Let’s look more deeply at an idea I raised in my last article. The idea was that there is a lack of trust between both parties when buying a vehicle. Customers don’t trust dealers and dealers don’t trust customers.Another way to think about this kind of transactional trust is how it ...
A good barometer for the short term outlook of sales is the monthly UBS Dealer Survey, which scans dealer opinion on any number of topics, but always includes a section on the sales outlook. The July survey, just out, presents a mixed picture:On the positive side, credit is becoming easier...
Recently we laid out our view of the direction of new-car sales over the next few years. But what about the short-term view? A good barometer for this is the monthly UBS Dealer Survey, which scans dealer opinion on any number of topics, but always includes a section on the sale...
Given General Motors’ performance in the marketplace of late the ousting of Joel Ewanick as GM’s global marketing chief doesn’t come as a huge surprise to dealers.Some media outlets have reported that Ewanick was sacked or failing to adequately assess the details of a recent sponsors...
One of the truisms about automotive selling today is that “It’s all going online.” And it’s hard to argue with that statement, given that it seems almost every new car is researched online before purchase, with used cars not far behind. But we have to remember that processes do not...
We've all heard the reasoning: first came the Japanese, then came the Koreans, by now we should have seen Chinese cars arriving in force in America. But this has not happened: apart from a few Coda electric vehicles, the Chinese are largely absent here. What has delayed their a...
Greetings. This week I am in London on business, and so I felt it might make sense to discuss briefly the differences between British and American dealerships. There are many variances, but in this short note I will touch on just a few (shamelessly cribbing from a speech Earl Hesterberg ga...
As we celebrated Independence Day this week, it might make sense to discuss the impact on dealer operations of seasonality in car sales. We all understand "seasonality" when it relates to the seasons themselves (e.g. spring and fall sales are brisker than winter sales), but the term also a...
The new buzz-term is “mini-recovery” as the auto market goes sidewaysThere are signs that the automotive economy may be slipping It would not really be surprising.The economy as a whole is performing less well than it seemed likely to at the beginning of the year.With consumer confiden...
Auto sales in May fell below a 14 million unit sales rate for the first time since December. The Ally Auto Health Index indicates a broad downward shift in auto industry related indicators as it fell to its lowest level in two years. The index’s decline was due to the slowest light vehic...
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The Glenn Mercer column.
Recently we laid out our view of the direction of new-car sales over the next few years. But what about the short-term view? A good barometer for this is the monthly UBS Dealer Survey, which scans dealer opinion on any number of topics, but always includes a section on the sale...The Glenn Mercer Column.
One of the truisms about automotive selling today is that “It’s all going online.” And it’s hard to argue with that statement, given that it seems almost every new car is researched online before purchase, with used cars not far behind. But we have to remember that processes do not...The Glenn Mercer column.
We've all heard the reasoning: first came the Japanese, then came the Koreans, by now we should have seen Chinese cars arriving in force in America. But this has not happened: apart from a few Coda electric vehicles, the Chinese are largely absent here. What has delayed their a...The Glenn Mercer Column.
Greetings. This week I am in London on business, and so I felt it might make sense to discuss briefly the differences between British and American dealerships. There are many variances, but in this short note I will touch on just a few (shamelessly cribbing from a speech Earl Hesterberg ga...Presidio’s Haig asks where is the expected surge?
The new buzz-term is “mini-recovery” as the auto market goes sidewaysThere are signs that the automotive economy may be slipping It would not really be surprising.The economy as a whole is performing less well than it seemed likely to at the beginning of the year.With consumer confiden...Pages