|
Browse by Tags
All Tags » Car Buying » Dealership » dealers ( RSS)
-
|
Filed under: Car Buying , Etc. , Government/Legal If you believe the Johnston family, owners of Wildcat Mitsubishi in Tucson and Ideal Automotive in Sierra Vista, Arizona, they have a little communication and paperwork problem. If you believe the soldiers at the Army base in Fort Huachuca, the Better Business Bureau, the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions, the Arizona Transportation Department, the police department, and at least one civilian customer, the Johnstons have a much larger number of far more serious problems. The Army base has banned personnel from patronizing the dealerships, alleging its soldiers have been abused. Soldier James Tuman traded in an SUV and a motorcycle and got financing from Ideal Automotive to buy a used car. When he tried to return the car because of mechanical issues, the Johnston's wouldn't give him his money back, instead saying he could buy another car on the lot. When he threatened to complain, they said they'd declare the car repossessed...
|
-
|
Filed under: Car Buying , Marketing/Advertising , Cadillac , GM , HUMMER , Saab Among the many ills plaguing automakers, and General Motors in particular, is an excessive amount of dealers selling their wares through competing outlets. GM has decided to rectify the matter by combining its top three "luxury" marques - Cadillac, HUMMER and Saab - into megastores that aim to provide consumers with a variety of choice without watering down each brand's distinct niche. The plan involves consolidating the 1,400 Cadillac dealerships with the 238 Saab and 170 HUMMER outlets to form a one-stop shop for all things at the high-end of the General's spectrum. There have already been a few cases where GM has helped larger dealers buyout Mom and Pop operations that weren't willing to expand or were looking to get out of the retail game entirely. While the move has the potential to make it easier for consumers to get everything they want under one roof, the amount of capital GM might...
|
-
|
Filed under: Car Buying , Buick , Chevrolet , GM , GMC , HUMMER , Pontiac , Saab , Earnings/Financials Yesterday we wrote about GM's intent to shrink its 14,118-strong dealer network , with one idea to combine Pontiac, Buick, and GMC dealers into larger, more modern flagship outlets. Turns out that was only part of the plan: according to Automotive News , "General Motors is preparing to make public a plan to encourage the creation of superstores in major metro areas that would carry every GM brand." These superstores, which would be called GM Collections, are being evaluated for major metropolitan markets where the real estate itself is more valuable than the dealer franchise. For dealers interested in such an outlet, GM's idea is to move service and parts centers off-site to make room for all of the brands. Some dealers think that's a turn-off for consumers, others report good results. In LA, this has been standard practice for a while, with some service departments...
|
|
|
|