Audi Excellence Awards 2021

Ebbett Audi’s commitment to its people and its customers has been recognised at the 2021 Audi Excellence Awards, taking out 10 of the 14 awards up for grabs and winning overall New Zealand Dealer of the Year.

Held annually by Audi New Zealand, the awards are open to the 10 Audi dealerships across the country.

Hamilton-based Ebbett Audi also won the coveted Customer Satisfaction Dealer of the Year for the second year running and added two runner-up titles to its award haul.

Dealer Principal Andrew Unternahrer says the accolades are testament not only to the talent of his team, but to the loyalty of the business’s customers in the wider Waikato region.

“Our customers make our business tick. We can’t thank them enough for trusting us to look after them, their families, and their vehicles and help them create wonderful memories.

“Many of our customers have become our friends and we thrive on providing them with the best quality service and care. These awards are as much theirs as they are ours.”

Andrew believes one of the company’s secrets to success is the way it supports its people.

“Investing in our people with training and support to upskill them and ensuring excellence is not just a goal, but a way of doing things,” he says. “Everyone is operating at such a high level, you can’t help but catch on and be inspired”.

“We know that customers expect quality when they come to Ebbett Audi. It makes sense that we not only deliver high performing vehicles, but that our people are equipped to be high performers too.”

The Ebbett Audi team works hard to walk the talk. They also live, work and breathe the company values.

“We look after each other and we look after our customers. That philosophy needs to be all encompassing,” says Andrew.

“Our team also knows each other’s roles because they often jump across the working boundaries to lend a hand when someone needs it”.  We all pitch in together.

“It’s one reason Ebbett Audi has a great track record of staff retention. People don’t want to leave. They value the support and enjoy a culture where they are constantly becoming better versions of themselves. Simply put, as the business thrives, it creates an environment where our people can thrive too.”

After the team’s recent success, Ebbett Audi has plans to grow, but not at the expense of the dealership’s great culture.

“For us to expand successfully we need our people with us and that means valuing them and putting their health and well-being first.,” says Andrew.

“Yes, we’d like to grow, but there’s no point getting bigger if we’re not getting better. We care too much about our people to push ahead in a way that risks undermining the culture that’s got us this far. The future is exciting, and we look forward to sharing our journey with our team, our customers and the Waikato region.”

Winner

• Dealer of the Year – Ebbett Audi
• Customer Satisfaction Dealer of the Year – Ebbett Audi
• New Vehicle Sales Manager – Jason Young
• Used Vehicle Sales Manager – Jason Young
• Service Manager – Richard Wren
• Non-Metro Salesperson – James Jones
• Non-Metro e-tron Specialist – Chris Loader
• Technician – Ben Allen
• Service Advisor – Annika Lourens
• Warranty Advisor – Glen Cameron
• Audi Twin Cup Technician – Ben Allen

Finalist

• Marketing Department of the Year – Ebbett Marketing Team
• Business Manager of the Year – Luzzane Tome
• Technician of the Year – Doane Hattingh
• Apprentice of the Year – Jayden Randall
• Audi Twin Cup Service Advisor – Annika Lourens