dealership


VW building $125M flagship dealer complex on Manhattan's west side

Volkswagen is building swanky new digs on New York City's west side for its VW and Audi brands. The automaker has purchased a 256,000 square foot space currently occupied by Potamkin GM (the Potamkin family has been synonymous with car sales in NY for decades), which stretches between 55th and 56th Street along 11th Avenue. Visually unimpressive in its current state, the space will be converted into a state-of-the-art mega facility featuring brand-new Volkswagen and Audi stores. VW's total outlay for the real estate purchase and ensuing ... Read more →

"I'll have the 10W-30 burger, please" - Examining the car dealers as eatery trend Jonathon Ramsey

A restaurant that has a few hot cars gathered round is one thing -- but a car dealership that opens a restaurant, where does that rank on the scale of ambiance? With recent trends, you could soon get ...

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 ...

REPORT: Dealers may have to pay taxes on Cash for Clunkers rebates Sam Abuelsamid

Nothing is ever as simple as it seems. One prime example is the government's newly minted "Cash for Clunkers" program, or CARS (Car Allowance Rebate System) that launched yesterday. As the rebate ...

House reportedly approves measure to restore dealerships despite bankruptcy blows Chris Shunk

One of the more controversial parts of the Chrysler bankruptcy was the decision to cut 789 dealerships by June 9. The move made for a quick, painful end to dealerships that in some cases spanned ...

Mini dealership network to expand by 20% to meet demand 4 months ago on Autoblog

The next 18 months will be huge for BMW's MINI brand. Execs are looking for big sales increases by 2011, and the fuel efficient little car company is adding 17 dealerships to its retail network in that time frame to help get the job done. The additional dealerships will predominantly go to ...

GM grants reprieve to 30 dealers, reviewing more 5 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 ...

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 ...

BREAKING: GM reportedly set to confirms it will pink-slip 1,100 dealers [*UPDATED] 6 months ago on Autoblog

According to Bloomberg News, General Motors is set to send some 1,100 notices today to U.S. dealers detailing the manufacturer's plans to sever their relationship. The move comes on the heels of yesterday's news detailing fellow beleaguered automaker Chrysler's announcement that they are firing ...

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 7 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 ...

REPORT: Investor group confirms they are bidding for Saturn; looking to sell multiple brands 7 months ago on Autoblog

In what General Motors spokesman Steve Janisse is calling a "very interesting" proposal, investor group Telesto Ventures has put in an official bid for Saturn. The consortium features a variety of backers, including Black Oak Partners LLC (a private equity group) and a number of Saturn dealers. ...

Don't Believe the Hype, America: Dealers urge GM to launch upbeat national ad campaign 8 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 ...

Audi partners with PDM to create 'Holographic Virtual Assistant' 9 months ago on Autoblog

The woman you see in the picture above isn't an actual human -- she's a life-sized hologram. PDM, an Australian out-of-home digital media company, created the hologram to present "customers an entertaining way to gather product knowledge and information about Audi's offering." A load of tech and a ...

Flashy "Taj Mahal" dealerships hit hard by downturn 9 months ago on Autoblog

Like those affected by the overinflated housing market, many auto dealers are experiencing a similar situation with their real estate. During the recent boom times, the thinking was that you needed a big, flashy facility with all sorts of extras and perks to attract customers. Manufacturers helped ...

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 ...

Motor Trend getting into the used car business? 9 months ago on Autoblog

Motor Trend is lending its name and brand to a certified used car program at Planet Honda in Union, New Jersey. The program is actually "powered by" EasyCare, a company that provides a suite of contract services like maintenance and repair warranties and GAP insurance to new owners. (EasyCare was a ...

REPORT: Dealers say bailout hasn't made for more GMAC loans 9 months ago on Autoblog

Show me the money. With apologies to Cuba Gooding Jr., that is exactly what many General Motors dealers are saying to GMAC Financial Services. Despite being given $5 billion from the U.S. Government last month, GMAC apparently hasn't loosened its purse strings enough for dealers' likings. Some, 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 ...

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 ...

Tata tours its Jaguar dealers 1 year ago on Autoblog

Ratan Tata, the man and mover behind Tata motors, is doing a Meet the Parents tour with Jaguar's oldest and largest U.S. dealers. As the best businesspeople do, he is flying across the States to meet the men and women in charge of his newest brand. Incredibly, it is the first time he has ever ...

Honda tells some dealers to upgrade, or else... 1 year ago on Autoblog

In March of this year, Honda sent a letter to certain members of its dealer network letting them know they needed to make changes to their stores. With so many Hondas leaving showroom floors, dealers are doing all right on the sales side, but some aren't performing to Honda's standards on the ...

2009 HUMMER H2 and H2 SUT will be E85 compatible 1 year ago on Autoblog

In Dallas, a businessman has spent half a million dollars to install nine pumps that dispense E85, E10, and biodiesel. The catch: the businessman is a HUMMER dealer, and the pumps are next to his dealership. The station is called Classic Clean Fuels, and it is intended to make a statement for next ...

Toyota opens new shopping mall in Japan 1 year ago on Autoblog

Kids in the U.S. want computers in their cars, but kids in Japan want computers instead of cars. Add that craziness to Japan's dwindling population and popular mass-transit options and you'll understand why the Japanese car market dropped to just 5.3 million vehicles, a 27-year low. Toyota, Japan's ...

Saturn dealers take e-tailing to the next level 1 year ago on Autoblog

Back in the 90s, many automakers tried to cut dealerships out of the business equation by selling cars online, but OEMs found out that selling vehicles wasn't as easy as it looked. Since then, automakers have stuck to supporting its dealers on the web, and Saturn plans to take online shopping to the ...

GM's retail consolidation will form "luxury superstores" 1 year ago on Autoblog

Among the many ills plaguing automakers, and General Motors in particular, is an excessive amount of dealers selling their wares through competing outlets. GM has decided to rectify the matter by combining its top three "luxury" marques – Cadillac, HUMMER and Saab – into megastores that ...

Toyota tests satellite service facilities 1 year ago on Autoblog

Toyota has so far resisted expanding its dealer body in the wake of the Japanese automaker's unprecedented climb up the sales charts. In eight years, Toyota has gone from having 15 million of its vehicles on the road to 22 million today. So far dealers have been able to keep up with the torrid sales ...

GM to accelerate dealer consolidation 1 year ago on Autoblog

GM may have just half the market share it had 30 years ago, but the Detroit-based automaker still seems to have as many dealers as McDonald's has drive-thrus. The General has slashed more than 2,000 dealerships over the past 12 years, but the company will accelerate closings in order to right-size ...

Ford bumps pricing an average of $198 on all models 1 year ago on Autoblog

Ford Motor company has bumped the prices of its domestic vehicles by an average of $198 fleet-wide, bringing the overall model year increase to $502 per car, truck, van, and utility vehicle. The only vehicles not effected by the latest increase are the Lincoln Town Car, the E-Series vans, and the ...

GM working to shrink its dealer network, Pt. 2: introducing GM Collections 1 year ago on Autoblog

Yesterday we wrote about GM's intent to shrink its 14,118-strong dealer network, with one idea to combine Pontiac, Buick, and GMC dealers into larger, more modern flagship outlets. Turns out that was only part of the plan: according to Automotive News, "General Motors is preparing to make public a ...

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Autoblog Podcast #152: Paukert Enhanced!

Chris Paukert joins the usual crew of Chris, Sam, and Dan, summarily classing up the joint.

 
 

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