If Toyota dealers are getting better, Lexus dealers are about as good as it gets. So says Dennis Clements, vice president and general manager of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.'s Lexus Division. In past years, Toyota dealers didn't score so well on...
State franchise laws are playing significant roles in a number of issues affecting auto dealers. The relevance of the state statutes governing dealer-factory relations is evident in discussions on the Oldsmobile phaseout, Ford and Lincoln Mercury...
Some dealership personnel think it's hard enough selling the car, let alone selling finance & insurance products. So what do those sales people do? They don't bother selling F&I at all. Or they will only pitch F&I products they are comfortable...
Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln Mercury Division tells dealers that better quality and new products are up the road. In a meeting with dealers, company executives say the automaker is determined to put an end to quality woes and recalls. But they didn't...
As a volume Chevy dealer, I recall when the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme ate our lunch and nearly caused the demise of the Monte Carlo because of Olds' attractive interior styling and competitive pricing policy. RANSON OLDS FOUNDED OLDSMOBILE IN...
DaimlerChrysler CEO Juergen E. Schrempp vows that he and fellow German Dieter Zetsche are totally committed to getting Chrysler back on track. Chrysler is on an equal status with Mercedes-Benz as far as we are concerned, he says at the Automotive...
Is an Oldsmobile franchise worth less for multi-franchise dealers than for the country's 63 exclusive Olds dealers? Yes, says General Motors Corp. which is phasing out the brand. GM's transition financial assistance package (TFAP) sets a sliding...
I'm not suggesting that you write the franchise a termination letter, but rather take as much control as possible of your individual destiny. During this year's NADA Convention in Las Vegas, I visited with many dealers whose optimism fell below...
Putting in a good word (actually several good words) for dealers is Finbarr O'Neill, CEO of Hyundai Motor America. He says in a Detroit speech, Not too long ago, people were talking about dealers as dinosaurs in our high-speed, Internet-connected...
Dealers' finance & insurance departments offer a tremendous opportunity to bolster revenues and profits in the face of a domestic-brand sales slump. With sales of domestic new units on the downside lately, dealers are relying on their F&I managers...