Changing of the guard at Mexted Motors

Located in the north-western Wellington suburb of Tawa, Mexted Motors is the longest serving car dealership in the Wellington region, founded in 1925 by Cecil Champion Mexted. Until recently the dealership had been run by Alan Mexted, Cecil’s grandson.

Alan took over in 1991, continuing to run the dealership based on the long-standing Mexted Motors twin pillars of excellent customer service and trust. In 2009, the Mexted family took on the franchise for the distribution of Suzuki vehicles. His strong belief in cost effectiveness and reliability made Suzuki a perfect fit.

In December 2021, Mark Munkittrick took up the mantle from Alan, leading Mexted Motors into a new era with fresh eyes and a hunger for continuing the Mexted tradition of combining top-end customer service with affordable, reliable cars. With the dealership since June 2015, he had risen through the ranks from sales cadet to sales manager before the opportunity to buy the dealership came up.

“The Mexteds have owned the business for ninety odd, almost a hundred years now. So there’s a lot of history between the business and the local community, as well as the wider Wellington region,” says Mark.

“For me, it’s not an ego thing of having my name on the side of a dealership. It’s basically just continuing forward with what’s already established and doing things the way they’re supposed to be done.”

Driven into taking over the dealership by a mix of ambition and the desire for a challenge, Mark is excited about bringing a sense of energy and youth to the dealership. It’s time for a change.

“We’re going to branch out, be unafraid to try new things, do things a bit differently. I guess we’re the new kids on the block, and it’s up to us to create a bit of excitement and a bit of a wave.”

Part of the new and exciting future for Mexted Motors is a major refurbishment of the dealership and service centre, while still holding on to one very important Mexted principle.

“The customer experience is something that was very important to Alan, and it’s something that’s also very important to me. That’s our number one guiding principle, that the customer experience should be as easy and flawless as possible. We’ve been winning customer service awards for years, so that shows we’re already doing a good job, and that’s with the slightly dated showroom and service centre we are in, so we’re going to revamp all of that.”

When asked about the most popular Suzuki models sold at the dealership, there were no surprises: the Swift and the Jimny.

“We will sell a Swift to an 18-year-old for his first car, as well as an 85-year-old. There’s no barrier. Anyone can drive a Swift. There are other cars or models that only appeal to a certain group of people, but the Swift has appeal for everyone.

“And one of the other best sellers is the Jimny. A bit of a surprise, as Tawa isn’t really known for its all-wheel drive adventures. But they’ve got the styling on their side, and they appeal to a broad range of people, from people who use it on the farm to fashion designers. It just stands out.”

All the best to Mark and team as they usher in a new age at Mexted Motors.