Winger Motors has been part of New Zealand's motoring story since 1931. What started in Hamilton more than 90 years ago has grown into a family-owned dealership group with 12 locations across Auckland and Waikato.
Today it represents a wide range of automotive brands, from affordable everyday transport and hybrids through to EVs, commercial vehicles and performance cars. It also operates dedicated service centres, parts departments, finance and insurance services, and TyreLAND tyre stores.
The company says one of its favourite things about the business is the number of customers who keep coming back. Staff regularly meet people whose parents or grandparents bought vehicles from Winger, and now they're bringing in the next generation.
What’s your history with this brand?
Mention Winger to a lot of people and they'll often say, "Oh, Winger Subaru" or "Winger Suzuki."
Those brands have been part of our DNA for decades, so we take that as a real compliment. We've built some great long-term relationships over the years, and it's not unusual to meet customers whose families have been coming to Winger for generations.
While Subaru and Suzuki remain a big part of who we are, today we represent 18 automotive brands across Auckland and Waikato. The range has grown considerably over the years, but our focus hasn't: looking after people and helping them find the right fit for their lifestyle. It's a philosophy we like to sum up as, "With you. Drive after drive."
What will people see when they come into your dealership?
That depends which Winger location you visit, but there are a few things they all have in common: plenty of shiny cars, coffee ready to go, good people to help you, and a relaxed atmosphere.
Across the Winger group you'll find modern showrooms representing 18 brands, along with many of the latest global dealership designs and customer spaces.
Every location has its own personality, but they all share the same goal: making the car-buying experience easy, enjoyable, and without pressure. We know buying a vehicle is a big decision, so we try to create an environment where people can take their time, ask plenty of questions and feel comfortable exploring their options.
What tools, physical or digital, do you have to help people make their car-buying decision?
These days, most customers arrive having already done plenty of research online, so our role is often helping them make sense of it all.
Of course we have all the expected digital tools, configurators, online stock listings, vehicle information, finance options and trade-in support. The way people shop for vehicles continues to evolve, and we're always looking at ways to make that easier, but we've found that what often gives customers confidence in their decision is simply getting behind the wheel and going for a drive.
One of the advantages of representing 18 brands across the Winger group is the variety of vehicles we can offer. No two customers are the same, and having that breadth of choice helps us match people with the vehicle that best suits their needs.
What’s the most interesting feature of your facility that’s not an actual car?
Our purpose-built service centre in Penrose is probably right up there.
Most people never get to see behind the scenes, but it's a pretty impressive operation. The workshop has 19 service bays with vehicle hoists, an automatic car wash, corner weight scales, onsite TyreLAND, and a network of overhead lines supplying everything technicians need, including oil, extraction, air and fluids directly to each bay.
It's the sort of thing that makes our technicians' lives easier and helps us work more efficiently, but it's also genuinely fascinating if you're a bit of a car enthusiast.
Then there's Hamilton, where the Winger story began back in 1931. Alongside our dealerships, we operate a panel and paint shop, wheel repair business and rental car operation.
It's also home to a small collection of Subaru history we've acquired over the years, including a New Zealand-new 1966 Subaru 360, Possum Bourne's first Subaru Leone rally car, and the legendary Subaru 22B. For a lot of enthusiasts, that's every bit as interesting as the new cars in the showroom.
Let’s go out the back. How big are your service facilities? How many technicians do you have working out there?
Probably bigger than most people expect! Across our service centres in North Shore, West Auckland, Penrose, Pukekohe and Hamilton, we have more than 50 factory-trained technicians working on customers' vehicles every day, with East Tamaki set to join the network soon. Each location is also supported by service advisors, parts and tyre teams, looking after everything from WOFs and routine servicing through to fault finding and more complex repairs.
It's a pretty big operation, and one that's always evolving. Vehicle technology doesn't stand still, so we're constantly investing in new equipment, facilities and training to make sure our teams stay up to speed.
It might not get the same attention as the showroom, but it's a huge part of what we do. One of the advantages of having all those services under one roof is that customers can take care of almost everything in the same place. It's all about making ownership a little easier and giving customers one less thing to worry about.
Where’s a good place to go and test-drive from your location?
We're fortunate that our locations span everything from Auckland motorways and city streets to open Waikato country roads.
In reality, we believe the best test drive is usually the route you know. We often encourage customers to drive the roads they use every day, whether that's the morning commute, the school run, or the route they take to avoid that intersection that always seems to take forever.
That's usually when you find out whether a vehicle really fits your lifestyle.
What else is in the area that could make it a destination?
That depends which Winger location you're visiting, but one thing's guaranteed: someone on the team will have a recommendation.
Whether it's a great coffee spot, a local bakery for the best pie ever, a beach, or a scenic drive, our people know their local areas pretty well. We spend a lot of time on the road, and everyone seems to have a favourite spot they're keen to share!
What plans do you have for the future?
The automotive industry is one of those sectors where there's always something new around the corner. New technologies, new brands and new ways for customers to interact with dealerships continue to reshape the landscape.
We're fortunate to have been part of New Zealand's motoring landscape for more than 90 years, so we've seen plenty of change over that time. While the vehicles may evolve, our role remains much the same: understanding what Kiwi drivers need and helping them find the right fit.
We'll keep evolving too. Whether that's investing in new facilities, expanding into new locations, introducing new brands or improving the customer experience, we're always looking for ways to do things better. Looking after customers well is still the best strategy we've found.
Most importantly, what’s your coffee like?
Again, depends who you ask, but we aim to have pretty good coffee available. Not "take a photo of it for Instagram" good, but definitely good enough to enjoy while talking about cars.
If you're after something better, just ask one of the team. Chances are they'll have a strong opinion on the best coffee spot nearby!
That said, our Penrose Customer Service Centre is a bit of an exception. We've got a pretty serious coffee machine, and a few trained baristas on the team, so the coffee there gets taken very seriously.