Woodrow W. Woody, a Lebanese immigrant who sold Pontiacs in the Polish-American community of Hamtramck, MI, for six decades, died last month at age 94. Over the years, he became a local legend, giving $1 bills to children, donating to charities...
Brand managers, once the darlings of General Motors Corp., are fewer in ranks there. Meanwhile, the automaker is realigning its dealership field team and refocusing its branding efforts back to individual car divisions. GM has reduced the number...
More and more dealership service departments keep Saturday hours as many manufacturers dealers to be open then. But few dealers, who are currently closed Saturdays, plan to extend their hours, and Chrysler dealerships are most likely to be dark...
To view the 2002 Ward's Megadealer 100, here. Ward's Dealer Business Megadealer 100, a ranking of the nation's top dealer groups, increased its total revenue $8 billion in 2001 from $101.6 billion in 2000 to $109.8 billion in 2001. However, four...
J.C. Collins, Ford Division executive assistant and dealer relations manager, retires after nearly 30 years with Ford Motor Co. Succeeding him is Dave Alden, Lincoln Mercury's Chicago regional manager. Collins will work with Alden to ensure an...
This is the final chapter. Ford needs to focus on manufacturing and leave the retailing to us. Ford dealer Sam Pack, on the automaker ending its failed three-year effort to run dealerships in certain markets. Ford is selling its stores to private...
One of the pleasures I receive from writing this column and speaking with readers is sharing personal experiences of best practices I've seen. I want to share one such experience this month. I'm in Las Vegas meeting and celebrating with a group of...
It can take days and weeks for manufacturers to resolve some customer warranty concerns at dealerships. Now it takes minutes. That's with web-based camera equipment that records digital photos of potential warranty work, then sends the images to...
Americans are not willing to sacrifice performance and features for better fuel economy according to a survey of Internet car shoppers by the online car buying service, Autobytel, Inc. Ninety percent of the customers surveyed indicated a...
You are usually at your best when you start a relationship with a person you might want to spend your life with. You dress to the nines, your manners are impeccable, you go to nice restaurants, movies, the theatre and concerts. If everything is...