​NORTH EAST CAR DEALERSHIP GETS INTO GEAR FOR MAJOR NATIONAL AWARDS

South Shields-based motor dealership Vic Young (South Shields) Ltd has been shortlisted for two award categories, Dealer Principal of the Year and Aftersales Excellence Award, at the prestigious national Motor Trader Industry Awards 2015, to be held in London on July 8.

Regarded as the retail motor industry’s ‘Oscars’, the highly anticipated national awards celebrate excellence in 25 categories ranging from best sales team and customer care of the year to best digital initiative and employer of the year.  

A long established and family run business, Vic Young (South Shields) Ltd has been shortlisted from hundreds of entries from across the UK and will now compete for top spot at a glittering awards ceremony, to be held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel.

Managing Director, Vic Young, has been named a finalist in the Dealer Principal of the Year Award category, sponsored by Black Horse, which recognises a manager with excellent leadership qualities who has successfully led their business through 2014.  Being shortlisted for this exceptional award is recognition of the value Vic Young places on offering the very best level of service, care and support as well as valuing his team.  This is also coupled with the leadership and determination he exhibited when steering the dealership through a critical transition from being a main Nissan dealership for nearly 40 years to becoming a main dealership for Mitsubishi in September 2014.  

The Aftersales Excellence Award, sponsored by EMaC, meanwhile, recognises a dealer who consistently delivers an outstanding aftersales service. Vic Young offers numerous customer-focused initiatives, including 10 per cent servicing discount cards for customers purchasing new or old vehicles, servicing from £125 inclusive of VAT, with free RAC cover for one year and either free collection or delivery or provision of a courtesy car at no extra charge.

As part of its commitment to customer service, in 2014 Vic Young invested £450,000 in a new service centre. This features 15 workshop bays, each with a lift, and advanced equipment including an ECU unit to diagnose defects. The new service centre means shorter waiting times for customers and enables them to provide an even greater level of vehicle care.

Vic Young, Managing Director at Vic Young, said: “The Motor Trader Awards are held in such high regard in the industry and we are delighted to have been once again a finalist in two categories alongside some of the UK’s most respected dealerships.

“These award nominations are a testament to our dedicated team who work hard to build long-standing relationships with our customers across the North East and UK. At Vic Young, our strapline is ‘your lifelong motoring partner’ which encapsulates our service ethos – an ethos which is applied to all parts of the business.”

The winners will be announced at the Motor Trader Awards gala dinner, at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Wednesday 8 July 2015.

The family-run firm, situated on Newcastle Road, South Shields, offers new and used vehicles for sale, plus fleet management, vehicle hire, servicing and MOTs.

The company also offers a specialist Motability division, Vic Young Mobility, which supplies cars, adaptations and wheelchair accessible vehicles.

And the Vic Young group includes Northern Truck Bodies, which develops conversions for specialist vehicles, including those for full Motability approval, and is an approved Nissan Warranty and Service centre, and an accident and repair centre.

They have recently launched the EVE – Electric Vehicle Evolution, a revolutionary ‘Fully Electric Powered Vehicle for Wheelchair Accessibility’ - which is the first of its kind to be available in the North of England. Based on the Nissan e-NV200 Combi, the zero-emission powertrain offers significant savings in running costs; is classed as an Ultra-Low Emitting Vehicle, benefiting from 100% first year allowance until 2018, and ‘fuel’ cost reduced to as little as 2p per mile; servicing costs are also thought to be approximately £350 lower than an equivalent petrol or diesel powered vehicle. Furthermore, the EVE has a range of 106 miles and the battery can be fully charged in four hours, or topped up to 80% within just 30 minutes. The multipurpose vehicle is ideal for service providers including taxi firms, car homes, local authorities and charities.