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Factory Relations
GM's EBE program pays off, says dealer

General Motors doesn’t use a big stick to encourage its dealers to employ the Essential Brand Elements program at their stores.  It uses a big carrot – big payments to stores that have meet the EBE requirements.“In Fremont alone we had nearly $90,000 (in payments) in the fourth ...
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Toyota's Ernest Bastien on investment for renovation, standardization, and the dealership of the future

Toyota Motor Sales USA doesn’t seem to be in a  hurry to make all of its 1,233 U.S. dealers renovate in line with its Image USA II program.  The program was launched in 2004 and by the end of 2012 only 53% of Toyota’s dealerships were Image USA II compliant.   The s...
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GM's EBE boss: Standardization not a “net dead loss"

Mark Degnan, director of Essential Brand Elements and Facility Image at General Motors, sees standardization of dealerships as a must for brand building, and as good for business at dealerships. What’s more, GM has numbers to support that assertion.Standardization not a “net dead loss,...
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AutoNation extends rebranding to three luxury nameplates, but so far no Germans have signed up

Acura, Volvo and Infiniti dealerships owned by AutoNation will use the public group's branding on the stores, but German luxury brands are reluctant to go along with the idea. In fact, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi have not been formally asked to go along with the new AutoNation strateg...
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Ford tries a flexible approach to facilities upgrades

Ford Motor Co. seems to have kept its dealers happy with a flexible approach to renovations and, now, a matching funds offer to dealers who do chose to upgrade their stores.“One of the reasons we came out with it this year is we knew our dealers are going to be very profitable,” Elizab...
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Where the growth is - the dealership population bounced back last year in California, Texas and Florida

Nowhere was the U.S. auto recovery more apparent in 2012 than in key Sun Belt states and in California, regions hard hit by the recession. The best evidence was the rising number of dealerships in those states.In 2012, 25 stores were added in Texas, 24 in California and 11 in Florida,...
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Demands to upgrade facilities drive family exits

In mid-January, Group 1 Automotive acquired Rod East Volkswagen in San Antonio, Texas. The owner, Rod East, was an older gentleman who was facing pressure from Volkswagen to sink millions into upgrading his dealership, said several sources at the dealership who did not wish to be quoted. V...
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Tesla’s legal victory in Massachusetts? What does it mean for the rest of the country?

Tesla’s victory in a lawsuit filed by Massachusetts dealers against the electric vehicle maker’s factory-owned stores doesn’t apply in other states because each has its own unique franchise laws. But it does set a precedent of sorts, one that won’t please dealers. The ruling ...
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AutoRetailNet survey: What Ford dealers say about the spate of bad news for the brand

Ford has suffered a series of setbacks recently, including a recall of Escape and Fusion models and questions about the mileage claims for the new Fusion and C-Max hybrids. But almost half of respondents to an AutoRetailNet survey said the news has not hurt their businesses. At the sa...
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It's unanimous (almost): Dealers want General Motors to increase incentives on pickup trucks

Dealers selling General Motors pickups overwhelmingly want the manufacturer to offer more incentives on the vehicles, according to an AutoRetailNet survey. One Chevy dealer said he needs more help from the factory not only to combat other brands, but  because GM has cut the disco...
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