IAN WEIGH TOYOTA TURNS 30

Our History

Over half a century ago the late Bill Weigh commenced in the Motor Industry with a small but lucrative motor dealership in the Brisbane region. Suffering devastating times through major flooding his business vision soon led to the opening of a multi franchised dealership in the western Queensland town of Mount Isa. In fact Bill served as Mayor of Mt Isa for a period of time. He had a deep seated commitment to the communities that made his businesses so very successful. On his passing in May of 2005 he was considered as one of the most revered figures in automotive industry.

A man of great vision he saw opportunities to invest in new Toyota Dealerships, two in the Far North Queensland region and one in the Central Queensland Region. From a humble beginning a booming business empire which now spans three generations has formed.

Late in 1992, Bill formed a partnership with his son Ian and other fellow business colleagues to purchase the financially struggling Rockhampton Toyota Dealership.

A Dealership Steeped in History

The Rockhampton Dealership was steeped in history. One of the first dealer appointments to sell Toyota vehicles was Rockhampton Car Sales in June of 1959.

A drive through history will tell you that it all began when a LandCruiser, brought up to Rockhampton by Thiess (Sales) Pty Ltd destined to go on display at the Rockhampton Agricultural Show, ended up on the Rockhampton Car Sales Show Stand and was sold the very day it went on display 20th June, 1959 to a local farmer. An opportunity was seized by the Jamieson family and the very first Toyota Franchised Dealership was born. That year 12 other Dealers were appointed in Queensland 69 Toyotas were sold Australia wide.

A New Beginning for an Old Dealership

The 28th September, 1992 saw the doors close for Rockhampton Toyota and reopen as Ian Weigh Toyota. It wasn’t long before Ian and his team made their mark on the Toyota fraternity taking out a National Business Excellence Award in 1996.

Over the ensuing years the team at Ian Weigh Toyota has achieved great things in business. Awarded many accolades for their efforts and achieved milestones year upon year. By 2002 the Dealership was inducted into the National Rural Top 20 Club and has held its position year on year.

1999 saw the company take up the franchise of the Luxury Toyota brand of Lexus which has been a very successful partnership for the Weigh Auto Group.

Expansion to the Capricorn Coast

May of 2002 saw the opening of a fully operational branch in Yeppoon. This branch has a staffing of around 20 employees and services the Capricorn Coast Community. The coastal outlet compliments the main dealership and offers our coastal clients an opportunity to purchase and have their vehicles serviced closer to home.

Expansions to the Mothership

2004 embarked on a multi-million dollar expansion of the Rockhampton Dealership and saw the Ian Weigh Toyota Dealership in Rockhampton make its mark on the Rockhampton CBD skyline. The building project was outstanding in design and was awarded the 2005 retail facility Queensland State Winner by the Master Builders Guild.

The Weigh Auto Group acquired the Opposite Lock franchise in July 2000 and in 2004 the redevelopment of the Ian Weigh Toyota building allowing Opposite Lock Rockhampton to further expand its operations at the new showroom located on the corner of Fitzroy & Denison Street. December 2013 marked the start of construction for the new superstore and officially opened the doors on the 20th September 2014.

In 2016 Rockhampton Jaguar Land Rover was added to group with an impressive 8 vehicle showroom with a multi–level building displaying the latest range, fully equipped service department and workshop with the latest technology, specialist tools and diagnostic equipment.

Mahindra was next to follow in 2019, making it the 5th franchises to be included in the Weigh Auto Group’s ongoing expansion in the region. In recent times both Lexus and Toyota were given a facelift to update facilities, Lexus of Rockhampton opening their doors to a fully dedicated showroom.

Quality Service and a Customer First Approach

Kaizen process is a Japanese philosophy adopted by Toyota’s Founder to all its Toyota dealerships worldwide. Ian Weigh Toyota applies Kaizen in New and Used Sales, Service, Parts, and Administration departments to increase efficiency while at the same time promoting customer first policy. Kaizen is a (kai) continuous (zen) improvement on the system though moderate changes per sub-system that will eventually result to a dramatic change in the system as a whole. Wastes, damages, inefficiency and problematic system areas are addressed through improvements or elimination. We practice Kaizen in every facet of the business. Changes are made, results are monitored, and adjustments are applied to improve the quality of the Ian Weigh Toyota system.

Supporting our Community

Ian Weigh Toyota has always employed local people and always has the community in mind. We supply courtesy vehicles to various community organisations assisting them financially by keeping them on the road serving our community. Many thousands of dollars are donated every year supporting sporting and recreation groups. On the employment front, local residents are always considered first and foremost when positions become available.

With staff numbers approaching 150, the Weigh Auto Group has always employed local people and has the community in mind with many thousands of dollars donated every year supporting sporting and recreation groups.

Ian Weigh Toyota’s success philosophy:

We believe our guests are our future. We invest a great amount of effort to ensure all our guests are impressed with our service and the way in which we continue to offer quality products and state of the art service technology.