Why It's Worth Looking To Farming For Auto Industry Success

There’s a word that summarises a path to success in the auto industry. And it’s not “conquer”.

I recently had a meeting with an auto industry leader.

Spending time with this top executive was memorable. His clear direction. His sense of purpose. His ambition. They’re all infectious. He knows exactly what his brand’s customers, dealers and staff want. And he’s doing everything necessary to deliver them.

Our company works with many automotive executives and this gentleman stands out.

He knows that Australia’s official new-vehicle importers rely almost exclusively on the products offered by their global head offices.

He also knows their decisions on model types and specifications can determine the fortunes and futures of independent dealers and company staff across the country.

Despites these facts, he knows he needs to actively steer his company’s direction. It’s why he drives hard to create the kinds of products Australian new-car buyers want.

His results, resume and character reveal his business-building success. There’s a method hidden within them. And he revealed it to me.

In one word, it’s cultivation.

And here’s why.

He told me his father was a farmer.

To create successful crops every year he had to make best use of his land, machinery and water resources. Each of them were finite. Applying them needed careful thought. 

He also had to adapt to the factors outside his control, such as the weather. When it changed he learned how to harness it to his advantage.

But this executive, by his own admission, was the opposite of all this.

He pursued conquest. He hunted down success. He was in a hurry.

But long ago he discovered that style caused problems.

And that’s when he remembered his father’s approach.

Patience. Planning. Adaptability.

Watching small shoots become long stalks.

Helping long stalks become large crops.

And harvesting at the right time.

In a word, cultivation.

There was wisdom in the words he used. It was a generous admission to make and I’ll always be grateful he shared it with me.  

It was a powerful reminder of how to create success in the car industry.

It’s important auto company leaders drive towards ambitious goals, even within the careful and process-guided constraints of new-vehicle development.

The strongest official new-vehicle importers always seek product-based market advantages, the types that go beyond price discounts and the like.

Achieving them takes more than drive; they take careful navigation.

This approach works because it avoids and minimises the internal objections product-based local-market projects can often generate within global head offices, whose staff often say “We build world cars and regional cars, not cars for Australia.”

It’s why cultivating a successful new-model enhancement program requires best use of an official Australian importer’s available internal resources, and “working in” with everyone at the global HQ whose support you need.

Lighting your corporate ambition rocket and aiming it at a target will only get you so far. There’s also a strong chance you’ll crash.

But cultivating a carefully laid plan is how to achieve success as a corporate leader in the auto industry.

This executive’s process of gradual enrichment of every situation and relationship ensures he gets his Australian product programs approved. He credits his success to the wisdom of cultivating, not conquering.  

It’s ironic today’s industries can still find plenty of answers in the agrarian world it largely replaced centuries ago. Farming is probably the polar opposite of today’s high-tech car industry. But its path to success still offers simple-to-follow instructions.

Bernie Quinn – Engineering Director, Premcar Pty Ltd

About Premcar - Premcar Pty Ltd is a leading Australian vehicle engineering business that specialises in the automotive, defence and aerospace industries. For more than 25 years, global car-makers have made Premcar their go-to partner for the complete design, engineering and manufacture of niche-model new cars, full-scale new-vehicle development programs, and electric vehicle (EV) conversions and manufacturing. As the name behind more than 200,000 new cars and 55,000 new-vehicle engines, Premcar’s body of work is extensive and has delivered technical and sales success for major car brands from Europe, the USA, Japan, China and Australia. Visit premcar.com.

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