New car sales continue to roar, defying predictions of a plateau. And even if they plateau, a leveling off at a SAAR of 17.4 million or more wouldn’t be so bad. That means dealership valuations are staying strong, for the most part.
Some franchises are hurting however. Take the Volkswagen brand. The diesel emissions scandal has seriously hurt a franchise that was never super-strong. And though other Volkswagen AG brands, — think Audi and Porsche – are holding their value, the VW brand problems may hurt them as well. In this issue the experts dissect the prospects for the Volkswagen Group brands.
Our new directory is focused on customer experience, and that is impacted by many factors at a dealership. Take the lighting. Colors look different under some kinds of indoor lighting versus outdoors. If a customer thinks he or she is ordering one color and they see a different color when their new car arrives, that won’t be a good experience. In this issue, Chip Walker, president of CFI Design Management Inc., delves into the lighting question.
This week we also continue our series of profiles of Women in Automotive. Celeste Briggs heads up GM’s Women’s Retail Network and in this issue the industry veteran talks about why hiring women is good for a dealership’s bottom line.
Then of course there is Transaction News.
Enjoy!
