Zag News Issue 2 - October 2018

ISSUE 2 OCTOBER 2018

F O R O U R A U T O M O T I V E F A M I LY

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– ISSUE TWO –

FEDERICA HITS THE ITALIAN AIR WAVES Lamborghini Melbourne Sales and Marketing Co-ordinator Federica Tassini is a proud Italian.

Federica is also extremely proud of the Aussie influence in her life as she met and married her Australian husband while he was working in Italy and together they have two beautiful children, Isabella (11) and Maximillian (9).

In January 2015 the family made the huge decision to uproot from Italy and move to Melbourne. Within three months of arriving Federica found herself working for Zagame Automotive with Ferrari and Maserati as a sales assistant.

Federica and her family’s Aussie-Italo lifestyle is fascinating; so much so that Federica was invited by SBS Radio to discuss her family’s bilingual existence.

Her interview aired on SBS Radio Italia’s popular national Saturday morning programme on July 14.

After the interview Federica talked off-air about her love of Italian cars and how she worked at Lamborghini Melbourne. With the Radio Italia host sensing there was another fascinating story waiting to be told, it was back into the studio and hitting the ‘record’ button again for a Podcast piece.

“We had a really good discussion about being a bilingual family and how we live being both Italian and Australian, especially at home with the children,” explains Federica. “My children were born in Italy and now live in Australia so it’s interesting.

“Then after the interview finished and as we were getting ready to leave I was chatting casually about my job and working for Lamborghini and you could see the interviewer was excited so we did another recording.

“The second interview was about what it’s like working for such a strong Italian brand and me being a female working in an industry where, let’s face it, it’s mainly men. So I spoke about how Zagame has many women doing a great job in car sales; for example Zaz (De Sousa, Sales Executive) at Maserati.”

“I love working with the Italian car brands, particularly Lamborghini. There is so much typically Italian design and emotion built into the cars that you can see it in all the details. And when people come into the showroom and look and wonder and then smile it makes you feel that you belong to something special.

I love it.”

– ZAG NEWS –

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ZAGAME MATES TACKLE EVEREST Maserati Melbourne Sales Manager

pair had to spend a couple of days

you know you can trek much faster

Shane Hann and Ferrari Richmond

acclimatising to the reduced oxygen

but then BANG! once the altitude

Sales Manager Alan Crawford recently

levels in the air.

sickness hits you out of seemingly

completed a “bucket list” adventure when together the Zagame mates

“We didn’t really feel the effects (of

nowhere it’s a horrible feeling.

reduced oxygen) until we got well

“Once you get to 5,000 metres the

into the climb,” says Alan. “At around

human body struggles to adapt.

5,000 metres is where we started to

People start vomiting and I had a

The Everest trip was a surprise

feel it with symptoms like shortness

stinking headache – the worst I’ve ever

wedding anniversary gift to Shane

of breath.”

experienced. It really becomes mind

trekked high into the sky to reach Mount Everest Base Camp.

from his wife and when Alan heard about it he was up for the challenge.

“It makes it difficult to walk and hold a conversation at the same time,”

over matter at this point and a test of mental strength.”

“For me it was a bucket list item,

explains Shane. “The guides go really

After seven days trekking the pair

for sure,” says Shane. “I’m generally

slow to make sure you acclimatise

finally reached Base Camp at 5,384

pretty active and liked the sound of

and it can be a bit frustrating because

metres. For the record, Everest’s peak

the challenge,” adds Alan.

The April trip commenced with a 30-minute flight on a tiny plane from Kathmandu to the village of Lukla at 2,860 metres above sea level, the starting point for the climb. On the second day they reached Namche Bazaar at 3,440 metres where the 4

– ISSUE TWO –

is 8,848 metres – and mind your head if you ever get

It just looks like a picture. It is a very humbling experience.”

to the top as that height is not far off the cruising altitude

And an addictive one, too, it seems; with the mates now

of a commercial jet airliner.

looking for more Everest action.

“I remember stopping along the climb and standing still and

“For me I’d like to go higher and perhaps climb Ama Dablam

just staring for minutes at a time at the sheer enormity of the

at 6,812 metres,” says Alan. “I’d like to do Island Peak at

mountain ranges. You crane your neck to the side and see

6,189 metres,” says Shane, “but I’ve got a wife and three

these peaks piercing the blue sky,” says Shane. “It’s surreal.

children I need to convince first.”

FOOTY FEVER BITES TIGER FANS When Zagame Fiat 500 customers and fervent Richmond tiger fans Tony and Maria saw the “yellow and back” themed Fiat showroom display during the AFL Finals they just had to buy the yellow liveried Abarth 595 Competizione, complete with black stripes and yellow brakes.

Augusto Favrin, himself a member of the mad Tiger Army.

“So when they came to collect it the following week I had the car presented like a Tigers’ jumper with the number of the team’s best player, Dustin Martin.”

At the time of writing Richmond were set to face off against

“They came in on a Saturday to have their white Fiat 500 serviced and when they saw the yellow and black Abarth they just had to have it,” explains Alfa Romeo Fiat General Manager

the Collingwood Magpies in a do-or-die match to go into the AFL Grand Final.”

– ZAG NEWS –

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THE FLYING ASTON MARTIN CAR Is it a drone? Or is it a car? The answer is: Yes, it is!

This amazing machine is powered by a gas-turbine engine

Two of Zagame Automotive’s luxury British car brands – Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce – recently teamed up with a UK university to create an autonomous flying drone

allows for vertical take-off and landing. Aston Martin says the vehicle will be capable of flying from London to Paris – about 300km as the crow flies – in under an hour.

with a bespoke luxury difference.

It’s called the Volante Vision Concept and was shown in July at the UK’s annual annual Farnborough Air Show.

But don’t get too excited – this is just a study and the real thing is still a few years away, although Aston Martin’s global boss Andy Palmer believes there will be a market for flying machines such as this luxury three-seater (1 plus 2 seating layout) due to increasing urbanisation and congestion.

produced by Rolls-Royce and uses a tri-rotor set-up that

“Humans have always spent on average, one hour commuting to and from work. The distance we live from our workplace has been determined by the methods of transportation available. The Volante Vision Concept will enable us to travel further with our hourly commute, meaning we are able to live further away from where we work. Cities will grow, and towns that are today too far away from cities to be commutable will become suburban,” says Palmer.

GOT ANY NEWS FOR ZAG NEWS? Please drop us a line at zagnews@zag.com.au 6

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ZAGAME COLLECTION IS NOW LIVE Zagame Automotive has just built a new virtual showroom

consider it special enough.

to showcase the most desirable, beautiful and highly

Being a ‘collection’ site per se, some Zagame Collection cars

sought-after pre-owned cars we offer for sale.

are considered so special we do not offer them for sale,

It’s called Zagame Collection and when you check it out you

but nevertheless, showcase them for everyone to inspect,

will notice it has a cool, classy and distinctly premium look

appreciate and enjoy. It’s another way we share the

and feel to reflect the status of the listed cars.

Zagame PASSION!

Each car is meticulously photographed with over 20

We plan to build Zagame Collection’s reputation and content

beautiful, studio-quality images to accompany each of the

to the point where performance, classic and luxury car

individually researched and written articles for every car.

aficionados from all over the world make it a regular site to

Customers will be able to enquire online as well as request

visit and bookmark it as a favourite on their web browser.

for Zagame to look out for special cars on their behalf,

The marketing campaign for Zagame Collection will commence

or even offer us the chance to purchase their car if we

soon. To view website visit zagamecollection.com.au – ZAG NEWS –

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12 THINGS ABOUT JESS JIANG Jess Jiang has been Payroll Officer

LIVING PERSON YOU WOULD

WHERE’S THE BEST PLACE IN

at Zagame since 2012. People are

MOST LIKE TO MEET?

MELBOURNE TO GET CHINESE FOOD?

My grandfather. He’s the only living

Box Hill and Glen Waverly have lots of

grandparent I have. He lives in China

nice Chinese restaurants. You can get

and I would like to see him more often.

authentic Chinese food there.

I WOULD NEVER, EVER …

TELL US SOMETHING WE DO NOT

fond of Jess, and we hope it’s mainly because of her warm smile and willingness to help and not just the fact Jess is in charge of making sure we get paid each week.

YOUR FIRST CAR WAS? I’ve never owned a car, but I drive a car. It’s our family car, a Toyota Camry.

It’s easy to drive and it’s enough for us with just one young child.

YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD?

Leave my child far away from me.

THE MOTTO YOU LIVE BY IS? It’s important to remind yourself to

doesn’t matter if we have many people

focus on the positives in life and don’t

over, he still wants to cook.

get yourself down.

like our fish and tofu and vegetables.

LIKE TO VISIT?

I like comedy, cartoons and love stories. I recently saw Coco with the family and I liked it. You should go see it, it’s a nice movie.

WHAT ANNOYS YOU MOST? I don’t like people who don’t do things on time. I like everything to be organised and done. I don’t like things accumulating.

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for us (smiles and blushes). Whenever we’re home he always cooks. And it

THE PLACE YOU’D MOST

YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIE?

My husband Sam cooks every day

Be happy and Be strong.

Traditional home cooked Chinese. We In particular I like hotpot and yum cha.

KNOW ABOUT YOU?

HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR HUSBAND? I met him at Adelaide University. We

Japan. When I speak to people that

were both studying accounting and

have been there they love it, which has

finance and I could tell he liked me.

now got me curious and I want to go.

We’ve been together for nine years.

Plus, people there are always on time (smiles).

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT MELBOURNE? I came from Guangxi province in China in 2008 and what I love most about Melbourne is that we have so many cultures here and they are all accepted and everyone gets along.

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“ Be happy and Be strong.

It’s important to remind yourself to focus on the positives in life and don’t get yourself down.”

LIGHTS. CAMERA. ACTION. The first city in Australia to host the ground-breaking

LIVE with David Koch and Samantha Armitage on

Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV was Melbourne and the whole

Australia’s top-rating morning TV show Sunrise at peak

country was so excited it wanted a glimpse of it straight away.

viewing time of 7:25 am without knowing what questions

So it was up to Rolls-Royce Cars Melbourne Sales Manager

he would be asked … no pressure at all then, hey Kristian!

Kristian Dewsnap to front the TV cameras to share news of the

Of course, Zagame’s very own professional and extremely

most exciting Rolls-Royce in decades with a national audience.

knowledgeable Rolls-Royce Sales Manager was up to the

Hooked up to a microphone and earpiece and speaking

task and handled the interview with aplomb.

McLAREN DONATES TO ELTON JOHN AIDS FOUNDATION McLaren Automotive recently supported the Elton John AIDS Foundation on its silver anniversary by donating a 570S Spider, won by an anonymous bidder at the Argento Ball auction for £725,000. All proceeds went to the Foundation to help create an AIDS-free future. The ball took place at Elton John’s home, Woodside in Berkshire UK, with Graham Norton as master of ceremonies and Ed Sheeran giving a special performance.

– ZAG NEWS –

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IDENTITY THEFT, CYBER FRAUD, FOR REAL! Areas of our business have recently experienced a noticeable

We can never be too cautious. When in doubt, raise

increase in the occurrence of identity theft, fraudulent credit

a flag and ask your manager for his or her point of view.

card use and attempted cyber security breaches.

We should never defer our concern until after the fact.

In one instance credit card fraud was involved in the

By then it’s probably too late. Someone has already

purchase of parts, and in another, Zagame employees

driven off in a car with no intention of returning it and some

received an email purporting to be from a senior executive

unfortunate soul gets a bill for thousands of dollars of car

that was, in fact, a case of attempting to misappropriate

parts they did not purchase.

funds by deceiving the unsuspecting recipient of the email.

The name of the executive was correct, but the person’s name in the email address was incorrect.

Take nothing for granted; to the point of ensuring the photo on the driver’s licence matches the face of the person claiming to be that individual. Yep, we even had the shifty

This is when vigilance and intuition must come into play.

tried on us recently as well !

If something does not seem right, chances are it’s not.

THE TALE OF THE ABARTH BADGE The Abarth badge is one of the most

colors signal the virtues of Passion

impactful to adorn the front of a car,

and Energy; while the red, white and

and its origin is as impressive as it

green stripe across the top represents

is detailed. So here goes:

the colors of which country?

The creature central to the logo is a

Italy, of course. Interestingly, Abarth

scorpion representing the Zodiac birth

was born in Austria but identified

sign (Scorpio) of founder Karl Alberto

himself with Italy. The Abarth badge has

Abarth, born November 15, 1908. The

not changed much over the years, save

shield is meant to represent Victory

for the angular stylising of the scorpion.

and Prestige. The bold red and yellow 10

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ALFA ROMEO STELVIO PRIZE HELPS RMHC RAISE $500,000 A Stelvio SUV donated by Zagame Automotive and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles was the star raffle prize at the Ronald McDonald House Charities Gala Ball at the Palladium at Crown on July 20. Just 200 raffle tickets were offered at $500 each, thereby contributing $100,000 towards the overall funds tally of $505,000 raised on the night.

Funds are predominantly used to help families from out of town with accommodation close to the hospitals where their children undergo critical medical treatment for serious and life-threatening illnesses.

More than 1,100 guests attended the black-tie event, including three tables of representation from Zagame Automotive for customers, business partners and associates.

Zagame Automotive has sponsored the Ball on six occasions, including three as the major Platinum sponsor with a car donation. This year, amazingly, marked the 27th hosting of the RMHC Ball.

Fittingly, the Stelvio was won by the daughter of a Zagame Automotive Fiat customer. Adrian Zagame is pictured here with the lucky person after drawing the winning ticket.

“ Zagame Automotive has sponsored the Ball on six occasions”

– ZAG NEWS –

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VALE: PAT CASSAR

The Zagame Automotive family lost one

assisting the sales guys to performing

of its most respected employees in July

administrative tasks. Pat was very

with the sudden passing of Pat Cassar.

passionate about cars and took pride

Pat joined Zagame Automotive in

in his work and attention to detail.

late 2015 when it acquired McLaren,

Pat was a family man to the core

Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin from

and it showed with his love of people

Trivett Group, for whom Pat worked

and his warmth and friendliness. He

since 2010.

often spoke about his family and their

Pat continued with the Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin dealerships in Richmond in his primary role as Concierge/dealership assistance for both brands. He was the friendly and smiling face to our customers when dropping off or picking up their cars.

Pat was great in making customers

happy times especially their getaways to Anglesea. The only way you could really get Pat to fire up was to have a swipe at his beloved footy team, Geelong Cats. We will smile whenever we think of Pat. Pat is survived by his wife Angela and children Alana and Matthew.

feel relaxed and struck a great rapport with them, as well as his many work colleagues. In reality, Pat was a man of all tasks and would help out anyone in the team, from delivering cars to

McLAREN OWNERS’ BREAKFAST RUN McLaren Melbourne Hosts bi-monthly owners’ breakfast drives as a fun and informal way to bring customers together to get to know each other.

With no official McLaren owners club yet established in Victoria, the Saturday morning leisurely drives are a way to bring like-minded McLaren customers together and create a sense of community.

“They love it,” says McLaren Melbourne Marketing Manager Nichola Beecham. “And so do we, because it gives us a chance to get to know our customers better while everyone’s having fun driving these awesome cars.”

The most recent run was with seven of the latest McLaren sports cars making a colourful procession up to Arthurs Seat on the Mornington Peninsula with breakfast at Main Ridge Harvest. Previous runs have been the Yarra Valley and Phillip Island.

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Pat will be missed by all those who knew him.

LOTUS MELBOURNE TECHNICAL WORKSHOP Lotus Melbourne’s Bruce Astbury’s passion for the British sports car brand and affinity with his customers is an example to all.

Bruce regularly organises special driving events for his customers who enjoy nothing better than a good fang, but back in July, Bruce and Lotus Melbourne Senior Service Technician Rhys Edgar did something different with the first ever Technical Workshop at Lotus Melbourne HQ in Cremorne.

“We had around 18 customers attend,” explains Bruce.

“It was the first time we did this kind of thing. Our aim was to help customer gain a better technical understanding of their cars.

“Bringing them into the workshop was also designed to give them confidence in our technical expertise as well as explain the importance of regular servicing.”

The Workshop started with a classroom style presentation in the Lotus showroom for the theory with the group then moving to a workshop bay to poke and prod a Lotus for the practical component with Rhys as facilitator.

“The group was mainly existing customers,” says Bruce. “Although one customer brought a friend along who purchased a Lotus privately but will now be coming to us for servicing.”

Great initiative, Bruce and Rhys.

– ZAG NEWS –

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AUDI CENTRE BRIGHTON PAY IT FORWARD Team spirit at Audi Centre Brighton is alive and well with

“We started off with ten-pin bowling and since then we’ve

‘Pay it Forward’ social events now a regular occurrence.

done night mini golf, indoor rock climbing and karaoke,”

Audi Centre Brighton Business Manager Andrew Mitchell

says Andrew.

came up with the concept and now every month the sales

“We started it earlier in the year and now everyone looks

team get together for a few hours of fun after work.

forward to it and we’ve even had some of the guys from

“We are a pretty small team here in the Sales department

the detailing department come and join in.

at Brighton and we all get on pretty well and I just thought it

“It’s good to be able to spend time together and have some

would be nice for us to hang out for a few hours every once

laughs away from work.”

in a while after work,” explains Andrew.

Pictured here are Scott Jensen and Edward Cerantonio

The ‘Pay it Forward’ concept is simple and brings an element

from the Karaoke night doing their best duo of Summer

of surprise every time with one person nominated by the

Nights from Grease – although nobody is letting on

previous event’s organiser to organise the next activity.

who sang the part of Sandy.

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5G FOR FOUR RINGS Remember when we all got excited about the 3G wireless network, and then went into a flap when we stepped up to 4G? Well, 5G is rapidly approaching and Audi and tech giant Ericsson are joining forces to see how next level wireless broadband technology can boost productivity in car assembly. The talk is around improving “latency-critical” elements – that is, using 5G wireless manufacturing to reduce the time it takes, for example, from when a robot is programmed to do something to when it actually performs the task. The efficiency gains in production can be monumental, especially with a brand like Audi which built and delivered around 1.9 million automobiles in 2017.

OUR NEWEST BUSINESS: ZAGAME TRANSPORT You may have noticed recently some neat-looking Zagame

cost savings across the group for the more than 1,000

branded vehicle transporters making their way from one

car movements we have each year.

Zagame site to the next. The new Zagame Transport business unit was created on August 01 when we acquired Crown Car Carriers and purchased its assets. The fleet comprises a single four-car carrier, a pair of three-car carriers and four tilt trays.

“Zagame Transport will provide all intra-company car movements,” says Andre Selliah, General Manager at Zagame Tullamarine where the fleet is based. “Fleet operations are now totally in-house and where Zagame

The aim is to utilise the fleet for all ZAG vehicle transport

Transport is unable to assist it will source the appropriate

and in doing so bring greater efficiency, quality control and

third-party supplier.”

– ZAG NEWS –

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KEY DATES COMING UP

OCTOBER Audi, Alfa Romeo and Maserati Golf Fundraiser Oct 15

Metro Golf Club

Maserati Owners Drive and Dine Oct 28

Port Phillip Estate

NOVEMBER Zagame Aston Martin Track Day Nov 12

Phillip Island

Zagame Autosport Track Day Nov 13

Phillip Island

Zagame Ferrari Track Day Nov 14

Phillip Island

Zagame Lamborghini Track Days Nov 15

Phillip Island

Zagame Maserati Track Days Nov 16

Phillip Island

Zagame Ferrari Passion Day Nov 24

Richmond and Melbourne

DECEMBER Alfa Romeo Spettacolo Show’n Shine Dec 02 Wesley College

SAVE THE DATE Zagame Staff Christmas Party Saturday December 15

GOT ANY NEWS FOR ZAG NEWS? Please drop us a line at zagnews@zag.com.au