Operations: Page 195
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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Paul Rusnak Loves, Sells Premium European Cars
Since its establishment on Pasadena’s Colorado Blvd., the Rusnak organization has served affluent celebrities and customers in the greater Los Angeles market.
By Mac Gordon • May 5, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Believe It or Not: U.S. Manufacturers Having Trouble Finding Workers
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.It’s not often “worker shortage” and “manufacturing” can be used in the same sentence, at least not in the U.S., where unemployment remains ...
By David Zoia • May 4, 2011 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Courtesy of Toyota
TrendlineAutomotive Manufacturing
Production strategies are changing rapidly as tariffs and shifts in consumer buying patterns affect the industry.
By WardsAuto staff -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Study: Accessories Influence 1 Million Auto Sales a Year
Auto accessories influence more than 1 million new-vehicle sales each year, according to a study from the Specialty Equipment Market Assn. This is the most extensive research our industry has conducted on the relationship between the availability of accessories and new vehicle sales, says SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting. Key highlights from the study called Influence of Accessories on New Vehicle
May 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
6-Step Negotiating Process
The salesperson should always start negotiation. Start with a 2% discount at the most. In some cases, used cars for example, you can present the customer with no starting discount. Unless the customer has come in for an advertised special sale, here is a 6-step word track for price negotiations. Step 1 Tell the Customer: I can give you this savings right now. The MSRP is $30,000, minus $300 bringing
By Darin George • May 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
How Car Dealership Staffs Can Work Together
The way to get everyone working together “without disturbances” is to focus on sales, “the biggest thing in the dealership,” says John Vecchioni.
By Steve Finlay • April 26, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Reporter Notebook: Play It Again, Sam
Ward’s writers pass along the buzz at this week’s New York International Auto Show.
By Ward's Staff • April 21, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Treasured Memories from SAE World Congress
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.Journalism won’t make you rich. (Excluding Ariana Huffington and the two Montreal Gazette scribes who invented Trivial Pursuit.) But the p...
April 15, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Uncertainty Could Drag April Sales Below Trend
Despite the projected setback and likelihood of coming inventory shortages, Ward’s continues to call for 13.2 million light-vehicle sales this year.
By John Sousanis • April 15, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Cult Movie Inspires Theodore’s Uni-Chassis
“You can slice it and dice it for whatever wheelbase you want,” says Chris Theodore.
By Eric Mayne • April 13, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
John Eagle Dealership Group’s Internet Sales Soar
When it comes to dealing cars online, the Texas-based John Eagle Auto Group has one firm playing strategy: Go all in or don't bother at all. While that might not be a prudent when playing Texas Hold-'em poker, it has been a winning plan for the dealership group with two stores on the Ward's e-Dealer 100. We've had the same philosophy all along, about everything we do, says Jim Flint, corporate director-Interactive
By Tony Bittick • April 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Social Skills
For many veteran dealers, keeping up with the latest Internet advancements is a steep learning curve. For the younger set at dealerships, it's a way of life. They tweet on Twitter, befriend customers on Facebook, share uploaded YouTube videos and promote locations on FourSquare. For them, multi-functional smartphones always are in hand or at least at hand. Welcome to modern auto retailing where dealerships
By Maureen McDonald • April 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
China Auto Makers Shift Focus to Energy Efficiency
Beijing is using the power of the market to force the industry to compete on price, rather than relying on consumer tax breaks, by scrapping a vehicle-replacement program but retaining a subsidy for the purchase of green cars.
By Wang Fangqing • March 24, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
March to Maintain Sales Momentum, But April Falloff Likely
March forecast sales equate to a 13.3 million-unit SAAR, but reduced inventories due to parts shortages from Japan likely will bring incentives to a halt, dropping the SAAR dramatically in April.
By John Sousanis • March 21, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Japan Quake Squeezing Export Markets
A week-long shutdown would cost the country 209,100 production units, according to Ward’s data.
By Eric Mayne • March 15, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Online Auto Trade-In Appraisals Catching On
An online appraisal tool can fairly accurately value the vehicle, sight unseen, if the shopper enters relevant and correct information.
By Steve Finlay • March 10, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Domestic Brands, New Markets Changing China Landscape
China’s domestic auto industry is divided into two parts, the giant state-owned enterprises that dominate the market and the hungry national car makers that are gaining traction on all fronts.
By Mack Chrysler • March 7, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
“Race to the Bottom” No Cliché
Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.I was never great pals with former UAW President Ron Gettelfinger, though I think he appreciated my work. He was fond of quoting a 2003 st...
March 4, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
40 Million Used-Car Sales?
The used-car market will continue to be where it's at for franchised dealers, says Tom Webb, chief economist for Manheim Consulting, a unit of Manheim Auctions. Used-car sales rose 4% to nearly 37 million units last year. Next year, sales are expected to hit 40 million units, Webb tells Ward's at the National Automobile Dealers Assn. convention in San Francisco. He projects light-vehicle sales will
By Steve Finlay • March 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Truth in Lending Revisited
The impacts on car dealers of changes to the country's financial system mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act will likely be regular subjects of alerts and advisories to dealers this year. One section that we already know will have an impact on your business is the expansion of the jurisdiction of the Truth in Lending Act. Since its original passage decades ago, the Truth in Lending Act only applied to transactions
By Michael Charapp • March 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
12 Things Consumers Want
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes, said French writer Marcel Proust. This could not be more apropos for dealership sales people and managers as they seek to understand and improve customer experiences. Looking at a business through the eyes of a customer can be extraordinarily revealing. Through years of working with customers and sales professionals,
By Richard F. Libin • March 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
High used-vehicle prices are spurring new-car sales
Auto makers ironically can thank a vibrant used-car market for helping to drive a projected 12% increase in new-vehicle sales this year, says Paul Taylor, the National Automobile Dealers Assn.'s chief economist. Taylor cites two main reasons why he expects pre-owned cars will play a big role in 2011 new-vehicle sales that he predicts will reach 12.9 million units. That compares with 11.5 million in
By Steve Finlay • March 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Oz EV Sales Seen Accelerating After 2025
Sydney-based firm Energeia says the uptake rate will be slow over the next decade due to a lack of choice, immature technology and nascent government and electricity industry support.
By Alan Harman • Feb. 28, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Malaysia’s Proton Seeking Third Party to Use Spare Plant Capacity
The auto maker says its two underutilized plants, Shah Alam and Tanjung Malim, have combined capacity of 380,000 units annually.
By Alan Harman • Feb. 15, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Boosting Chevy Volt Production No Easy Task
GM faces financial constraints to increasing the EV’s output because of its advanced technology, especially the 16 kWh Li-ion battery pack serving as the backbone of the propulsion system.
By James M. Amend • Feb. 15, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
High Used-Car Prices Spur New-Car Sales
“The shortage of used cars is one more pillar of strength for the new-car market,” says NADA Chief Economist Paul Taylor.
By Steve Finlay • Feb. 7, 2011
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