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Fixed Operations
J.D. Power study shows service commitment and investment translate into more customer loyalty

Dealers have invested in improving customer experience in the service department and it is paying off in increased vehicle sales and more service business, according to the 2013 Customer Service Index study by J.D. Power and Associates."Our transaction data validated that a better CSI scor...
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What’s behind the decline in dealer profitability?

A look at NADA data suggests that floorplan interest costs are higher and advertising costs are up. What's more used-car transaction prices have stalled, even as dealers spend more for inventory.

The National Automobile Dealers Association has reported a second straight month of declining profit for the average store, according to the latest update of NADA Dealership Financial Profiles released just after Christmas.The data is released with a lag and refers to the year to October 2...
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Study conclusion: Employee turnover rates and retention in dealerships are related to the brand DNA

Employee retention, which improves customer loyalty and boosts sales at most dealerships, is not just up to dealers, according to research for NADA University’s 2012 Dealership Workforce Study Industry Report. Auto manufacturers have a role to play, too. “All the OEMs that I deal ...
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Audi and Mercedes-Benz have good facilities – but GM also scores relatively highly

Last week we wrote about which brands dealers thought were the best in managing facilities upgrades.This week we share the results of a survey of dealers on who achieves the best results – facility-wise.Dealers were asked to rank eighteen leading US market brands by how they perceived th...
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The tilted playing field

NADA is battling automakers over two-tier pricing and inflexible facilities upgrades, contending that it is unfair to treat big and small dealers alike. “There is incredible diversity among dealer businesses,” said NADA Chairman Bill Underriner in a speech in Detroit, as well as “div...
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57 nominees for Time Dealer of the Year

Time Magazine has named 57 nominees for its Dealer of the Year award to be presented at the NADA convention in Orlando, Florida, Feb. 9, and Ally Financial, co-sponsor of the program, has committed $57,000 to charities in the name of the nominees.The list of 57 nominees was compiled for Ti...
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NADA: Average dealership revenue hits a record in August, but advertising and other store expenses rise

The average value of new-vehicle sales at dealerships in August rose 24 percent to $2,031,902, according to NADA’s monthly dealership financial profiles.It was the first month in which average revenue exceeded $2 million. The data for August has just been released.  NADA’s data se...
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California dealer Ramon Alvarez' China-built EVs: An opportunity for U.S. retailers?

Ramon Alvarez has been in the car business in California for 30 years.  He owns Lincoln and Jaguar dealerships in Riverside, he is president of the state’s New Motor Vehicle Board, and he helped found an alliance of minority dealers.So when Alvarez, 52,  wanted to offer dealers...
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Green is a good idea for dealership design if it saves money

Making dealerships environmentally friendly is a goal of facility programs at Honda, Toyota and other manufacturers, and dealers readily accept the idea of environmental investment that saves money, such  as having better insulation. But despite the fact that Americans are generally m...
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VW’s new tech center will interface with dealership technical staff

To achieve its goal of selling 800,000 vehicles in North America by 2018 —  a nearly 50% increase on this year’s projected sales of 420,000 — Volkswagen will need to bring vehicles to market more quickly.  VW’s new $27 million Test Center California is expected to help on...
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