Auto-Trail raise £5,200 for Help for Heroes

Auto-Trail raised a staggering £5,200 for Help the Heroes in 2011

Annually, employers are invited to nominate a charity we can support for a 12- month period. These have included Cancer Research UK, Huntington's disease, St Andrew's Children's Hospice & When you Wish upon a star. In the 5 year's fund raising so far, we have raised almost £21,000.

Fundrasing events have included:

- Coast to Coast Challenge(Cycling) - employees cycle from Whiteheaven on the west coast to Sunderland on the east over a 2-day period.

- National 3 Peaks - Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis, Snowdon - Employees completed the 3-peak challenge in just 24hours.

- Yorkshire 3 Peaks- Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside & Igleborough - Employees completed the 3-peak challenge in just 12 hours.

- Annual Golf Tournament for staff & suppliers - teams play for Annual trophy at different courses around the area and the day includes different competitions and raffles.

- Factory Tours for customers - we offer organised factory tours once a month, of our factory and production process to both potential and existing customers, which have proven a great success. Visit www.auto-trail.co.uk for further details. Whilst the tours are free, visitors are invited to make a donation to our chosen charity.

- Factory Open Day for customers and staff - once a year we hold an open day for our staff and Auto-Trail owners - games, raffles, competitions and refreshments are on offer and again visitors are invited to make a donation.

Our Chosen charity for 2012 will be "Women's Aid, North East Lincolnshire", we sincerely hope our efforts will be successful in the coming years.

No second place for Auto-Trail buyers! - Comanche named luxury motorhome of the year

The test team at Practical Motorhome is a pretty demanding bunch of motorhome writers.

So it's a real pleasure when they have nice things to say about Auto-Trail products and even better when they name our Comanche Super Lo-Line 'Best luxury motorhome over 3,500 kgs' in their 2011 awards, presented last night.

The test team's verdict read: "You know what you're getting with an Auto-Trail, and the Comanche doesn't disappoint - the aesthetics, build quality and painstaking design all speak of a company unwilling to settle for second place - and it turns out they didn't have to.' 

Our super Lo-Line body style was introduced for the 2011 model year and has been extremely popular not only with Practical Motorhome's test team but also with our customers, too. As a result it has shown strongly in our sales this year.

The good news is that Auto-Trail gets even better for 2012 with a higher specification as standard to underline their luxury status. Super Lo-Line, which brings a streamline roof design, complete with sunroof, over the cab area has also been extended to our Tracker and Apache models too.

"It's great to have such an accolade from an expert awards panel but the most experienced judges, who actually buy our motorhomes, have already given us a resounding vote of confidence this year ", commented Scott Stephens, General Sales and Marketing Manager at Auto-Trail.

 

Peak Performance from Auto-Trail team

PEAK PERFORMANCE FROM  AUTO-TRAIL TEAM

Staff from leading UK motorhome manufacturer Auto-Trail have raised more than £2,300 in aid of their chosen charity, Help for Heroes, in the last few weeks.

After limbering up with the annual golf tournament between staff and suppliers, a team of 19 set out to tackle the Three Peaks Challenge.

There’s a 12 hour time limit for the challenge and 18 of the 19 achieved that, with the fastest staff member blazing the trail in less than seven hours.

The event started at Horton in Ribblesdale at 6 a.m. and climbed Pen-y-ghent (694m), Whernside (736m), and lastly Ingleborough (723m). The total distance walked varies between 22 and 24 miles, depending on the route taken up Whernside.

“To manage less than 12 hours requires a literally blistering pace and for one team member to achieve a time of less than seven hours is amazing,” said Auto-Trail General Sales and Marketing Manager Scott Stephens.

“as well as horizontal travel, there’s also the need to ascend a total of 2,153 metres – more than a mile, almost 1.4 miles in measurements that most people understand. Coming down again can also be tough going, too!

“The staff at Auto-Trail have been dedicated to charity fundraising for many years and have raised more than £17,000 in four years. Our customers also like to get involved, making donations after factory tours.

“The achievements of injured service personnel supported by Help for Heroes was an added inspiration for this year’s Three Peaks Challenger team to do well.”

Steve Barnes Swaps Pearls of Wisdom

STEVE SWAPS PEARLS OF WISDOM

OVER HAPPY MARRIAGE SECRETS

 

It’s customary when handing over a new motorhome for dealers to give buyers sound advice on its future use.

 

But the tables were reversed for Steve Barnes, senior sales executive at Freeborn Motorhomes in Surrey, when Mike and Pearl Wicks arrived to collect their second new Auto-Trail from him.

 

For the couple are approaching their golden wedding anniversary while Steve is virtually half a century behind – he’s just got married.

 

“It’s fair to say I received some pearls of wisdom – and sound advice from Mike, too,” joked Steve. “They are a delightful couple and I was more than ready to listen to them. After all, while I know a fair bit about motorhomes they obviously know a lot more about successful marriage!”

 

Other motorhome buyers can emulate Mr and Mrs Wicks, too, even if they still have further to go to their golden wedding – or if they aren’t married at all.

 

“We are currently running some excellent offers on Auto-Trails,” added Steve. “I’ll be away on my honeymoon shortly but there’s a great team here to guide buyers in my absence.”

 

For details of the Auto-Trail and Tribute Offers,call Freeborn Motorhomes on 01483 429999.

Freeborn Motorhomes end-of-season events

Seven can drive hard bargains - and it's on your bike for one!

Freeborn Motorhomes end-of-season events

Seven is a lucky number among new motorhome buyers who attend the end of season events organised by Freeborn Motorhomes.

Cash savings totalling almost £40,000 are being offered on just seven new 2011 model year motorhomes as part of two end-of-season events which help mark the launch of the dealer's new branch in Southampton and will also see one customer being told to get on his or her bike.

Sales of 2012 models have already been strong, with 22 buyers ordering top-end motorhomes from the luxury Auto-Trail range, including eight of the very best tag axle models with extremely high specifications.

"We are having very frantic days in the showroom, " said Freeborn Group Sales director Darren Chatterley.

"After a strong showing at the recent motorhome event held at NEC, we have continued to receive orders from customers who appreciate the freedom that motorhome ownership brings.

"Many of these new orders are accompanied by the trade-in of nearly new vehicles, some of which have already arrived with us while delivery of new vehicles is pending."

"Every one of the many used motorhomes in stock can be subject to a deal while all 2012 models, which now have the latest Euro V compliant engines, can be ordered at 2011 prices to beat the raises that the better technology has brought"

Freeborn Motorhomes at Godalming will be holding its end-of-season weekend from November 25th to 28th with the Southampton event, which also marks the official opening of the new Freeborn Motorhomes and The Romahome Centre showroom and workshop facilities at St Mary's, on December 2nd to 4th.

"For those who find our deals, and the weather, really cool there's warm soup and mulled wine and owners of existing motorhomes who don't want to buy can turn up for a warming drink and a book a habitation check for £99, a saving of almost £150 and only available at the events.

"There's something for everyone, plus an electric bike as a draw prize which will be welcome news for someone who prefers powered pedals to pedal power."

Discover Leisure Administration

On the 14th October 2011, it was announced that Discover Leisure has gone into administration, this is extremely sad for all concerned - customers, staff and suppliers.

Should there be any Auto-Trail customer who requires assistance with any new or outstanding warranty or parts issue, please contact our head office - 01472 571000 and we will do our best to assist you.

New Auto-Trail Dealer

New Auto-Trail Dealer

Auto-Trail would like to welcome Johns Cross to its Dealer Network for the 2012 season. Johns Cross Motorhomes are situated near the historic towns of Battle and Hastings. We wish them every success with our new Auto-Trail model range.

Lawrence Boyles 'Johns Cross Sales manager' commented 'Situated on the border of Kent and East Sussex, we at Johns Cross Motorcaravan and Camping Centre are delighted to add Auto-Trail Motorhomes to our dealership. Staff from our workshop and sales department have visited the Auto-Trail factory and were very impressed with the care and dedication given to the product by everyone involved. We look forward to offering existing and new customers the fantastic range of Auto-Trail Motorhomes all of which will include our FIVE YEAR FREE HABITATION SERVICE offer to show our long term commitment to our clients.

2012 Auto-Trail models are now onsite for customers to view. To arrange viewings or discuss Auto-Trail models with the sales team, please contact Mark, Andy or Lawrence on Tel: 01580 881288.

Awards Judges Pay Tribute to Experience and Innovation

Group's products big winners in latest awards

Experience and innovation in motorhome manufacture have brought a string of awards for companies in the Trigano Group.

The judging panel at Practical Motorhome, one of the major UK titles, have heaped praised on the brand new Trigano T620 by making it both their best budget buy motorhome and overall motorhome of the year for 2010.

But the accolades don't stop there.

The judges named the Chausson Welcome Suit as the best compact motorhome, as well as naming Chausson the runner-up in the award for innovation. The Auto-Trail Apache 725 gained the award for best family motorhome - and to keep it in the family, the Tribute 720 was named runner-up in the same category.

Not content with having the judging panel casting a congratulatory eye over its range, the team at Trigano Group has also gained a gold award for its Auto-Trail and Excel brands in the customer satisfaction awards, where Chausson gained a silver award.

Auto-Trail was the best scoring volume manufacturer among buyers of new motorhomes, gaining a gold award, while Chausson achieved silver. But the shine doesn't rub off the group's products because the owners also gave the brand a gold award for used motorhomes, along with sister marques Eura Mobil, Chausson, and CI.

The new Tribute models are based on the very latest innovation for motorhome chassis, the Ford Transit, and the combination won high praise from the judges - "awesome" is the word they used.

Skillful construction techniques, but still using the same high-end interiors as the Auto-Trail range, means the £33,495 Tribute T620 has a payload of 730 kgs, enabling families to take all of the gear they want when they travel.

"What's not to like about the new Transit Tribute?" asked the judges. "It's great to see a British company taking the lead and making motor-caravanning more readily available to the masses in the difficult financial times."

David Thomas, joint managing director of Auto-Trail, said the key to success was using proven, reliable components, with all appliances tested and run on the production line to ensure quality even though all dealers carry out a pre-delivery inspection.

Top quality after sales service allowed customers and dealers ready access to spares and accessories and a new feature is a factory workshop to ensure high grade repairs to group products.

"The Transit is 45 years old this year and Auto-Trail Group has a long presence in the UK motorhome industry," added David. "It shows that our experienced and innovation pay dividends for us and our customers. We have the right products at the right time for the current challenging market conditions.

"We may have gained many laurels in the Practical Motorhome awards but we won't be resting on them. Continually striving for better and more reliable products keeps us in front and, happily, our customers agree!"

MMM... Another Tasty Tribute From Which Motorhome

Our Tribute T725 model, based on the brand new Ford Transit motorhome chassis, has been voted "Budget Buy Winner" at the Which Motorhome 2011 awards.

The Tribute T620 was runner-up in the same category and the awards will be covered in both Which Motorhome and its sister publication, Motor Caravan and Motorhome Monthly Magazine, also known as MMM.

The Tribute T720 is Which Motorhome's runner up in the 'Best Family Motorhome' category while the T620 has gained a 'Quality Nominated' award.

The Tribute range was introduced earlier this year and Practical Motorhome magazine named the T620 its Motorhome of the Year as well as its Best Budget Motorhome. The T720 was highly commended in the Best Family Motorhome category.

All these awards reinforce both the value and quality to be found in our Transit-based models, which are produced in our North Lincolnshire factory alongside the regular Auto-Trail models.

"In the current climate, many people are turning to motorhome ownership to maximise their holiday enjoyment," said Scott Stephens, general sales and marketing manager for the Auto-Trail Group.

"The Tribute models are gaining wide acceptance among the motorhome users who are also showing a real enthusiasm for our Auto-Trail Super Low-Line roof design, new for 2011 and bringing a car-like sunroof to the front of the living area."

Photo

Lee Thornton, Area Sales Manager accepts the award from Journalist Peter Vaughn.

MMM ... More tasty Tributes for our motorhome family

The Tribute T-725 has been named the Family Coachbuilt of the year by Motorcaravan Monthly (MMM), the UK's best-selling motorcaravan magazine, and Which Motorhome, the UK's number one magazine for motorhome testing, at their prestigious 2012 awards.

"This is the first year MMM has joined forces with Which Motorhome to create one set of combined awards to name the best new campervans and motorhomes on sale in the UK so it's pleasing that our Tribute range should gain recognition from such distinguised judging panel," Said Scott Stephens, General Sales and Marketing Manager for Auto-Trail, which makes the Tribute coachbuilt range at its Grimsby plant.

The judges looked carefully at everything from the functionality of the layout, the build quality and overall usability, to how the motorhome performs on the road as well as on the campsite, right through to whether it offers true value for money.

"I'm not surpised they were impressed - after all everything that leaves our factory is built to the same very high standards," added Scott. "Ever since the initial launch, the Tribute coachbuilt range started to win awards and this year we have made interiors even more luxurious, improved the exterior styling with better graphics plus a low line roof option, and started building on the latest Euro V compliant Ford Transit, itself and award winning motorhome chassis.

 "Without sounding complacent, how could this be anything other than a winning combination?"

"We set out to satisfy demands from British buyers who wanted home market features like well-equipped kitchens to cope with our weather conditions, especially as there's a growing trend to use motorhomes all year round."

"Having made the effort to create this motorhome range, it's pleasing that judging panels love it. But, more importantly, so do buyers, therefore we have been increasing the size of our dealer network to cope with demand."

The new low line 615 and 715 Tribute coachbuilts will be revealed at the Manchester Caravan and Motorhome Show from January 19th to 23rd before appearing at the SECC in Glasgow from February 2nd to 5th and then travelling south to be star attractions at the brand new Excel show between February 14th and 19th.

The MMM/Which Motorhome awards were sponsored by the Caravan Club and were held at the Luton Hoo Hotel on Thursday January 12th, with the Dealers and manufacturers from the motorhome industry present.

One of the judges, Rachel Stothert, MMM's deputy editor, said: "The Tribute T-725 is perfect for hassle free family holidays."Dave Hurrell, road test editor for MMM and senior judge, said: "Already a great value package on  a great base vehicle, this Tribute is enhanced by an easy-access permanent bed that still retains plenty of storage."

Cheif judge and editor of Which Motorhome, Peter Vaughan, commented: "Why spend more? For £40k you get a fully loaded garage layout coachbuilt that's perfect for four- it even has a separate shower, 140bhp engine and plenty of kitchen worktop."

TV's Phillip Truly At Home With Auto-Trail

"This is definitely my home", said Phillip Schofield, host of This Morning, on ITV as he took to the wheel of the latest Auto-Trail Cherokee. Wisely, the team from Freeborn Motorhomes who had delivered the vehicle to the studios for Auto-Trail had taken the key out of the ignition when parking the £54,000 Cherokee with its leather interior, fixed double bed, kitchen, and luxury bathroom on the lawn outside ITV's London stuidios. A disappointed Phillip turned to co-presenter Holly Willoughby and said he would "definitely" have driven away, given the chance.

The popular ITV team had been presenting a feature on camping and getting away with the family but none of the tents and gadgets they saw before entering the motorhome could persuade them that a life under canvas was an easier option.

Holly and Phillip readily agreed that with the motorhome the world was at their doorstep. It could literally be driven anywhere they wanted to go at the drop of a hat.

"I got a call from the 'This Morning' producers asking for one of our models and I knew that Freeborn Motorhomes had just the right vehicle at their Surrey dealership," said Scott Stephens, sales and marketing manager at Auto-Trail. "They responded straight away delivering the Cherokee into central London in time for the early studio call."

When I was asked by Auto-Trail to provide a vehicle at the studio it was a chance too good to miss," said Freeborn Motorhomes director James Saint.

"Our website address was shown on a caption during the programme and the hits started straight after the feature had finished.

To see the feature on This Morning (the best bit with the Auto-Trail starts just after nine minutes but is worth waiting for), click http://www.itv.com/lifestyle/thismorning/homeandgarden/garden/campingtenttest

New Team Structure Drives 2011 Changes for Auto-Trail

Auto-Trail has restructured its sales management team to improve the service offered to dealers and their customers.

With effect from September 1, Lee Thornton and Gavin Claricoates become regional sales managers, reporting to general sales and marketing manager Scott Stephens.

Lee and Gavin will be responsible for all Auto-Trail, Tribute, C-I and Roller Team products.

"Our coverage of the UK will be greatly enhanced with more regular dealer contact. The new team line-up was introduced to our dealers at the 2011 model launch on September 1 and got a very enthusiastic response," says Scott.

"I think some dealers were of the view that we had enhanced our range so far already it was difficult to see what we could do to make it even better.

"They were knocked out by the new Super Low-Line roof and the significant improvements across the range. The appeal of our models has increased immensely and I'm convinced that sales will see renewed vigour in the coming 12 months.

'With this in mind, it's essential that we have the right dealer and customer support in place and our team structure ensures this efficiency."

‘LOW-LINE ROOF IS SUPER’ - ‘LOW-LINE ROOF IS SUPER’

‘LOW-LINE ROOF IS SUPER’

SAY AUTO-TRAIL BUYERS

 Auto-Trail’s new Super Low-Line roof style has been grabbing a great deal of attention since its launch at the NEC in October.

 The sleek front end for the company’s larger motorhomes, which incorporates a car-style sunroof and still has storage areas to each side, brought immediate orders from customers at NEC and these have been followed by more sales at individual dealer launches to introduce the 2011 models.

 The move to a lower roofline was among a raft of major changes and minor, but important, specification improvements in the 2011 model year line-up from the company recently named the best among the major motorhome producers in the UK.

 the new Super Low-Line is available on all Tracker, Apache (except 634) and Frontier models but also heralded the arrival of a totally new model, the Dakota, which shares its chassis with the existing Savannah but has a bathroom with large shower cubicle across the rear, French-style bed to the nearside, centre kitchen, and two bench seats as standard. As well as the Super Low-Line roof, it will also be offered with the previous Auto-Trail High-Line or Low-Line roof styles.

 The sleek, low profile, streamlined body of the Super Low-Line increases the visual dynamics of the range but reduces the frontal area, allowing owners to potentially see an improvement in fuel consumption.

 While the roof becomes more streamlined with the new model, interior width increases by 87 mm to give vital extra space on Tracker and Apache models. Locker redesigns improve access and capacity while lengthening of Scout and Delaware models allows for 6ft single beds at the rear of the Scout and enhanced living space in the Delaware.

 Other external changes for 2011 include fitting the distinctive Frontier style rear end, with covered spare wheel, to the Tracker and Apache models which now have a recessed awning and cab air conditioning as standard.

 With an eye to the ever-increasing demand for “green” vehicles, Auto-Trail’s 2011 models have new electrical and charging systems compatible with solar panels while “double din” radio / CD / DVD players with a 7 inch touchscreen and built in Freeview are part of the £999 media pack.

 After the addition of dark grey body colour to Excel models, which boosted their success by increasing their visual distinctiveness, a total refresh for 2011 brings new exterior colours and graphics along with revised interior trim that includes a new leather option.

 “I was confident the new look with the Super Low-Line roof would appeal to buyers and the number of orders backs this up,” said Scott Stephens, general sales and marketing manager for Auto-Trail. “Its reveal at NEC was a huge success and dealers have been reporting a similar enthusiasm at their own events during the late autumn.

 “Producing motorhomes in the UK is important for great number of jobs among manufacturers, their suppliers, and dealers and innovative touches like Super Low-Line ensure we stay at the front of the field.

 “It brings real cachet to the traditional Auto-Trail style and removes the larger front end to the living area that some owners said they did not need. We listened and they have rewarded us by quickly placing their orders.”

 Auto-Trail will be on stand 3160 at NEC, where it will display Tracker, Apache and Frontier models with the Super Low-Line shown on Mohawk, Dakota, and Comanche variants.

2012 Motorhome Show - Friday 3rd, Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th February 2012

Our 2012 Motorhome Show is held at our dedicated Branch at Little Irchester Wellingborough on the above dates.

See all the new Auto-Trail Range as well as massive savings on Display Vehicles for the weekend.

We will be serving free refreshments.

Customers can also enter our free 40th Anniversary Grand Prize Draw where 40 lucky winners will win one of 40 prizes! First prize is a free Motorhome Hire for a Long Weekend

Motorhome Staff On The Charity Trail Again

Staff at motorhome manufacturer Auto-Trail are planning their fifth year of charity fundraising - this time with a view to helping the Help for Heroes organisation.

The 151 staff at the state-of-the-art factory on the outskirts of Grimsby have already raised £15,000 in four years, adopting a different charity each year after a vote by staff.

Past events have included the Three Peaks Challenge, a coast to coast bike ride, and annual golf tournaments where staff and suppliers play against each other.

This year a 25 mile hike across Yorkshire's Three Peaks is on the itinerary and organiser Paul Howes says the efforts of injured service personnel to rehabilitate themselves with long treks and other extreme adventures should prove an inspiration to the Auto-Trail staff.

'It's a great effort, with everyone to get involved," he added, "Even customers who come on the monthly factory tours to see how much care we put into building the motorhomes they cherish want to get involved and make contributions.

'We all enjoy our work here and appreciate that we get more from life than a lot of others, who have been disadvantaged by ilness or injury."

Charity of the Year - 2011

Thanks to the support and generosity of many people, in recent years, we have been able to help and assist the following charities:

• St. Andrews Hospice, Grimsby
• When You Wish Upon a Star
• Huntington Disease
• Cancer Research UK

The new Auto-Trail Charity for 2011 is 'Help for Hero's'

Charitable giving and sponsorship policy

On a weekly basis Auto-Trail receives many requests for sponsorship, loan of vehicles, monitory and raffle prize donations from equally deserving causes, but unfortunately we cannot offer help to all.

Therefor we have a simple policy, once a year, the staff at Auto-Trail are invited to nominate a new charity, for that year, 100% of our support goes to our adopted charity.

Thank you to all who contribute

Special thanks to all the Auto-Trail staff who give up much of their spare time to carry out a number of fund raising events, also thank you for the donations received from our many 'factory tour' visitors - together you are all helping a very worthy cause.