“We don't need a bunch of youngsters coming in telling us how to do our job. And it's not an anti-factory diatribe on my part. Heck, I used to be a factory guy!”
— Jeff Wyler of the Jeff Wyler Automotive Family dealer group in Cincinnati, OH, on manufacturers' attempts to get involved in automotive retailing.
“High-tech people suck to deal with. They act like they're above it. They hide from us, screen their voicemail, then are all surprised when we're holding their car.”
— Repo man James Kevern on the challenges of repossessing cars from Silicon Valley residents who default on their luxury car loans.
“If you want to sell 400,000 Explorers a year, you can't be out in the market buck naked.”
— Ford chief marketing analyst George Pipas on why the automaker is sweetening the incentive pot by reducing 2002 Explorers' interest rate from 5.9% to 3.9%.
“We blew it with the (Pontiac) Aztek on the price (about $25,000). We priced it too high for youth to afford, and we've got to get the price down to get the volume up. We're doing that with some lease programs.”
— Ron Zarella, president of GM's North American automotive operations.automaker is sweetening the incentive pot by reducing 2002 Explorers' interest rate from 5.9% to 3.9%.
Sources: Ward's Dealer Business, Detroit Free Press, Wall Street Journal, Ward's Automotive Reports.
