Dealership upgradesMoney helped keep some smaller stores alive 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 5, 2012  Most of the $180,000 that Tom Wagar's Buick-GMC dealership received from General Motors' Essential Brand Elements program over the past few years was intended to go toward a makeover of his Gaylord, Mich., store. But only about one-third of it did. The rest went to pay bills.... Read More »
EDITORIAL Factory should reward dealer's investment 12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 29, 2012 Chevrolet's attempt to force dealer Marc Heitz to make his unique dealership in Oklahoma conform to the brand's blue-arches facilities standards is about as wrongheaded as can be.... Read More »
NADA blasts automakers on facility programs, stair-step incentives 3:57 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 23, 2012  The chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association today criticized manufacturers for "intrusion" into dealers' operations by requiring facility renovations and creating two tiers of pricing for retailers. "Two-tier pricing and mandatory facility upgrades are symptoms of a bigger overall problem: manufacturer intrusion into dealers' businesses," NADA Chairman Bill Underriner said during a speech to the Automotive Press Association in Detroit.... Read More »
Sporty store is a no-go at GM 12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 22, 2012  Just as the U.S. auto industry was heading into a deep recession in 2008, Chevrolet dealer Marc Heitz opened a $20 million dealership in Norman, Okla., modeled after outfitter Bass Pro Shops. Only one problem: General Motors says the store fails to comply with Chevrolet's new facilities standards.... Read More »
Chrysler, 2 rejected dealers head to court 6:13 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 11, 2012  The owners of former New York dealerships Eagle Auto Mall and Terry Morris Chrysler-Jeep will face off against Chrysler Group in court on Dec. 3 in suits stemming from allegedly wrongful franchise terminations.... Read More »
GM to resume visits to small dealers after 25-year absence 7:30 pm U.S. ET | Sept. 11, 2012  At many of GM's 1,200 smallest dealerships, a factory rep hasn't walked through the door in 25 years. That's about to change next year, when GM district managers will resume regular visits to stores that have had only call-center contact with the company.... Read More »
BEST PRACTICES Redoing a store? Check the trash, save some cash 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 27, 2012  When John Lambert learned in 2007 that he would have to double the size of his Claremont, N.H., Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep dealership, the scrounging began. Lambert figures he shaved $80,000, or about 10 percent, off the cost of his $800,000 renovation. At a time when many dealerships were struggling to survive, that resourcefulness helped enable a renovation Chrysler demanded in exchange for approving Lambert's acquisition of Chrysler and Dodge franchises. Lambert's approach isn't for everybody.... Read More »
Mini dealers fill vacant stores 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 20, 2012  Mini, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary in the United States, is one of the few franchises adding dealerships and seeing lots of existing stores expand voluntarily. And many of its dealers are taking advantage of all the vacant stores on the market -- the result of industry consolidation and the ravages of the recession.... Read More »
Lincoln prepares for fight with Lexus 4:19 pm U.S. ET | Aug. 17, 2012  Lincoln brand managers are training their sights on a new competitor as they prepare to reboot the marque with a new MKZ sedan this fall. Lincoln is positioning the mid-sized 2013 MKZ to take a bite out of the Lexus ES, one of the Japanese luxury brand's biggest volume products.... Read More »
DAVID BARKHOLZ For some dealers, it’s time to celebrate and explore digital reforms 12:01 am U.S. ET | Aug. 17, 2012  U.S. auto dealers are enjoying a banner year. Now let’s see if they’ll use this little respite from the recent downturn to upgrade store technology and experiment more with nontraditional forms of marketing, especially digital advertising.... Read More »
High-tech Audi showrooms planned for 20 'affluent' sites 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 19, 2012  Audi opened a London showroom featuring giant LED screens that let customers design their own vehicles as part of the carmaker's effort to bring in younger, media-oriented buyers. The Audi City outlet in Piccadilly Circus is the first of a network the company is planning by 2015 for 20 "affluent locations" in Europe, China, Russia and the United States, said Sven Schuwirth, head of brand development.... Read More »
Trial to challenge legality of GM facilities program 12:01 am U.S. ET | July 16, 2012  Billionaire megadealer Norman Braman's lawsuit charging General Motors with illegal two-tier pricing is shaping up to go to trial in October 2013. The suit, which has captured the attention of dealers nationwide, could be a test case on the legality of manufacturer facility programs that reward participating dealerships with volume-based incentives.... Read More »
Hendrick Automotive changes the names of Kansas City stores 5:09 pm U.S. ET | June 27, 2012 Hendrick Automotive Group is renaming its eight Kansas City-area dealerships over the next 10 months. The dealerships' names will change from “Superior” to “Hendrick,” the company said in a statement Wednesday.... Read More »
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Special Report
 Dealer O.C. Welch's big-truck turnaroundAfter Mercury's demise, South Carolina Ford-Lincoln dealer O.C. Welch had to find a way to replace lost revenue. He decided to load up on Super Duty pickups – and sell them online. Mon., June 17» Watch the Video |
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Don Davis Dealerships, Inc. -- Lake Jackson, Texas, United States - Service Manager
Performance Toyota -- Memphis, Tennessee, United States
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