DEVONSHIRE MOTORS IS NAMED TOP MITSUBISHI DEALER (OFFICIAL RELEASE)

Lance Bradley (left) and Nathan Tomlinson with the award

Mitsubishi dealership Devonshire Motors is celebrating after being named Dealer of the Year at the car brand’s annual conference.

And it’s not just the manufacturer that recognises the showroom’s winning formula, either – Devonshire Motors consistently receives the maximum five-star satisfaction rating from customers via surveys conducted by Mitsubishi.

The showroom in Braunton Road, Barnstaple, is a strong supporter of community projects – including lending the local Round Table’s Father Christmas a Shogun to help him deliver presents and raise money for local charities and groups. In fact, nothing is too much trouble for the staff, which explains why Devonshire Motors has won this award for the second time. The dealership was also given a long-service award in recognition of 25 years with Mitsubishi.

Dealer Principal Nathan Tomlinson said: ‘It was a wonderful night and this is great recognition for a really hard working team. The Dealer of the Year award means so much to us. Last year was a great year and this year looks like it will be even better. It's a fantastic time to be involved with such an exciting brand.’

The black-tie awards were held as part of Mitsubishi Motors’ annual conference for all its UK dealers, which took place at The Grove Hotel in Hertfordshire. The award is the latest recognition of the great work at Devonshire Motors. In 2013 Nathan was named Dealer Principal of the Year by two leading trade magazines: Motor Trader and Car Dealer.

Lance Bradley, Managing Director of Mitsubishi Motors in the UK, said: ‘Devonshire Motors continues to impress with its fantastic performance, so it’s a very great pleasure to award it this title. Congratulations to everyone there – they all deserve to be extremely proud. Mitsubishi Motors is enjoying phenomenal growth and Nathan’s team are playing a significant part in that.’

15 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER FOR DEVOTED DEVONSHIRE MOTORS CUSTOMER JOHN

When it comes to devotion to the Mitsubishi brand, Devonshire Motors customer John Barker can’t be faulted.
He’s been buying vehicles from the five-star Barnstaple dealership for 15 years now – all of them from Sales Controller Peter Starbuck. And with John celebrating his birthday on 15th January, he decided to treat himself by buying a new top-of-the-range 15 Model Year ASX4 and topping it off with his cherished ‘15’ number plate. This ultimate high-spec crossover combines rugged practicality with a sleek, compact design, making it equally at 
home in the countryside or in an urban environment – perfect for north Devon. It’s John’s seventh Mitsubishi vehicle and second ASX, his other previous Mitsubishis having been a Lancer Juro Diesel, Lancer Ralliart GSR, Lancer Ralliart GS, Colt Ralliart Turbo, and an Evo VIII.

John, who works as a fibreglass laminator at the nearby Neptune Glassfibre Mouldings in Rolle Street, said: ‘I like the new features, so when I saw that they had all the gadgets, all the new fancy bits on it, I thought I’d quite like to treat myself to one as a birthday present, plus I’ve had my other one for just over two years now, so I thought it was time for a change.’

And he was full of praise for the dealership, which is consistently given the maximum five-star satisfaction rating by its customers because of how well it looks after them.

‘The service that I get all the way through from sales to after sales is fabulous, so I keep on coming back. The atmosphere here and the way they treat me as a customer is brilliant, and Peter himself is fantastic.’

As for Mitsubishi’s vehicles, John said: ‘I love the overall standard of them – the performance and the build quality. They’re superb – especially all the little features that you get with them.’

Peter, who has been with Devonshire Motors for 21 years, said: ‘It’s always a pleasure to look after John, and needless to say I’m delighted that he’s obviously so happy with our service that he always comes back to us when he wants to replace his vehicle.

‘He’s as much of a friend as a customer and it’s always a pleasure to see him and Rex’