Bosch and Supercheap Auto join forces

Bosch and Supercheap Auto have signed an agreement to establish a network of full-service workshops throughout the country, starting with a pilot facility in Western Sydney from early next year.

The new chain of workshops will be a joint venture drawing on the extensive retail presence of Supercheap and the spare parts and workshop diagnostics expertise of Bosch.

While the agreement is yet to be approved by European anti-trust authorities, the deal is expected to go through without any trouble, since both companies are already working together in what is described as "the existing long-standing relationship between Bosch and Supercheap Auto".

Going up against established brands like Ultratune and Kmart Tyre and Auto, the new brand will represent a further evolutionary step in the Bosch/Supercheap relationship, and will be marketed as 'AutoCrew – Powered by Supercheap Auto'.

According to a press release issued by Bosch, the financial terms for the agreement remain undisclosed.

Although well known as a parts supplier to the local manufacturing industry in Australia, Bosch is also a member of the Australian Automotive Aftermarket Association, as is Supercheap.

"In past years, we have seen strong growth across our fitment and solutions offering, and see a clear trend towards customers expecting more when it comes to servicing their cars," says Chris Wilesmith, Supercheap Auto Managing Director.

"The diagnostic and digital components of cars today demand technology solutions often not commonly available in your average workshop – and at the same time, customers feel there should be a better solution than having to change their own wiper blades and that should come at a fair price.

"We are excited to have signed this agreement with Bosch, which is the natural extension of our existing fitment services and will enable us to provide customers an end-to-end solution across all their servicing needs. We look forward to working closely with Bosch over the coming months to finalise the launch of the first pilot workshop."

AutoCrew will potentially provide an opportunity for Bosch to expand its aftermarket profile in anticipation of its original-equipment business waning, following the end of local production at Holden and Toyota's vehicle assembly plants in Campbellfield and Altona, respectively.

Bosch expects its 'connected workshop' technology can reduce cost to the consumer and the inconvenience of vehicle downtime, with Supercheap stores located close to customers around the nation. The reliability of vehicle parts is improving constantly, but the need for basic servicing is growing in Australia, Bosch claims.

"We are pleased to be working with Supercheap Auto in what is a logical extension of our ongoing relationship formed over many years' collaboration," says Bosch Australia president, Gavin Smith.

"Bosch is proud to be Supercheap Auto's technology, equipment and technical partner in this exciting new venture."