NADA conventionQ&A: CHIP OTT -- VOLVO RETAIL ADVISORY BOARD Volvo dealers: We need better marketing, advertising 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  With nearly flat sales and sluggish store traffic in 2012, Volvo dealers are worried. Though freshened XC60 and S60 models are to go on sale in the second half of the year, they alone won't lift Volvo's prospects, dealers say. The brand needs better marketing and an increased advertising spend, says dealer Chip Ott.... Read More »
Q&A: MELINDA ZABRITSKI Experian's auto finance analysis has surprises 5:47 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  Experian Automotive's Melinda Zabritski said that despite conventional wisdom, it's too soon to say auto finance is all the way back, especially in some states that were hit hard when the housing bubble burst. For the fourth quarter of 2012 vs. the fourth quarter of 2006, total outstanding auto loan balances were down 15 percent for California, 19 percent for Nevada and 9 percent for Florida, she said.... Read More »
Westcott to outline dealers' strategy 6:02 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  David Westcott, the incoming NADA chairman, will speak at the general session Monday afternoon and outline how the group intends to make its voice heard in Washington. Westcott, 66, sells Buick, GMC and Suzuki vehicles in Burlington, N.C.... Read More »
Volvo revamps dealer margin, bonus structure 4:57 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  Volvo is putting a new margin and bonus structure into effect with the launch of its 2014 models. The new structure has variable elements tied to sales performance, customer satisfaction and updated facilities.... Read More »
Kia to dealers: Get ready for more 2:37 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  Kia asked dealers at its make meeting during the National Automobile Dealers Association convention here to “take a longer term view” of Kia's growth plans and get ready for bigger volumes.... Read More »
BEST PRACTICES WHATCHA GOT? Cows, pigs, maple syrup, all work for a trade-in at Vt. dealership 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  There's no Blue Book value for pigs, cows or maple syrup. But Gardner Stone has taken all of those as trade-ins from customers of his Ford and GMC dealership in rural Vermont. He boldly claims the business, G. Stone Motors, "will take anything in trade." He really means it.... Read More »
BEST PRACTICES Okla. dealer gets in tune with customers 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  Jonathan Fowler says his musical talents as a bluegrass guitarist didn't get him past open-mic night. But Fowler's passion for music is helping make a name for his family's Volkswagen dealership in Norman, Okla. Less than two years after opening in a shuttered Mitsubishi facility, Fowler Volkswagen makes the most of a shoestring marketing budget by leveraging Fowler's connections in the local music community.... Read More »
BEST PRACTICES For Web-savvy buyers, it's all about the videos 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  Dealer Shaun Del Grande is tapping the power of YouTube to reach Web-savvy auto shoppers in Silicon Valley. More than 1,000 videos shot and edited in-house are posted on his Del Grande Dealer Group's YouTube pages, with hundreds more on the way. Since the group began posting on YouTube in late 2009, the videos have received more than 926,000 views.... Read More »
JASON STEIN Look for innovation overdrive in the service drive 5:12 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  The location is unknown at this point (let’s get crazy and assume it’s Las Vegas). The state of the industry is unclear (here’s hoping it’s healthy). But when the 2025 National Automobile Dealers Association convention rolls around, the vision for retail is: The big winners will have service as their middle name.... Read More »
Fiat dealers can postpone expansions as Alfa Romeo returns to U.S. 10:33 am U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  Changes in the product cadence for Alfa Romeo’s return to the United States means Fiat dealers may be able to postpone required expansions of their stores for up to two years until more vehicles arrive in 2015, Chrysler Group’s top dealer executive said.... Read More »
Ford to help refurbish stores 3:28 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  Ford brand will offer dollar-for-dollar matching funds up to $750,000 to dealers who refurbish their facilities in line with the Ford Trustmark design program, the company told dealers at its make meeting today during the National Automobile Dealers Association convention.... Read More »
Q&A: MIKE SULLIVAN -- PORSCHE BOARD OF REGENTS Porsche's plan to increase U.S. sales is on track 12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  Porsche is forecasting that its U.S. sales will be 50,000 by 2018. That would be up 43 percent from the 35,043 units sold in 2012 and roughly double its 2010 level. The introduction of the 911 and Boxster last year and the promise of more vehicles coming this year are spurring U.S. sales momentum. But with sales growth comes the need for dealership improvements, expanded service bays and an improved understanding of providing service for female customers.... Read More »
Chevy expects 7% gain in U.S. sales from new, refreshed models 7:26 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  With 13 new or refreshed models on tap, Chevrolet is telling dealers to expect a 7 percent gain in U.S. sales this year. That projected sales gain would be in line with the industrywide pace if U.S. sales hit 15.5 million units, the high end of the 2013 sales forecast that GM set at the start of the year, dealers were told Sunday at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention.... Read More »
Sun. Newscast 1: NADA chief's parting shot 7:45 am U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  Underriner to car makers: Back off 'stair-steps,' pricy image mandates; Hyundai chief praises dealer system; used-car wave.... Read More »
BMW pledges to work toward making its dealers most profitable 6:42 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013 BMW of North America will do "everything possible" -- including having enough vehicles in the right mix -- to ensure its dealers are among the most profitable in the United States, CEO Ludwig Willisch pledged at the brand's make meeting. It also means the new facilities program that BMW will introduce in the second quarter won't be a major strain on dealers, he said.... Read More »
VW, Audi dealers to use ADP tools to speed customer financing 6:41 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013 The captive financing arms of Volkswagen and Audi are using new online tools to enable their dealers to submit financing deal terms electronically and receive instant validation of the contracts.... Read More »
Study by eBay finds split in consumers' car research habits 6:02 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013 More than one-third of shoppers ages 18 to 35 -- so-called millennials -- use mobile devices to research vehicles they are interested in buying, vs. 19 percent of consumers in other age groups, a study by eBay Inc. found.... Read More »
What's happening on Monday 5:47 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013 Various workshops, receptions and other events on Monday... Read More »
On the record 6:02 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  JOHN MALONEY CEO Volvo Cars of North America and SANDY SCHWARTZ, Manheim president... Read More »
Question of the day 5:47 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013 What department in your dealership is the most difficult to staff adequately: service technicians, F&I personnel, sales personnel, other?... Read More »
Lincoln's 'touch points' 6:16 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  Dealer Dan Pfeiffer, left, of Pfeiffer Lincoln in Grand Rapids, Mich., examines what Lincoln calls its "customer touch points" color palette with Michael Harmon, dealership facility services program manager, at the Ford Motor Co. exhibit. "Customer touch points" within the dealership are those points of interaction with customers that help to create the overall branded experience.... Read More »
What a catch! 6:02 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  David Brahm, right, vice president of marketing at North Haven Resort in Pewaukee, Wis., attempts to reel in Scotty Scott of Scott Jaguar in Charlotte, N.C., on the show floor. North Haven offers trophy fishing excursions as sales incentives as well as its Utik Lake, Manitoba, lodge as a meeting location.... Read More »
Buick-GMC looks ahead 5:46 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  Lynn Thompson, left, co-owner of Thompson Buick-GMC-Cadillac in Raleigh, N.C., chats with Brian Sweeney, Buick-GMC's vice president of U.S. sales and service, after the Buick-GMC make meeting. Sweeney told dealers the brand will run a zero-down-payment lease promotion Feb. 11-28.... Read More »
For Land Rover dealers, tight supply helps profitability 6:02 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013 Land Rover dealers in most of the country are sold out of the new-generation Range Rover SUV through early summer. The 2013 Range Rover went on sale in December, replacing a 10-year-old model. "We are one or two truckloads short -- which also creates a situation where it helps profitability," said Michael Levitan, head of the newly formed 12-member Jaguar Land Rover Retailer Cabinet and COO of Long Island Automotive Group, which owns three Land Rover stores in New York.... Read More »
Cadillac targets 35% retail sales gain this year 5:40 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 10, 2013  Cadillac is targeting a retail sales jump of about 35 percent this year and plans an autumn rollout of the next-generation CTS sedan, General Motors executives told dealers today during their make meeting here at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention.... Read More »
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