dealers


VIDEO: 1977 Dodge Colt dealer film is a completely amazing time capsule

The year was 1977 and the world wasn't as bright a place as it could have been. The Sixties were officially long dead and buried, the national speed limit had the cruise control set at 55 mph, the Son of Sam was on the loose, Elvis died, and Hay-on-Wye's succession from Britain turned out to be a fake. But things weren't all doom and gloom. Star Wars debuted to much fanfare, the Porsche 928 debuted in Geneva and the Sex Pistols release their first and only album, Never Mind the Bollocks... But there was something else, too. No, not the ever ... Read more →

REPORT: Credit lines increasingly hard to come by for auto dealers Jonny Lieberman

Like him or loathe him, George W. Bush's clearest, most salient speech came almost a year ago on September 25, 2008 when our Harvard MBA president explained to the nation and the world exactly how ...

REPORT: Just 5.7% of dealers have gotten cash for their clunkers Chris Shunk

When Cash for Clunkers was announced, most everyone was so fixed on government subsidies and the potential for a sales uptick that one big obstacle was apparently largely overlooked. How and when ...

Going for Gold: Toyota dealers reportedly price gouging on 2010 Prius Jonathon Ramsey

The last time we heard about gouging on the Toyota Prius was, oh, just last summer when gas prices put the frugal flyer at the top of shopping lists. Things were so bad then that used Priuses ...

Dealer poll calls Cash for Clunkers a 'Nightmare,' four out of 10 didn't want program extended Chris Shunk

Conventional wisdom says that Cash for Clunkers provided a big-time boost to dealers. After all, before Clunkers, most showroom floors were bereft of customers, and scores of dealerships were ...

VIDEO: Priceless 1989 Ford dealer training films offer timeless amusement 2 months ago on Autoblog

Y'all remember Robocop? You know, the really excellent Eighties action masterpiece about a shot-to-hell cop that comes back as a bulletproof robot to rid Detroit of über baddies like the ruthless Clarence Boddiker and super villain Dick Jones? Well, what you may not remember about Paul ...

GM to reimburse dealers until Cash for Clunkers rebates arrive 2 months ago on Autoblog

If there's one thing that General Motors knows right now, it's that Cash for Clunkers is good for business. The automaker announced earlier this week that it was adding shifts at several assembly plants to increase production of popular vehicles in response to the program's success. So it would ...

Report: Some dealers making C4C shoppers sign rebate payback contracts 2 months ago on Autoblog

Some car dealerships have a lousy reputation in the honesty and integrity department, and often the rep is well earned. It's unfortunate for the honest dealers out there, but every time a slimy story surfaces, it casts a bad light on the entire business of selling cars. With Cash for Clunkers ...

REPORT: Cash for Clunkers could be dead tonight [UPDATE] 3 months ago on Autoblog

Congress allocated close to $1 billion for the Cash for Clunkers program. That's billion with nine zeros. And all that money might be gone by midnight tonight. This, according to reports by both the Detroit Free Press and Edmunds AutoObserver. We learned earlier that the C4C program has proved ...

Cash for Clunkers racks up 22,782 trade-ins and $95.9 million so far 3 months ago on Autoblog

When the government's Cash for Clunkers program returned 4,026 orders on its first full day of availability, some were surprised by the speed with which the sales booster took off. After only five days, the program seems to have picked up steam rather than lost it: 22,782 trade-ins have funneled ...

REPORT: Mahindra capitalizes on Detroit 3 dealer closings, picks up new outlets 4 months ago on Autoblog

Many communities have felt the sting of closing dealerships, but it appears for some that capitalism Mahindra is coming to the rescue. The Indian truck manufacturer is sweeping in to sign up recently booted Chrysler dealers to sell their fuel efficient diesel pickups. Mahindra is hoping to soon have ...

GM grants reprieve to 30 dealers, reviewing more 4 months ago on Autoblog

General Motors wants to shrink its dealer network by around 2,500 outlets and has sent closure notices to more than a thousand already. Still, the General has left a door open that allows affected dealers to appeal the decision and show proof of why they should not be cut from the herd. According ...

Under Fire: GM targeting metropolitan Cadillac dealers for closure? 5 months ago on Autoblog

Cadillac is one of the core brands that will form the new General Motors, but the dealership network can't continue in its current guise, according to GM sales head Mark LaNeve. There are 1,422 Cadillac dealers nationwide, more than four times the number of Mercedes-Benz dealers and more than six ...

Dealer Bailout: Chrysler to redistribute all new inventory 5 months ago on Autoblog

After the suggestion of Congressional hearings on the matter, Chrysler's Jim Press assured Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) that Chrysler dealers with leftover inventory after June 9 would "receive a fair and equitable value." It appears that Chrysler is making good on that promise. The ...

Dealer still pitching cars from the afterlife? 5 months ago on Autoblog

On April 8, 50-year-old Charles P. Dimmick died doing what he loved to do: watching his favorite driver, Jeff Gordon, run in the Phoenix round of NASCAR. Dimmick was also the marketing manager at Lund Cadillac Hummer Saab in Phoenix, and if you believe the person who wrote his obituary, he also ...

GM to get tough with dealers during bankruptcy 5 months ago on Autoblog

General Motors is going to right-size its dealer body as part of its bankruptcy, and the Detroit automaker is going to ask plenty of dealers that make the cut to remain with the "new" GM. The General has already announced that 1,124 dealerships wouldn't be renewed in October 2010, and another 200 ...

REPORT: GM preparing to give more dealerships the axe 5 months ago on Autoblog

On top of the 1,124 General Motors dealers that will be closed next year, the ailing automaker is reportedly going to announce another round of dealer closings on Monday when its bankruptcy declaration is expected. According to two Automotive News sources, 450 dealers will not see their dealer ...

GM and Chrysler CEOs called to D.C. to explain dealer closings 5 months ago on Autoblog

The situations with GM and Chrysler are beginning to look like what happens after a fumble in an NFL game: a dozen men pile on top of each other all trying to get the ball. The difference in the case of GM and Chrysler is there are far more than two teams struggling for the prize. The latest to hop ...

REPORT: Slighted dealers line up to criticize Chrysler tactics 5 months ago on Autoblog

A story in the New York Times shines a light on some reasons for the Committee of Chrysler Affected Dealers to challenge the car company's bankruptcy efforts. The element common to all of the dealers profiled is that they did extraordinary things Chrysler asked them to do, such as buy too many cars ...

REPORT: Chrysler affidavits reveal crippling problems that hurt chances for success post-bankruptcy 5 months ago on Autoblog

History could eventually reveal that Chrysler declaring bankruptcy may have just been the easy part. According to CNN, affidavits taken from Chrysler engineers and executives do a pretty good job of showing that things will get really tough when it's time for the automaker to start making cars ...

REPORT: GM won't pay dealers for franchises, will buy back parts, vehicles 6 months ago on Autoblog

In a special broadcast to dealers yesterday, General Motors' sales chief, Mark LaNeve, explained that the automaker would buy back unsold new vehicles and parts from dealerships slated to be phased out by the end of 2010, but GM wouldn't pay off dealers for their franchises. As reported earlier ...

More cuts across the board: General Motors to slash dealers, plants and employees 6 months ago on Autoblog

General Motors' spate of announcements this morning was bad news for enthusiasts (e.g. the shuttering of Pontiac) and even worse for GM's debt-for-equity swap (without a 90% take-rate the automaker is bound for CH 11). But for dealerships and workers, GM's re-revised restructuring plan is going to ...

REPORT: Ford offering dealerships for $1 6 months ago on Autoblog

Ford's dealer development program works to help people become dealer principles who might not otherwise have the chance. The 64 members of the program, most of them black or Hispanic, are set up with stores by Ford and then buy out Ford's interest in the dealership with revenues. To give them a ...

GM reportedly accelerating the closure of 1,700 dealers 6 months ago on Autoblog

June 1, 2009 is turning into the equivalent of General Motors' D-Day, and every day seems to bring new events that are being planned in advance of it. GM had more than 6,000 dealerships at the end of last year, and in the initial viability plan it offered to the government, the automaker pledged to ...

Don't Believe the Hype, America: Dealers urge GM to launch upbeat national ad campaign 7 months ago on Autoblog

With a daily torrent of difficult and unflattering news about the domestic auto industry flowing out of media outlets everywhere (Autoblog included), many General Motors dealers are crying out for a national advertising campaign to stem the tide of negativity. Critical dealers suggest that the ...

Three Nebraska auto execs disappear... along with 81 cars 8 months ago on Autoblog

Perhaps it began as an innocent experiment among dealer personnel: what would happen if three dealership executives all disappeared on the same day and 81 of the dealership's cars showed up at auto auctions in two other states? The answer to that question is that the FBI went bird-dogging on the ...

GM plans to trim 400 dealers per year until 2012 9 months ago on Autoblog

Dealership rationalization was something General Motors was looking at well before the economy went pear-shaped. GM still has more than 6,300 dealerships in the U.S., and it is even more important now to start shedding some of that financial burden. That is why The General told dealers at the NADA ...

Volvo bringing back free maintenance program 10 months ago on Autoblog

It's our pleasure to announce that the economic downturn is responsible for something you might actually want, other than cheap gas: Volvo is offering free maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles on all 2009 models. Volvo ran the program most recently until 2006. But with sales in the tank, ...

Toyota of Jamaica Camry looks suspiciously like Honda Accord 10 months ago on Autoblog

If you visit the Toyota Jamaica website and have a look at the box under Toyota cars, you'll see these models listed: Avensis, Camry, Corolla, Yaris. Look at the pictures next to the cars listed, and you'll see an Avensis, an Accord, a Corolla, and a Yaris. That's right -- there's a Honda Accord ...

GM to delay dealer incentive payments 11 months ago on Autoblog

From November 28 to December 11, GM is holding back incentive payments to dealers, including dealer cash and customer cash. Why? in the words of Mark LaNeve, GM's VP of North American sales, because "Anytime you can delay any kind of a payment, it helps cash flow" And cash is probably the most ...

Texas dealers offers 50 GM shares to GM vehicle buyers 1 year ago on Autoblog

Two brothers that own dealerships in Texas peddling the General's wares decided that the best way to combat the inevitable depreciation inflicted on their customers is to give them 50 shares of GM stock. The promotion involves the first 100 buyers (for GM's 100-year anniversary) and 5,000 shares in ...

U.S. Army declares Arizona car dealer a no-go zone 1 year ago on Autoblog

If you believe the Johnston family, owners of Wildcat Mitsubishi in Tucson and Ideal Automotive in Sierra Vista, Arizona, they have a little communication and paperwork problem. If you believe the soldiers at the Army base in Fort Huachuca, the Better Business Bureau, the Arizona Department of ...

GM offering buyouts and bonuses to HUMMER dealers 1 year ago on Autoblog

Click on the above image for our 2009 Hummer H3T high-res gallery Taking heed of lessons learned when it shed the Oldsmobile brand, General Motors is quietly negotiating with HUMMER dealers to prevent lawsuits if the brand is sold or extinguished. Even though confidentiality agreements have been ...

Hyundai pushing dealers upmarket abroad 1 year ago on Autoblog

Hyundai is shaking its money makers, spending €60 million to upgrade its dealer network in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Each of 2,500 dealers will spend at least €24,000 on improving their facilities, with matching funds coming from both distributors and the ...

Volvo to trim 30-percent of U.S. dealers by the end of next year 1 year ago on Autoblog

Volvo hasn't been doing too hot lately, posting a $1.73 billion loss over the past five years as it flails to find its niche. Sales of almost every Volvo product have declined in 2007, with the S60 falling by 28.1 percent, the XC90 dropping 5.6 percent and the V70 station wagon losing 7.7 percent. ...

MINI dealers to sell Alfa Romeos in the U.S. 1 year ago on Autoblog

As reported earlier, BMW and Fiat will be teaming up on a new front-wheel-drive, small car platform that will underpin the next MINI and future Fiats and Alfa Romeos. Now comes word from Automotive News that the partnership will also include the two automakers collaborating on Alfa Romeo's return ...

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Autoblog Podcast #151: With Car and Driver's Eddie Alterman

Eddie Alterman wades in with Sam, Chris, Dan, and Jonny to talk about SEMA and other recent events.

 
 

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