered to a dealer then transferred to a second owner). There are many, many people who have purchased demos from franchises of that brand with zero kms showing on the odometer.
Strangely I can remember two legitimate demos that were sold with zero miles. Both were registered for dealer principals to drive and both were in short supply at the time and were sold before the boss even got his backside in the drivers seat (for large profits that is the only reason car dealers will sell their own new drive cars). One was a Nissan 300ZX in 1985 in Melbourne and the other was a V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee in San Franscisco in 1983.
Read between the lines of what I have written, the reality is they can dress it up and call it a demo but it is a new car. What I was stating was that for a demo to be a demo it must be registered, no ifs no nuts anything outside this is a new car full stop.
I'm surprised I had to spell this out to you.
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