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2014 AUTOMOTIVE NEWS WORLD CONGRESS

Akerson: Hectic days, proud moments

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Newly retired General Motors CEO Dan Akerson had been on an informal farewell tour before his departure last week, highlighting the strides GM made under his watch.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Kia dealer wants marketing shift

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Kia's dealer council chairman expects sales to rebound in 2014 after the brand last year posted its first annual sales decline since 2008. Don Hobden, executive manager of six Kia dealerships in Kentucky, Alabama and Indiana and chairman of Kia's dealer council, says Kia's marketing budget last year was consumed by a busy launch schedule while rivals spent heavily on incentives and marketing designed to drive showroom traffic.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Volvo dealers push execs to improve marketing

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Volvo dealers were unhappy with the Swedish brand's slump in 2013 sales and are urging executives to improve and refocus marketing, said the chairman of the Volvo Retail Advisory Board. "We were frustrated with the sales results of 2013," said Chip Gengras, president of Gengras Motor Cars and owner of two Connecticut stores, Gengras Volvo in East Hartford and Gengras Volvo of Meriden in Meriden.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

70% of M-B dealers to get service bonus

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Last year Mercedes-Benz dangled a big carrot: more money payable in early 2014 if dealers upped their customer service. Most have responded because the top performing 70 percent will get a bonus payment, said Joseph Agresta Jr., president of Benzel-Busch Motor Car Corp. in Englewood, N.J., and chairman of the Mercedes-Benz Dealer Board.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Higher allocation is top priority for Land Rover

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Land Rover's U.S. dealers want more vehicles to sell. Getting increased allocation of Land Rover production is the top priority for the brand's dealers this year, said Michael Levitan, chairman of the Jaguar Land Rover Retailer Cabinet. The cabinet was formed in 2013 by merging the Jaguar and Land Rover dealer councils.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Honda dealers await answer on halo sports car

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Honda has been without a true sports car since the S2000 convertible was canceled in 2009. Dealers would like to change that. Erik Nelson, a suburban Seattle Honda dealer and chairman of Honda's national dealer council, says the council has asked Honda to consider a halo sports car for the brand.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

VW dealers are skeptical of lighthearted marketing

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Volkswagen dealers are asking top U.S. executives to tweak their marketing strategy, saying that the brand's lighthearted marketing has gotten customers' attention, but that it could do a better job of moving metal. A shift to more "tactical" marketing could compensate for an aging lineup and soften the VW brand's recent sales slump, says Jimmy Ellis, a VW dealer with three stores in the Atlanta area and chairman of the Volkswagen National Dealer Advisory Council.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Lease turn-ins will be major test for Buick

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Buick this spring expects to begin reeling in customers whose leases are expiring from a 24-month promotion it rolled out in spring 2012. The 24-month Experience Buick program helped General Motors' near-premium brand gain market share last year. Buick's leasing in 2013 increased to account for more than one-third of its sales, which grew 14 percent, to 205,509.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Subaru financial aid will help dealers expand service capacity

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Subaru of America Inc. will pay U.S. dealerships to expand their service capacity during the next three years. A new program dubbed FOX, for Fixed Operations Expansion, runs through at least 2016 and includes financial assistance for dealerships that take on the projects. "Some need immediate help, and some are planning to need help, and some will decide to do it," said Phil Porter, chairman of the Subaru National Dealer Advisory Board.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Audi must expand to meet growing sales, service needs

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Audi dealers have invested heavily in their stores to handle the luxury brand's rapid U.S. growth -- and they're not done yet, says the chairman of Audi's dealer council. Carl Sewell, an Audi dealer from Houston, is well-known in the industry for his book Customers for Life, a guide to customer service. One of his main points of emphasis on Audi's council has been the need to prepare for a growing number of vehicles in service.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Mazda dealer leader happy with progress

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
After years of underperforming the industry, Mazda is starting to fire on all cylinders, the head of the brand's dealer council says. The redesigned Mazda3 compact car and redesigned Mazda6 mid-sized sedan that went on sale last year helped Mazda boost retail sales by 16 percent in 2013 to 262,970 units, its best retail sales year since 1994. Tom Carey, chairman of the brand's dealer council, attributes the gains to Mazda's new vehicles and a consistent marketing presence.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Chevy sees gains from new models, fleets

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
The chairman of Chevrolet's National Dealer Council believes the brand is poised to take market share this year on the strength of its rejuvenated product lineup and an uptick in fleet and commercial sales. Steve Hurley, dealer principal at Stingray Chevrolet in Plant City, Fla., says Chevy's sales in 2013 -- up 5 percent in a market that was up 8 percent -- were disappointing.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Infiniti will benefit from independence

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Separating Infiniti from Nissan day-to-day business will help the small luxury brand grow, says the chairman of the brand's national dealer advisory board. The problem isn't confusion in the mind of the consumer, says Matt Gunderson, dealer principal of Infiniti of Mission Viejo in Mission Viejo, Calif. The problem is elsewhere -- from how Infiniti is discussed in the media to how product decisions are made at the parent company, Nissan Motor Corp.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Porsche may reach '18 sales goal this year

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Even though the new Macan crossover could help Porsche achieve its U.S. sales goal of 50,000 units as early as this year, dealers don't expect the brand to strive to stretch its sales much beyond that threshold for the time being. The Macan, a mid-sized crossover that is likely to start at around $50,000, is expected to be on sale at U.S. dealerships by early summer.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Jaguar dealers want help boosting traffic

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Jaguar's U.S. sales are improving, but dealers still need help getting more customers in their stores. New products such as the F-Type helped the brand's showroom traffic improve some in 2013, but Jaguar still is far from top of mind with luxury shoppers, said Michael Levitan, chairman of the Jaguar Land Rover Dealer Cabinet, which was formed in 2013 by merging the Jaguar and Land Rover dealer councils.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Acura sees TL raising sedan sales

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Acura's new TL sedan replacement coming next summer should give a boost to Acura's sluggish sedan sales, a big priority for the brand's dealers. This summer the venerable TL sedan gets replaced by the TLX, a sedan based on the current Honda Accord's underpinnings that is smaller than the current TL. Art Wright, chairman of the Acura Dealer Advisory Board, says the TLX will have four-cylinder and V-6 options, and all-wheel-drive will be available.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Higher Caddy prices force dealers to adjust

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Sharply higher prices on some of Cadillac's new vehicles are creating sticker shock -- for dealers. "We're not used to having product that can go toe-to-toe with the Germans. Now we've got that," said Howard Drake, chairman of the Cadillac National Dealer Council. "But dealers aren't used to selling head-to-head, price-to-price against them. That's a huge adjustment."... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Toyota dealer council chief wants better communication

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
If a small-town Toyota dealer shouts a concern about his business, will anybody hear him? Jay Caldwell wants to be sure the answer is yes. Caldwell, chairman of the Toyota National Dealer Advisory Council, says improved communication between the dealer council and small dealers is key to improving overall dealership performance in 2014.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Hyundai seeks spark from Genesis, Sonata

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
After a slow year for new product launches, Hyundai dealers are eager to see whether the redesigned Genesis and Sonata sedans launching this year will recharge the brand's sales in 2014. Though Hyundai sales hit a record 720,783 last year. The brand's 3 percent growth rate was the lowest since 2008.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Lexus dealers: Let's raise the bar in customer care

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Lexus may never again be the top-selling U.S. luxury brand, but dealers want to make their customers the best-treated. With new Mercedes-Benz and BMW volume products launching below the $30,000 price point, an area in which Lexus refuses to tread, it is doubtful that Lexus will be able to outsell the German brands in the future.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Thin lineup hurts Mitsubishi dealers

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Mitsubishi dealers are starving for more product and will have a tough road ahead until the factory adds new models, possibly starting in 2015. RC Hill, owner of RC Hill Mitsubishi in DeLand, Fla., and chairman of Mitsubishi's dealer council, says the profitability, sales and fixed operations of Mitsubishi dealers have suffered since its lineup has shrunk to four core products in the last few years.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

'Breadth and depth' of lineup is priority for Lincoln dealers

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
For Lincoln dealers, one priority looms over all others for 2014: product. "We continue first and foremost to challenge the company to increase the breadth and depth of the product lineup," says Bill Knight, owner of Bill Knight Lincoln in Tulsa, Okla., and chairman of the Lincoln National Dealer Council. "We recognize it just takes time."... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

Ford must balance marketing for brand icons, Super Segment

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Buoyed by booming sales of pickups, Fusions and Escapes, Ford dealers racked up record profits in 2013, according to Beau Smith, Ford National Dealer Council chairman. By selling nearly 1.4 million units of its top three vehicles alone -- the F series, Fusion and Escape -- Ford gained a half point of market share, and sales rose 11 percent, all of which made dealers happy. But Smith believes even bigger things are possible.... Read More »

 

DEALER COUNCIL LEADERS

As BMW's lineup grows, showrooms must adapt

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
BMW's challenge of how to stock and market its growing product range will require changes in dealer showrooms. "The big issue that we face, long term and strategically, is five or six years ago BMW had 40 products," said Damon Shelly, head of the BMW National Dealer Forum. "In the next couple of years we will have 100.... Read More »

 

NADA PREVIEW

Incoming AIADA chief carries the flag for free trade

12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 20, 2014
Larry KullLarry Kull, president of Burns Kull Automotive Group, of Marlton, N.J., will be the 2014 chairman of the American International Automobile Dealers Association. He follows in the footsteps of his father, Richard, who chaired the group in 2001.... Read More »

 


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