Essendon Fields clocks $750 million in annual vehicles sales, and consolidates position as Australia’s premier auto destination with new blinkr, Ducati and Volvo showrooms.

Annual sales at Essendon Fields Auto, Australia’s largest single site collection of car dealerships based at Essendon Fields, just passed 20,000 vehicles in June. With an estimated retail value of over $750 million, this figure is set to grow, with three new brands joining Melbourne’s leading automotive destination: Volvo, Ducati and blinkr.

Pictured: Wirraway Road at Essendon Fields Auto. Photo credit: Another Photographer

The sales results for new cars demonstrate the success of Essendon Fields’ “auto mall” concept, with vehicle sales at EF Auto up 51.5% in 2021, 37 points above the national average of 14.5%.

blinkr is new to the Australian auto market and chose Essendon Fields as the base for its first showroom, a 2,630 sqm facility that opened mid-July. The company, part of the US-based company Servco group, aims to revolutionise the way preowned cars are traded in Australia. Customers can buy and apply for finance online, then have the car delivered, or click and collect from their showroom located at 325 Wirraway Road at Essendon Fields. Each car is meticulously reconditioned, allowing blinkr to offer a 12-month mechanical protection plan, 12-month roadside assist and 7 days money-back guarantee, included in the price of every car.

Pictured: Michael Sistanis, blinkr GM and Brendan Pihan, Essendon Fields CEO. Photo credit: Craig Moodie

Michael Sistanis, Managing Director of blinkr highlighted the convenience and choice the Essendon Fields location offers car buyers.

“Independent used cars at scale is a largely untapped business space in Australia. We think blinkr can provide a large variety of vehicles, offering customers the flexibility to decide how they purchase or sell a car.  That may be a fully online process, or an in-store experience at the Essendon Fields showroom.  We chose Essendon Fields as it suits our business model perfectly, the location is a central part of Melbourne, and the accessibility of the precinct with many major car brands surrounding us provides great convenience to car shoppers” he said.

blinkr occupies the former Holden dealership at EF Auto, with plans to also utilise disused hangar space to facilitate the forecast demand for preowned vehicle fulfilment at this strategic location.

Ducati Melbourne West also recently opened a new state-of-the-art showroom at 295 Wirraway Road, including an expansive service centre. In a sprawling 2,150 sqm space, Ducati customers can explore the latest Ducati and Scrambler range, including e-bikes and bicycles. On the service side, Ducati Melbourne West has invested in prime tooling straight from Italy to offer its customers the DNA of the Ducati brand.

Pictured: Inside Ducati Melbourne West at Essendon Fields Auto. Photo credit: Another Photographer

These new dealerships come on the back of further movement in the precinct, with the recent addition of Volvo, the relocation and expansion of Volkswagen, and a significant refurbishment for Mazda in delivery to facilitate continued forecast sales growth and expand service capability. The EF Auto offer has also grown to include off-road vehicles, water and ski craft and boats, with Seadoo, CanAm and Quintrex boats joining the Wirraway Road cluster in 2021.

These dealerships are complemented by ancillary businesses in the automotive supply chain, including training centres for Porsche, Volkswagen and KIA Motors, and an extensive pre-delivery area.

Essendon Fields CEO Brendan Pihan said he was delighted to welcome these new international leaders in the automotive world to EF Auto.

“Volvo, blinkr and Ducati arrive at Essendon Fields at a great time. EF Auto is one of the great success stories in Australian automotive retail. The dealerships based at Essendon Fields have experienced consistently strong sales over many years, outperforming the national average, even throughout COVID. Now covering more than 24 hectares, there are now only two remaining auto dealership sites on Wirraway Road, and space for an additional training facility,’’ he said.

“The sales growth at EF Auto clearly illustrates the public’s love of choice, convenience and competition all in the one location, coupled with an expansive catchment area of over 1 million people within 15 minutes. The growth we’ve witnessed since it opened in 2008 is quite remarkable,’’ Mr Pihan said.

Since opening, Essendon Fields Automotive precinct has grown to become the largest single-site collection of new car dealers in Australia, with 16 dealerships and over 18 global brands.  EF Auto has now sold almost 150,000 cars between February 2013 and March 2022 – with an estimated value of around $3.6 billion.

For more information on the last remaining development sites within Essendon Fields Auto please contact Peter Funder via pf@ef.com.au or 0437 689 915, or click here.