Autolocator launches in print

The first edition of Autolocator Gauteng will be placed in almost 1 000 outlets in the province from Wednesday, 06 April, and some 60 000 copies of the new 52-page full-colour magazine will be made available at garage convenience stores in Gauteng on the first Wednesday of every month.

A similar move in 2004, when four print editions were produced and distributed through CAR magazine, saw vehicle sales skyrocket with each edition, giving Autolocator a whopping 178% increase in sales on 2003, according to Mike von Höne, managing director of Autolocator.

"We want to extend our reach beyond the Internet and achieve greater penetration into the Gauteng used car market," explains Neal Farrell, a director of Autolocator and the man in charge of the print project.

"The launch of Autolocator Gauteng is an important part of our strategy to develop new business.

"We believe this new initiative will help stimulate sales of used vehicles for our Gauteng dealers in a market that is currently under pressure. For now we'll focus on Gauteng, but in the medium-term, and with our dealers' support, we'll move in to the other provinces as a matter of priority."

The listings in Autolocator Gauteng are broken down by vehicle's make and model, colour, mileage, year and price, so that it works as a quick reference guide. Each entry has a reference number, which prospective buyers quote when they call the Autolocator hotline on 0860 580 580.

"We don't charge our subscribing dealers anything extra to have their vehicles listed in Autolocator Gauteng - we see it as adding value to our relationship with them and in turn this will surely help them to sell more cars.

"We will check the availability of the chosen vehicle and arrange for the dealer to contact the customer, taking the stress out of phoning around for the right vehicle," says von Höne.

"If that vehicle is already sold, we will attempt to source an equivalent vehicle on the buyer's behalf."