As new light vehicle sales growth begins to plateau, dealerships are relying even more on fixed operations to make money. A potential profit center that seems to be gaining popularity is collision centers. AutoNation recently announced it would expand its network of branded collision centers. Interestingly, McLarty Auto Group, Mark McLarty’s fast-expanding group in Arkansas, just acquired two stand-alone collision centers from Asbury Automotive Inc.
I want to consider the pluses and minuses of owning a body shop and how the addition of a collision center impacts a dealership’s value. Anyone who would like to weigh in on that question, please contact me.
Meanwhile, this week I profile a pair who are buying Mitsubishi franchises in Florida. Jeff Johnson and Bill Doraty aren’t newcomers to the dealership business. Both have extensive experience with Kia. It will be interesting to see how they do with Mitsu, which is coming out with some more attractive models recently.
Last week’s CLA piece on year-end tax planning tips with a Trump twist had a lot of readers. I am guessing the T word in the title – and I don’t mean tax or tips or twist – was the reason. This week, our regular contributor Ira Silver has his own take on the Trump impact on the automotive industry and buy sell in particular.
A disclaimer – the views expressed by our columnists are their views alone and not necessarily those of Automotive Buy Sell Report.
With that I leave you to click through to our most popular section, Transaction News.
Enjoy!
