All Discussions Tagged 'auto' - DealerELITE.net2024-03-29T13:45:25Zhttps://www.dealerelite.net/forum/topic/listForTag?tag=auto&feed=yes&xn_auth=noFirst try at this.tag:www.dealerelite.net,2015-05-07:5283893:Topic:4537842015-05-07T00:04:59.534ZLucas Stewarthttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/LucasStewart
<p>Hello Everyone</p>
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<p> Would it be a good idea for dealership's to have a consignment section to sell customer's used car for them? Maybe it could bring in more cash flow? Is there something like this? Example. New Inventory, Used Inventory, AS - IS or upload info to set a price and put it in a consignment section. This would be online only. </p>
<p>Hello Everyone</p>
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<p> Would it be a good idea for dealership's to have a consignment section to sell customer's used car for them? Maybe it could bring in more cash flow? Is there something like this? Example. New Inventory, Used Inventory, AS - IS or upload info to set a price and put it in a consignment section. This would be online only. </p> 'Distracted driving' at an all-time high; new approaches needed, experts saytag:www.dealerelite.net,2015-03-18:5283893:Topic:4496572015-03-18T02:16:06.693ZMike Elliotthttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeElliott
<p id="first"><span class="font-size-3">Young, inexperienced drivers have always gotten into more automobile accidents, but if you add in a lot of distractions, it's a recipe for disaster -- and a new Pacific Northwest research program is learning more about these risks while identifying approaches that may help reduce them.</span></p>
<div id="text"><p><span class="font-size-3">Distractions have been an issue since the age of the Model T, whether a driver was eating a sandwich or talking to a…</span></p>
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<p id="first"><span class="font-size-3">Young, inexperienced drivers have always gotten into more automobile accidents, but if you add in a lot of distractions, it's a recipe for disaster -- and a new Pacific Northwest research program is learning more about these risks while identifying approaches that may help reduce them.</span></p>
<div id="text"><p><span class="font-size-3">Distractions have been an issue since the age of the Model T, whether a driver was eating a sandwich or talking to a passenger. But the advent of cell phones, text messaging and heavy urban traffic has taken those distractions to a historic level, say researchers, who emphasize that there appears to be value in educating young drivers about these special risks.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">A new study of 3,000 teenage drivers in Alaska, Washington, Idaho and Oregon has found that interactive presentations administered to young drivers in a classroom or auditorium -- more than passive listening -- can have some ability to raise their awareness of this problem. Experts conclude that more work of this type should be pursued nationally.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">"Based on recent studies, anything that takes your attention away, any glance away from the road for two seconds or longer can increase the risk of an accident from four to 24 times," said David Hurwitz, an assistant professor of transportation engineering</span> in <span class="font-size-3">the College of Engineering at Oregon State University, and corresponding author of the study, which was published in the <em>Journal of Transportation Safety and Security</em>.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">"This is a dramatic increase in risk, with inexperienced drivers who are least able to handle it," he said. "The absolute worst is texting on a cell phone, which is a whole group of distractions. With texting, you're doing something besides driving, thinking about something besides driving, and looking at the wrong thing."</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">One study has equated texting on a cell phone equivalent</span> to <span class="font-size-3">driving drunk.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">While many young drivers understand the risks of texting, Hurwitz said, they are much less aware of other concerns that can be real -- eating, drinking, talking on a cell phone, smoking, adjusting the radio, changing a CD, using a digital map or other controls.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">"Automobile manufacturers have made cars significantly safer, but in the interests of passenger comfort they also continue to add more pleasant distractions within the vehicle," Hurwitz said. "More experienced drivers learn how to control these distractions, but we're finding the most problems with the very young driver, within six months of getting a license."</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Aside from</span> lack <span class="font-size-3">of experience, he said, young drivers also have a higher risk tolerance, use seat belts less, and choose higher speeds. The recent research found that 27 percent of respondents changed clothes or shoes while driving, and some worked on homework. Adding more distractions doesn't help.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">What researchers found that can help is "interactive" driver training that focuses on the issue of distractions, which can be done with driving simulators or simple computers, and can involve writing, discussion and tactile problem-solving.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">"Young people learn better when they are involved in the process, not just sitting and listening to a lecture," Hurwitz said. "We think an increase in active learning will help with this problem and can improve driver education. Students doing this can see how much better their awareness and reaction time are when they aren't distracted."</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">The research is finding some surprises, as well.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Studies are showing that "hands-free" cell phones are really no safer than a hand-held cell phone. The real distraction appears to be the driver talking to someone who is not in the car, a distant voice who's oblivious to the freeway traffic jam.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">"The evidence suggests that it may be reasonably safe to have passengers that you talk to in the car," Hurwitz said. "For one thing, if an incident happens that requires a quick reaction, everyone in the car may see it, stop talking and pay immediate attention. And you literally have more sets of eyes on the road to see upcoming problems."</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">There are some gender differences among young drivers. Females are more likely to use a cell phone while driving, and males are more likely to look away from the road while talking to others in the car.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">A large increase in this type of training will be necessary for it to become more widely integrated, the researchers said.</span></p>
</div> What's Your Opinion of the 'Credit Swagger' Ads from Experian?tag:www.dealerelite.net,2015-03-12:5283893:Topic:4484072015-03-12T11:47:51.043ZMike Elliotthttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeElliott
<p>A TV commercial for Experian that's currently running describes itself this way:</p>
<p><strong>A man buying a car comes locked and loaded with credit swagger from all of the tools and help at Experian. With his FICO score under his belt, he's milking the salesman for all he's got, plus the office shrub.…</strong></p>
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<p>A TV commercial for Experian that's currently running describes itself this way:</p>
<p><strong>A man buying a car comes locked and loaded with credit swagger from all of the tools and help at Experian. With his FICO score under his belt, he's milking the salesman for all he's got, plus the office shrub.</strong></p>
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<p>What's your opinion of this ad? I don't like it, but am I being too sensitive?</p> Non-Confrontational Buying You Don't Have to Slay The Evil Dragon to Buy a Cartag:www.dealerelite.net,2015-03-06:5283893:Topic:4477022015-03-06T02:19:55.040ZMike Elliotthttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeElliott
<p><span class="font-size-3">When you have nothing else to do one day, go down to your local library or bookstore and browse through the section where they keep the books on how to buy cars. You'll be amazed at how many there are.Here are some of the titles you may find:</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">You'll be amazed at how many there are.Here are some of the titles you may find:</span></p>
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<li><span class="font-size-3">"How to Buy a Car Without Getting</span> Cheated…</li>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">When you have nothing else to do one day, go down to your local library or bookstore and browse through the section where they keep the books on how to buy cars. You'll be amazed at how many there are.Here are some of the titles you may find:</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">You'll be amazed at how many there are.Here are some of the titles you may find:</span></p>
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<li><span class="font-size-3">"How to Buy a Car Without Getting</span> Cheated<span class="font-size-3">"</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">"Car Buying Revealed: How to Buy a Car and Not Get Taken for a</span> Ride<span class="font-size-3">"</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">"How to Buy a Used Car Without Getting Ripped</span> Off<span class="font-size-3">"</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">"Inside the Minds of Car Dealers: How to Buy Your Next Car Without Fear."</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">"How to Buy a Car: Your Step-by-Step Guide</span> in <span class="font-size-3">Buying a Car Without Getting Ripped Off."</span></li>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">Or, go online and do a search for articles and websites on car buying.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Believe me, there's no shortage of experts offering advice out there. "How To Turn the Tables on the Car Dealers." "Don't Get Taken Every Time." "Car Shopping on the Offensive: 8 Aggressive Buying Tactics." "10 Things Your Car Salesman Won't Tell You." And so on.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Notice a common theme here?</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">The theme is … they (we) are out to get you.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Practically every book and magazine article I've read on buying cars in the past 30 years is based on the assumption that the car dealer is trying to rip off buyers. This underlying assumption leads to unnecessary stress, conflict, wasted time and energy, and disappointment on the part of the customer and salesperson. Often, the result is total failure. Total failure is defined here as the customer walking out of a dealership without the car he or she wants and the dealership missing out on a sale.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">By now you may be saying to yourself, "But Mark, surely you're not suggesting that car dealerships aren't out to rip us off, are you?"</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Yes, that's exactly what I'm suggesting. While there are some real crooks out there—and, in future posts, I'll show you how to spot them—the vast majority of dealerships in America aren't out to rip you off. (I'll give you a few moments to pick yourself up off the floor and crawl back to the keyboard before we continue.)</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">The goal of every car dealership is not to rip people off, but to make a profit. There is a difference.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">The purpose of every business is to make a profit. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">That's the whole point of being in business. If you're not making a profit, there's no point in doing it. Back in the day, they used to call this the American Way. It's the foundation of our entire economic system.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">And yet, the very first thing some of the books teach you is it's wrong for a dealership to make a profit. It's every consumer's duty to go in there and deprive the dealership of its last penny by getting them to sell you a car at cost or, better yet, below cost.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">"Turn the tables on the dealer!" the experts command. Go in there and "beat the salesman at his own game!" Out-lie and out-trick and outsmart them!</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">No wonder people hate buying cars! Who wants to spend a whole afternoon, or an entire day, wrestling with a salesman over money? I know I don't, because a lot of 'em sweat pretty badly and wear cheap cologne.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">This kind of "beat 'em at their own game" approach is a prescription for conflict. It also breeds frustration and might not even lead to a better price.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Consider this: The average consumer buys five to 10 cars in a lifetime. The average salesman sells 10 to 12 cars per month. In one year, I've sold well over a hundred cars. Over the past 10 years, I've sold close to 2,000. The idea that you're going to "beat" the pro at his own game is naive. It's sort of like thinking that reading a couple of articles on boxing qualifies you to step into the ring with Mike Tyson. This kind of well-intentioned but bad advice is unfair to the consumer. And it just makes everybody's life harder.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">There is another way. Car buying need not be an adversarial process, in which a "well-armed" consumer dukes it out with a lying, conniving car salesman. You don't have to go in there and fight to the death for a good deal. All you have to do is know what's possible … and ask for it. Don't ask for the impossible; that will only lead to disappointment and frustration. Learn what's possible and ask for it, and you'll find that it's ridiculously easy to buy a car.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Now, I'm not saying that people in the car business are angels. No, no. There are some real snakes in the car business, folks who would step over their own mothers to sell a car (after first knocking her down). The old advice of caveat emptor, or buyer beware, still applies. But, things are changing for the better in our industry, and people like me in dealerships near you are doing everything they can to help the car business become more transparent and more honest. I know, because I hear from them all the time.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Here's the bottom line …Every car I've ever sold involved some sort of compromise. The customer gave up a little of what they wanted, but got a good car at a price they could afford. The dealership didn't make all the money they wanted, but in the end they made a sale and gained a new customer. Everybody won.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Doesn't this approach make more sense than trying to become an overnight ninja and slay the evil car lord in his lair?</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">In Car Salesman Confidential, I'll try to help you understand the world of car sales, explain why salespeople do what they do, and show you what's realistic and attainable—without a black belt in Kar Fu. My goal is to take the stress out of buying a car and put back some of the joy, because getting a new car should be a joyful occasion.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">My philosophy is, if you go in with the right attitude, accept the basic premise that the dealer has to make a profit on you — but not a killing — and you're willing to compromise a little, in the end you'll have the car you want at the price you want without all the headaches.</span></p>
<p><a href="http://blogs.motortrend.com/1410_car_salesman_confidential_non_confrontational_buying.html" target="_blank" style="font-size: 12pt;">Link to the Original Article</a></p> Two Words You Never Want To Hear: ‘Watch This’ (When Test Drives Go Bad)tag:www.dealerelite.net,2015-02-28:5283893:Topic:4468042015-02-28T18:12:05.615ZMike Elliotthttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeElliott
<div><h1 id="nointelliTXT"><strong><span class="font-size-3" style="font-size: 13px;">Most test drives begin and end peacefully. But when they go wrong, boy, they can really go wrong. </span></strong></h1>
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<div><div><div class="mod-article-content group"><span class="font-size-3"><br></br>Last year, <strong>Jeff Gordon</strong> did a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5mHPo2yDG8">commercial</a> for a soft drink showing him scaring the living daylights out of a car salesman on a test…</span></div>
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<h1 id="nointelliTXT"><strong><span style="font-size: 13px;" class="font-size-3">Most test drives begin and end peacefully. But when they go wrong, boy, they can really go wrong. </span></strong></h1>
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<div><div><div class="mod-article-content group"><span class="font-size-3"><br/>Last year, <strong>Jeff Gordon</strong> did a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5mHPo2yDG8">commercial</a> for a soft drink showing him scaring the living daylights out of a car salesman on a test drive. The commercial was well done and funny, but I didn’t believe it was “real,” or unstaged, for one minute. Why? Because no salesman would allow a customer to drive like that -- unless it was his first day on the job and he didn’t know any better. That’s one reason I always sit in the front seat on test drives. First of all, questions invariably arise during every test drive -- like “How do I adjust the mirror?”-- that are virtually impossible to answer from the back seat. Second, I want the customer to know I’m in control. If I need to, I’ll have the customer pull over and I’ll drive us back to the dealership. <br/><br/>For instance, there was one guy who claimed to be a dirt track driver in his youth. We went on a test drive in a used Ford Mustang GT500, and the first time he gave it a little too much gas the back end broke loose and he turned it sideways. I knew right then that A) he wasn’t a professional driver, and B) I was in for a fun ride. I just didn’t know how fun. After awhile, he seemed to get his confidence back and the next thing I know he’s looking at me with a big grin on his face, saying “Watch this.” <br/><br/>There are a couple of phrases you never want to hear on a test drive. The first is “Don’t worry, I’m a professional.” The second is “Watch this.” If you’re a salesperson and you hear either, it’s time to stop the car, immediately pull over and explain the rules to the customer, the number one rule being that the salesperson goes home alive. <br/><br/>Well, in this case, I didn’t get a chance to do that. Before I could say “Oh shoot!” this guy stomps the gas, spins the wheel, and drifts us through a right angle turn on a small street in a residential area. After we got through the turn I laughed like it was no big deal, then asked the driver to pull into the parking lot of an office building up ahead, I had something I wanted to show him. As soon as the car came to a stop, I yanked the keys out of the ignition and told him his test drive was over. He could either get in the passenger seat and let me drive him to the dealership, or I’d leave him on the side of the road and he could walk back. His choice. The customer was angry as hell, but I had the keys so he didn’t have much choice. I’ve known other salesmen who have actually made customers walk back. <br/><br/>Most of the time the customers aren’t showing off, or deliberately trying to kill you. They just don’t know any better. Like the lady who was unfamiliar with traffic circles. <br/><br/>Most of the area around my dealership is industrial, with roads laid out in straight lines in a grid prattern. But a few years ago, someone got the bright idea to build a “roundabout,” or traffic circle, at one of the major intersections to help flow. If you’ve never seen a roundabout it’s pretty simple. It’s a big circle with all the traffic inside the circle going counterclockwise. Roads intersect the circle at four points: north, south, east, and west. If you’re on one of the intersecting roads, you slow down as you approach the circle, check to see if any traffic is coming, then enter the circle, driving around it until you come to the street you want, then exit. The traffic inside the circle always has the right of way. It’s hard to describe in words, but fairly easy to figure out how it works if you ever come upon one. <br/><br/>It was anything but easy for this lady. As we approached the traffic circle at about 45 miles per hour I told her “Okay, we’re approaching a traffic circle. Just slow down up ahead and yield to the traffic that’s already in the circle.” She kept talking, telling me some silly story, not even paying attention to what I was saying. I started getting a little nervous because we were coming up on the circle pretty fast and she wasn’t slowing down. <br/><br/>So I warned her again: “Okay, now, we’re coming up on the circle. You don’t have to come to a complete stop, just slow down and yield to the traffic that’s already in the circle.” <br/><br/>She kept jabbering, not even hearing me. I looked ahead and saw there was a lot of traffic in the circle. It was rush hour and the roads were packed. I raised my voice. “Okay, now, slow down and be prepared to yield.” <br/><br/>I looked to our left and saw a big, copper-colored F-250 dualie enter the circle and turn towards us. We were on a collision course. <br/><br/>“SLOW DOWN!!!” <br/><br/>Whoosh. She entered the circle at full speed, cutting straight across as if it wasn’t even a circle, as if it was just a regular road, and exited on the other side. We barely missed the truck.<br/><br/>Then she turned to me and asked: “I’m sorry, what did you say?” <br/><br/>That’s how most of them are. They have no idea why you’ve just soiled your britches. Usually they just laugh and go “Hey, hey, you must be the nervous type!” Yep, strangely enough, I always get nervous when my life is in danger. <br/><br/><strong>If any of you have tales of harrowing test drives you’ve experienced, please share them with the rest </strong></span><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt;">of us.</span></strong></div>
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<div class="mod-article-content group"><span class="font-size-3"><a href="http://blogs.motortrend.com/1502_car_salesman_confidential_when_test_drives_go_bad.html" target="_blank">Article Link</a></span></div>
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</div> What does 2015 hold for the crazy auto industry?tag:www.dealerelite.net,2015-01-13:5283893:Topic:4418172015-01-13T10:47:16.317ZMike Elliotthttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeElliott
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<p><span class="font-size-3">Fueled by the strongest job growth in the U.S. since 1999, the auto industry is wrapping up its best sales year in nearly a decade, and optimism for 2015 is brimming like a foamy cup of eggnog.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">To challenge our own fortune-telling skills, the Free Press offers five safe and five bold predictions for 2015. For example, predicting this year's surge in auto and light truck sales didn't require much analytical magic.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">But foreseeing that gas prices would fall below $2 a gallon was a much more difficult prediction.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">And a year ago, General Motors was riding a wave of new pickups and critical acclaim for the Chevrolet Impala. The government had just sold its last shares. The skies were clear. But in mid-February, the first recall was tied to the defective ignition switches, which put the company in crisis mode for the next six months.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">So every year brings surprises that not even the </span>claivoyant<span class="font-size-3"> can see. In that spirit, we also offer some out-of-the-box scenarios that aren't all that outlandish.</span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">Safe predictions</span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">■ Sales stay strong:</span>We're<span class="font-size-3"> not at the peak of this strong auto sales cycle yet.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">TrueCar, the car-buying and selling platform, forecasts Americans will buy 17 million new cars and trucks next year, the highest level since 2005, and not too far below the industry's best-ever annual mark of 17.4 million in 2000.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">"We see a convergence of favorable economic circumstances pushing auto demand up to prerecession levels, the best consumer sentiment in eight years and low fuel prices," said John Krafcik, TrueCar president.</span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">■ Upscale still sells: People who can afford to spend a lot on their next vehicle will. Luxury cars, </span>crossover<span class="font-size-3"> and increasingly upscale pickups will sell at record prices because affluent buyers' appetite for the latest bells and whistles is not </span>sated<span class="font-size-3">.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">This is a reflection of easy credit, continued </span>low interest<span class="font-size-3"> rates and stronger income growth among wealthy consumers.</span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">■ Gas prices volatile: Prices at the pump will be more volatile as lower prices force higher-cost refiners, including some relying on Canadian tar sand crude, to cut back on production or to exit the market. Look for a moderate increase in prices beginning in late March or April as refiners switch to summer blends, but prices will settle in the $2.50 to $2.75 range by late summer and early fall.</span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">■ Sales of hybrids and plug-in electric vehicles will struggle: Except on the West Coast where climate change concerns, tax incentives and Silicon Valley's loyalty to Tesla will keep EVs off the endangered species list.</span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">■ Recalls continue: Expect the recall surge to continue, both from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the industry acting pre-emptively. New NHTSA chief Mark Rosekind must prove his regulator credibility both with his own understaffed agency and the politicians that accused his predecessors of being insufficiently vigilant.</span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">Bold predictions</span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">■ Truck price war: A price war will break out among the major pickup manufacturers, partially in retaliation against Ford's aluminum F-150, which will sell </span>well,<span class="font-size-3"> but not at the lofty profit margins Ford envisioned. Aluminum prices will rise as steel prices fall.</span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">■ CAFE standards rollback: Someone from the Detroit 3 will suggest that the Obama administration's 54.5 miles-per-gallon by 2025 standard should be revised or repealed.</span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">■ Free bicycle: Some automaker, in an effort to reach millennials, at least in selected urban markets, will offer a free bicycle and carrier, with the purchase of certain models.</span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">■ Major merger: When the industry is this hot, investment bankers come knocking on the door with all kinds of merger and acquisition deals. Expect a major bid involving two — probably European-based automakers. Don't rule out Volkswagen making a run at Fiat. Sergio Marchionne will fight it to the bitter end.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">■ UAW strikes: After a short strike against General Motors, the UAW and all three Detroit automakers will agree to a contract that grants a very small base wage increase to workers hired before 2007 and narrows the gap between them and the more recent hires. The contract also will have incentives for workers with more than 25 years of service to retire.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Contact Greg Gardner: 313-222-8762 or ggardner@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregGardner12</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"> </span><a href="http://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2014/12/28/gas-prices-aluminum-uaw-united-auto-workers/20930537/" target="_blank" style="font-size: 12pt;">Original Article</a></p>
</div> This Common Car Salesman Mistake Could Be Hurting Your Salestag:www.dealerelite.net,2015-01-10:5283893:Topic:4415032015-01-10T14:26:26.018ZMike Elliotthttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeElliott
<p><a href="http://carsalesprofessional.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/car-salesman-mistake.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img alt="This Car Salesman Mistake Could Cost You Commissions" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6323" height="394" src="http://carsalesprofessional.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/car-salesman-mistake.jpg" title="car salesman mistake" width="720"></img></a></p>
<p>When we talk about car sales basics we talk about features and benefits. Our job is to demonstrate the features and sell the benefits, blah, blah, and blah. I sure we’ve all heard more than we care to hear about features and benefits during our car sales <a href="http://carsalesprofessional.com/car-sales-training-for-success/">training</a>. The …</p>
<p><a href="http://carsalesprofessional.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/car-salesman-mistake.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img title="car salesman mistake" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6323" src="http://carsalesprofessional.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/car-salesman-mistake.jpg" alt="This Car Salesman Mistake Could Cost You Commissions" width="720" height="394"/></a></p>
<p>When we talk about car sales basics we talk about features and benefits. Our job is to demonstrate the features and sell the benefits, blah, blah, and blah. I sure we’ve all heard more than we care to hear about features and benefits during our car sales <a href="http://carsalesprofessional.com/car-sales-training-for-success/">training</a>. The <b><a href="http://carsalesprofessional.com/">car salesman</a> mistake</b> that I am referring to is why they are buying a car.</p>
<p>Lets make this real simple, when you go to the store and buy a broom do you buy it because you like the color, the comfortable handle and the styling? No, you buy it because you want clean floors.</p>
<h2>Simple Car Salesman Mistake to Fix</h2>
<p>This is where many car salesmen drop the ball. They don’t know why their customer is buying a car. There is not much sense in demonstrating and selling a benefit if the customer doesn’t care about the feature. We need to sell what our customers want to buy, not what we think they might want to buy. This simple <i>car salesman mistake</i> may be hurting your commissions.</p>
<p>People buy things to solve problems and if we dig a little deeper solving a problem means avoiding pain or experiencing pleasure. We all want to avoid pain and experience pleasure, but what does that have to do with buying and selling a car.</p>
<p>You might say that our customers buy cars for transportation, but if that were truly the case we would only be selling stripped down economy cars and cheap used cars. Sure we sell one or two of those customers a month, but most of our customers buy a car for several reasons. Reasons that they will rarely share with their car salesman.</p>
<p>Did you really think that people buy cars with leather interiors, sunroofs, alloy wheels and Bluetooth because they need basic transportation? Of course not, these are emotional reasons for buying cars and our ticket to increased sales and commissions.</p>
<p>Take the time and learn what your customer wants and needs in their next car. This <u>car salesman mistake</u> could be costing you commissions and sales. You could ask them, but they wont tell you that they want a nicer car than their friend, neighbor brother or sister. They won’t tell you that they want to look good driving their car. They won’t tell you that they want more confidence, more prestige or more respect. They won’t tell you that they want to impress their friends, coworkers and relatives.</p>
<p>All your customer is going to tell that they want is gas mileage, safety, reliability, durability and the best price. It’s the job of the car salesman to determine what is motivating their customer to purchase a new vehicle.</p>
<p>We know they don’t NEED a new car if they are trading in a two or three year old car, they want it, but why do they want a new car. You see it on a regular basis when a father comes in with his daughter to buy a car. The daughter wants styling, sporty, specific colors and accessories and the father wants safety, safety, safety (no I didn’t stutter he wants safety for his little girl) and reliability.</p>
<h2>Car Salesman Mistake That Could Cost You Gross</h2>
<p>When you are absolutely certain that your customer wants safety like the example above you are going to tailor your presentation around safety. What about the customer that isn’t so easy to read? You need to ask questions and look at the clues. Ask open-ended questions and get them talking. You will be surprised how much you will learn if you can get them comfortable and talking (sometimes more than you want to know).</p>
<p>The clues range from their trade-in or current vehicle, the way they dress, their <a href="http://carsalesprofessional.com/salary/">income</a> level, the way they talk, their level of education, where they live and the clothes they wear. All of these things will tell you something about your customer. A very common car salesman mistake is accepting what your customer says as the truth and not reading between the lines.</p>
<p><a href="http://carsalesprofessional.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/car-salesman-mistake-reasons.jpg" rel="nofollow"><img title="car salesman mistake" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-6325" src="http://carsalesprofessional.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/car-salesman-mistake-reasons.jpg" alt="Car salesman mistake reasons they buy" width="720" height="408"/></a></p>
<p>You need to find out their real reasons for buying a car, but you don’t need to discuss it with them you just need to demonstrate and sell the features and benefits that align with their wants. They are not going to tell you that they want to impress their friends, but if you tell them that their friends will be impressed their face will light up if that’s one of their reasons.</p>
<p>Their real reasons for wanting a new car are often too embarrassing to talk about so you need to be a detective/psychiatrist and then use those reasons to sell them a car.</p>
<p>One time I closed a deal and simply by putting the customer in the car and pulling up next to the showroom window so they could see their reflection and told them how good they looked. Would anyone tell a car salesman that was one of his or her reasons for buying a car? Of course they wouldn’t and that’s why being aware of this this car salesman mistake is important.</p>
<p>Once you discover the real reasons for buying a car you can focus your efforts in that direction. Remember car buyers that only use logic create “mini” deals and customers that buy with emotion pay profit and <a href="http://carsalesprofessional.com/car-salesman-tips/">tips</a>. Don’t make this car salesman mistake again and you will discover that you will sell more cars and boost your <a href="http://carsalesprofessional.com/salary/">salary</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://carsalesprofessional.com/car-salesman-mistake-hurting-sales/" target="_blank">Article Link</a></p> Vehicles recalled for safety risks go without repairstag:www.dealerelite.net,2015-01-06:5283893:Topic:4409392015-01-06T00:52:49.274ZMike Elliotthttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeElliott
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">Each day, attorney Terry Harris sets out in his trusty 2002 Honda Civic, which has 150,000 miles — and has been recalled for a variety of defects considered dangerous by safety regulators.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">Two are for air bags that can explode, sending shrapnel into the cabin. Another aims to fix a wiring problem that could make the headlights shut off suddenly.…</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">Each day, attorney Terry Harris sets out in his trusty 2002 Honda Civic, which has 150,000 miles — and has been recalled for a variety of defects considered dangerous by safety regulators.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">Two are for air bags that can explode, sending shrapnel into the cabin. Another aims to fix a wiring problem that could make the headlights shut off suddenly.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">“I think probability works in my favor. I don't feel that it is urgent,” Harris said. “If I ever take the car into the dealership, I will get it fixed. But it is not at the top of my things-to-do list.”</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">Automakers recalled about 60 million vehicles in the United States in 2014, almost double the previous record set a decade ago.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">But as many as 35 million of these vehicles have not been repaired, according to some estimates — even though many have defects that have been linked to multiple fatalities.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">“Any vehicle that is unrepaired is a risk,” said David Friedman, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's deputy administrator.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">GM has repaired a little more than 60 percent of almost 2 million older cars equipped with a defective ignition switch linked to at least 42 deaths. But that leaves about 700,000 unrepaired cars on roads. At any minute, the ignition switch can shift off, causing the driver to lose control.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">It's not the only potentially deadly problem. About 14 million vehicles from Honda, Toyota, Nissan, BMW, Ford, Chrysler and other brands were recalled in 2014 because they have defective Takata air bag inflators. In a crash, the air bags can fail to deploy correctly and will shoot metal fragments inside the car.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">The problem is connected to at least five deaths, according to the Center for Auto Safety. Less than 10 percent have been fixed, said Clarence Ditlow, the center's executive director.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">Automakers have repaired about 40 percent of vehicles recalled in 2014, leaving more than 35 million vehicles with uncorrected defects, he said.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">“There's no doubt someone else is going to die,” Ditlow said.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">Some vehicles don't get fixed because people decide their car is running well, and they don't want to take the time, Friedman said. Others never learn of the recall.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">“How do you target people who don't have English as their primary language, who are not on Facebook or Twitter?” Friedman asked. “We have to start thinking about marketing recalls in the same way automakers sell new cars.”</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">That's what GM is trying to do. The automaker is dealing with one of the biggest recall scandals in automotive history — and being investigated by the Department of Justice, Congress and NHTSA for not recalling the cars with the ignition switch problem much earlier.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">Judging from the $1.2 billion federal fine Toyota paid out in 2014 — it admitted that it misled regulators and consumers about recalls — GM is likely to pay a similarly high penalty. It has set up a compensation fund expected to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to those injured in crashes or to survivors of those killed.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">“We have used every possible communications channel to try to motivate people to bring their vehicles in,” said </span>Ryndee<span class="font-size-3"> Carney, a GM spokeswoman.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">First there were traditional methods: direct mail, telephone calls and asking dealers to reach out to their customers. There's also been pervasive news coverage, including congressional hearings and NHTSA announcements.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">“Over 99 percent of the people in the U.S. were aware of the recall, but we still did not have as many people as we wanted coming in to get their cars fixed,” Carney said.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">GM handed the problem to its marketing team, which researched why owners weren't responding. Many were the third, fourth or even fifth owner of the car; any dealer link to dealer service was broken several owners ago.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">Many owners didn't know they could get a loaner car during the repairs and weren't willing to give up their vehicle for a day. Older owners were confused by the recall process. There might not have been replacement parts available when they contacted a dealer, and they didn't know they could try again, Carney said.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">GM set up a call center with 72 agents to contact owners of unrepaired cars, who turned out to be concentrated in Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, Chicago and New York. Because the communities with a high percentage of unrepaired vehicles have a large number of Spanish speakers, GM brought in bilingual agents.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">The automaker tried to lure younger owners by offering $25 gift cards to seven national retailers if they would get their cars fixed. That program continues through January. Tens of thousands of people have taken advantage of it, Carney said.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">In Dallas, GM offered tickets to the Texas State Fair and courtesy transportation back and forth from dealer repair shops. That brought in more than 700 vehicles. It tried the same in Los Angeles, with free tickets to the LA Auto Show, but fewer than 200 people responded.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">The automaker tapped “big data” to reach people. It shared owner names and car registration data for unrepaired vehicles with Tustin data marketing firm Acxiom. Acxiom then used the information to post messages on how to get the car repaired on the individual's Facebook page or while they were playing online games such as Candy Crush Saga or Words with Friends, Carney said.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">These efforts helped GM get 60 percent of the cars repaired in about nine months, one of the best rates among large recalls in such a time period, Friedman said.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">All automakers should adopt GM's approach, Friedman said.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">Other strategies could get cars repaired more quickly, Ditlow said.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3">State departments of motor vehicles should have a digital tie-in to the NHTSA's federal database, notifying state officials if a car being registered has an outstanding recall repair, Ditlow said. They then could force the owner to repair the car being registering, he said.</span></p>
<p class="[No paragraph style]"><span class="font-size-3"><a href="http://triblive.com/business/headlines/7486852-74/vehicles-car-cars#axzz3NxTWFbtL" target="_blank">Link to Article</a></span></p> What Back To The Future Part 2 Tells Us About The Cars Of 2015tag:www.dealerelite.net,2015-01-04:5283893:Topic:4405962015-01-04T03:53:11.263ZMike Elliotthttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeElliott
<div class="meta-container"><div class="post-dropdown-ct js_post-dropdown-ct js_post-dropdown-ct-sticky"><p class="has-media media-640"><span class="font-size-3"><img alt="What Back To The Future Part 2 Tells Us About The Cars Of 2015 " class="js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair" height="288" src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--lH1KITkm--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/xy4bjhlpsq6fowzdzilf.jpg" width="636"></img> EXPAND</span></p>
<p class="first-text"><span class="font-size-3">You know where I'm planning to go soon but have never been? <a href="http://backtothefuture.wikia.com/wiki/2015" target="_blank">2015</a>. It sure sounds exciting, right? And while I, in my colossal hubris, think I have a pretty good idea of what the cars will…</span></p>
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<div class="meta-container"><div class="post-dropdown-ct js_post-dropdown-ct js_post-dropdown-ct-sticky"><p class="has-media media-640"><span class="font-size-3"><img src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--lH1KITkm--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/xy4bjhlpsq6fowzdzilf.jpg" width="636" height="288" alt="What Back To The Future Part 2 Tells Us About The Cars Of 2015 " class="js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair"/>EXPAND</span></p>
<p class="first-text"><span class="font-size-3">You know where I'm planning to go soon but have never been? <a href="http://backtothefuture.wikia.com/wiki/2015" target="_blank">2015</a>. It sure sounds exciting, right? And while I, in my colossal hubris, think I have a pretty good idea of what the cars will be like in 2015, I've barely been here. But I know what has: <em>Back To The Future Part 2. </em>So let's learn from BTTF2 about what we can expect, </span>automotively<span class="font-size-3">, this new year.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">To clarify for those of you not well-versed in the <em>Back To The Future</em> series of movies (documentaries, I believe): in the second installment in the series, <a href="http://jalopnik.com/these-are-the-absurdly-great-cars-of-the-back-to-the-fu-450778851">a time-traveling DeLorean</a> is used to travel from 1985 to 1955 and then, eventually, to 2015. You can get a more detailed rundown of the plot and <a href="http://backtothefuture.wikia.com/wiki/2015" target="_blank">what happens in 2015 here</a>, but for our purposes we can simply say that this is the best, most detailed view we have of the world of 2015, and as such there's a great deal we can learn about the cars that we'll be driving in just a few week's time. </span></p>
<p></p>
<br />
<div class="container"><div class="referenced-item"><div class="columns small-4 medium-3 referenced-item-image referenced-item-processed"><span class="font-size-3"><a href="http://jalopnik.com/these-are-the-absurdly-great-cars-of-the-back-to-the-fu-450778851" target="_blank"><img src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--PbApLzrK--/c_fill,fl_progressive,g_center,h_77,q_80,w_137/18g96t1ib8fzcjpg.jpg"/></a></span></div>
<h6 class="headline"><span class="font-size-3"><a href="http://jalopnik.com/these-are-the-absurdly-great-cars-of-the-back-to-the-fu-450778851" target="_blank">These Are The Absurdly Great Cars Of The Back To The Future Trilogy</a></span></h6>
<p class="text small-offset-3"><span class="font-size-3">Last weekend, the weather in the District of Columbia was rainy, gross and cold, as it often is…<a href="http://jalopnik.com/these-are-the-absurdly-great-cars-of-the-back-to-the-fu-450778851" class="js_readmore readmore-referenced" target="_blank">Read more</a></span></p>
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<p><span class="font-size-3">Of course, this is an incredible resource, so let's examine it in detail:</span></p>
<p class="has-media media-640"><span class="font-size-3"><img src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--an5QskWf--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/yi88tqhjz4nxm9gfbmx6.jpg" width="636" height="357" alt="What Back To The Future Part 2 Tells Us About The Cars Of 2015 " class="js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair"/>EXPAND<span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/winches-will-become-passe-and-the-4wd-scene-will-be-fo-1677116215" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">1</a></span><span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/beetles-will-make-a-comeback-for-some-reason-1677117248" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">2</a></span><span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/wooo-last-starfighter-1677147450" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">3</a></span></span></p>
<h4><span class="font-size-3">Pontiac will make a comeback.</span></h4>
<p><span class="font-size-3">This may be the biggest shocker of all, seeing as how Pontiac's been dead and buried since 2010. But, there's a Pontiac dealer, clear as day, right there in that <em>actual picture</em> from 2015. The actual date of arrival in 2015 in the movie is in October, so that gives GM about 10 months or so to get the Pontiac dealership network up and running again. I hope that new Sunfire is as great as I'm imagining!</span></p>
<h4 class="has-media media-640"><span class="font-size-3"><img src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--51_P6G_e--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/qoxc0piccg4qk3zgaddf.jpg" width="636" height="357" alt="What Back To The Future Part 2 Tells Us About The Cars Of 2015 " class="js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair"/>EXPAND</span></h4>
<h4><span class="font-size-3">Hovercar conversions will be expensive, but still reasonable, considering.</span></h4>
<p><span class="font-size-3">I suppose it's also big news that cars will have flying capabilities, seeming via some sort of anti-gravity mechanisms. The cars don't seem to rely on aerodynamics to fly, and they can lift and hover sort of like a drone, but without rotors, so it looks like sometime before October 2015 we should see that technology introduced and spread around in a big way.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">For owners of vintage cars like myself, I'm happy to see that conversions to </span>hoverers<span class="font-size-3"> are possible, at prices right around $40 grand. Sure, that's a lot, but you are getting a pretty substantial upgrade in what your car can do. It doesn't look like much effort has been spent on the </span>aesthetics<span class="font-size-3"> of the conversions, though.<span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/i-agree-40-000-to-make-your-car-fly-like-a-fucking-pl-1677102085" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">4</a></span></span></p>
<p class="has-media media-640"><span class="font-size-3"><img src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--t12gkNzP--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/ngxd37vzft7tvo3viecq.jpg" width="636" height="357" alt="What Back To The Future Part 2 Tells Us About The Cars Of 2015 " class="js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair"/>EXPAND<span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/1st-gen-ford-probe-with-the-rear-glass-from-early-90s-c-1677099456" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">5</a></span><span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/unlikely-that-the-popup-headlights-will-meet-us-regulat-1677100035" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">6</a></span><span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/well-based-on-the-discussion-around-the-new-7-series-y-1677102255" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">7</a></span><span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/want-1677116809" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">8</a></span><span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/haha-never-noticed-this-before-thats-totally-the-car-f-1677122362" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">9</a></span>...<span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/oh-wow-apteras-bringing-out-a-new-model-this-year-1677193432" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">11</a></span></span></p>
<h4><span class="font-size-3">There will be comebacks of some unlikely nameplates.</span></h4>
<p><span class="font-size-3">It's not really shocking when a car company brings back or makes a modern version of an iconic nameplate like the Mini or the Fiat 500 or the Thunderbird or Camaro or Mustang — but a Probe? It sounds weird to us now, but there it is, plain as day, a 2015 Ford Probe.<span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/pretty-sure-thats-an-mx-6-bro-1677098195" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">12</a></span><span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/do-we-know-its-actually-a-2015-probe-or-are-people-not-1677116191" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">13</a></span></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">The 2015 Probe keeps the original's front end </span>treatment,<span class="font-size-3"> but updates the design with some heavily skirted rear wheels and a novel, seemingly opaque windshield-and-hood-covering body panel. It looks like it helps the aerodynamics a lot, at the expense of minor issues like visibility and boring shit like that.</span></p>
<p class="has-media media-640"><span class="font-size-3"><img src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--dL57wjty--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/lvlsv04unlmekwxk0nb5.jpg" width="636" height="357" alt="What Back To The Future Part 2 Tells Us About The Cars Of 2015 " class="js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair"/>EXPAND<span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/2015-also-marks-the-triumphant-return-of-rectangular-he-1677141210" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">14</a></span></span></p>
<h4><span class="font-size-3">Substantial, </span>full-wheel<span class="font-size-3"> covers will become the norm.<span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/theyre-already-showing-up-on-big-rigs-for-the-purpose-o-1677110123" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">15</a></span></span></h4>
<p><span class="font-size-3">You know how pretty much everything today has alloy wheels with plenty of venting for brakes and all that good stuff? Kiss it goodbye, because come 2015 we're all going to be rocking bulky, fully-enclosed wheel covers that seem to even cover part of the tire. </span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Some of these, like the ones on this Jeep, seem large enough that they may be enclosing some sort of hub-mounted wheel motors or perhaps </span>anti-grav<span class="font-size-3"> components for the hover system. I think the big </span>take-away<span class="font-size-3"> here is that next year we're all going to have to be a lot </span>more aware<span class="font-size-3"> of curbs when </span>parallel-parking<span class="font-size-3">.</span></p>
<p class="has-media media-640"><span class="font-size-3"><img src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--kTiOMPg5--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/fnhtoavbzz0f6bcepxzb.jpg" width="636" height="357" alt="What Back To The Future Part 2 Tells Us About The Cars Of 2015 " class="js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair"/>EXPAND<span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/this-is-the-only-part-that-seems-viable-to-me-you-see-1677100071" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">16</a></span><span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/it-looks-like-we-also-win-the-war-against-the-xur-and-t-1677111548" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">17</a></span><span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/this-car-is-a-spaceship-like-really-ask-centuari-1677162772" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">18</a></span><span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/saab-fiero-1677231814" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">19</a></span></span></p>
<h4><span class="font-size-3">Some of us will still drive archaic old Beetles in the future.</span></h4>
<p><span class="font-size-3">This is probably the only one of these predictions I would have been able to make myself, since I know what I'm going to be driving a bunch this year. I'm excited to get a set of those </span>full-wheel<span class="font-size-3"> covers for my Beetle, too. Since every car seems to have them, maybe they're some government-mandated thing? I guess we'll all find out soon.</span></p>
<p class="has-media media-640"><span class="font-size-3"><img src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--NU-58lTj--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/pjhphsqrr3yu7ylyf4mf.jpg" width="636" height="357" alt="What Back To The Future Part 2 Tells Us About The Cars Of 2015 " class="js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair"/>EXPAND<span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/this-appears-to-be-the-39-999-95-hover-conversion-as-m-1677110300" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">20</a></span><span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/wait-how-do-the-wheels-turn-then-1677277179" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">21</a></span></span></p>
<h4><span class="font-size-3">The world of BMW customization will take a very strange turn.<span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/damn-you-hamann-1677099421" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">22</a></span></span></h4>
<p><span class="font-size-3">BMW modifiers tend to follow a pretty specific set of </span>aesthetic<span class="font-size-3"> criteria, generally. Monochrome, body kits, clean lines, that sort of thing. There's not a lot of two-tone, graphical paint jobs, convertible conversions, or massive hood scoops. Looks like that's about to change come this year.</span></p>
<p>Also<span class="font-size-3"> notable is the strange highly external propulsion system on this car. It's possible this is a hoverer conversion, or perhaps BMW is migrating their drivetrains to be electric, AWD systems that mount outside the car for easy upgrades and servicing. I'll check in at a BMW dealer in a month or so to get the full story.<span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/hello-torch-anybody-home-its-a-39-999-95-hover-conve-1677110693" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">23</a></span></span></p>
<p class="has-media media-640"><span class="font-size-3"><img src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--vZOz3xuY--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/ynqhsbdpizjw0eteq9ws.jpg" width="636" height="357" alt="What Back To The Future Part 2 Tells Us About The Cars Of 2015 " class="js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair"/>EXPAND<span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/also-the-ford-tempo-collector-market-will-make-a-resur-1677099067" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">24</a></span><span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/ford-tempo-with-the-tubes-package-available-late-2015-1677099896" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">25</a></span></span></p>
<h4><span class="font-size-3">We will finally be getting over our fear of vibrant colors and two-tones and graphics on cars.</span></h4>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Personally, I'll be delighted for this to happen in 2015. I'm sick to death of every other car being silver or white, and I can't wait to see more vivid colors, two-tone paint jobs, and dramatic graphics and stripes on cars again. Things were getting so boring! It's about damn time.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Plus, I really like the new option of colored, patterned tires. That feels fresh and new.</span></p>
<p class="has-media media-640"><span class="font-size-3"><img src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--_bBYfnOh--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/rhavrjst06mditin8dnn.jpg" width="636" height="357" alt="What Back To The Future Part 2 Tells Us About The Cars Of 2015 " class="js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair"/>EXPAND<span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/we-all-know-how-that-story-ends-1677103518" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">26</a></span></span></p>
<h4><span class="font-size-3">It looks like specialized police vehicles will become a thing after all.</span></h4>
<p><span class="font-size-3">In the past couple years, we saw companies like <a href="http://jalopnik.com/failed-carbon-motors-police-car-prototype-goes-to-auct-1465129344">Carbon</a> fail to sell their specialized police vehicles, and there seemed to be no way a small, low-volume company could ever compete with the Big Three Or So for making fleet vehicles like police cars. Looks like we were very wrong, since this cop car clearly appears to be a specialized vehicle.</span></p>
<p class="has-media media-640"><span class="font-size-3"><img src="http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s---TIFli7M--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/nhczsczodxx2raw5qe3j.jpg" width="636" height="357" alt="What Back To The Future Part 2 Tells Us About The Cars Of 2015 " class="js_annotatable-image cursor-crosshair"/>EXPAND</span></p>
<h4><span class="font-size-3">Citroën is coming back to the US!<span><a href="http://jalopnik.com/does-that-mean-amgamgamgamgamg-ey-em-gee-1677100026" class="js_annotation-footnote-link annotation-footnote-link proxima">27</a></span></span></h4>
<p><span class="font-size-3">I saved this one for last, because I think it's the one I'm most excited about — Citroën hasn't been in the US since the early 70s, and I miss them every day. It looks like by </span>2015<span class="font-size-3"> they'll be back on our shores, selling what appears to be some sort of updated, retro-look DS, at least to fleets as a cab.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">The new DS has a good bit of extra bumper protection and some very substantial looking door pillars, but the shape is all old DS, which is fine by me. I'm guessing the confusing dazzle-paint is the livery of the cab company, and not a Citroën factory option, but who knows.</span></p>
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<div class="post-content entry-content new-annotation"><p><span class="font-size-3"><a href="http://jalopnik.com/what-back-to-the-future-part-2-tells-us-about-the-cars-1676056439" target="_blank">Article Link</a></span></p>
</div> Six Ways Dealers Make Their Inventory Stand Outtag:www.dealerelite.net,2015-01-01:5283893:Topic:4406402015-01-01T17:36:03.047ZMike Elliotthttps://www.dealerelite.net/profile/MikeElliott
<p><span class="font-size-3">While working with non-automotive businesses, we’ve seen how managers of brands respond when they need to drive sales volume.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Coca-Cola sales slowed in 2013. The company’s response? An innovation of new product including personalized Coke cans with the first names of consumers on them, plus “green” Coke with lower sugar and a container with a natural logo design. Sales and market share have climbed.…</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">While working with non-automotive businesses, we’ve seen how managers of brands respond when they need to drive sales volume.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Coca-Cola sales slowed in 2013. The company’s response? An innovation of new product including personalized Coke cans with the first names of consumers on them, plus “green” Coke with lower sugar and a container with a natural logo design. Sales and market share have climbed.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">The auto industry has entered a phase of transparent pricing. Instead of becoming defensive, dealers should get innovative.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Consumer still enjoying buying a new car, but clearly the rules have changed. Maybe now, they really want to buy “their” car.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">When we work with successful dealership principals across the country, some creativeness jumps out at us. I’ll describe some of them. But there’s no limit to the imagination and creativity of a car dealer.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">If I visit 10 Chevrolet stores, most look the same. They all feature that same ’15 Trailblazers in the same black, silver and white colors at the same price, lined up the same way.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">But, there are always interesting dealers who change the buyer experience.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">When I speak with them about their store’s financials, they often are more profitable, even if their sales volume isn’t as high as some competitors.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">So let’s review some best practices, inventory management and creative decisions that you can build profit. Let’s start with what Disney defines as “the moment.”</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">What do shoppers see at your dealership the moment they pull up? Does something grab their attention?</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Here are a few innovative things I’ve observed from working with dealers over the past 20 years:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span class="font-size-3">In Florida, I saw several of the same vehicle model lined up. But they were of different bright colors. It looked like jelly beans all in a row. They had attractive prices on the windshields. Consumers got excited.</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">A Detroit dealership had every showroom unit accessorized, selling them as high-profit vehicles. This was also one of the state’s top-volume dealerships.</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">Another dealership had a pickup truck in the showroom, and in the bed was a tall menu board of every offered option expressed in low monthly payments (Roof-top fog lights for only $3 a month, for example.)</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">In California, I studied a dealership that lined up every <a href="http://wardsauto.com/taxonomy/term/53589?intlink=incontent" title="News about Ford">Ford</a> model from </span>compact<span class="font-size-3"> to sedan to oversized SUV with the actual lease payment advertised on a sign atop the roof of each. I watched customers walking down the row and stopping at what was like their current payment. What a great way to qualify buyers.</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">In South Carolina, I saw a pickup with custom leather seats, accents and pinstripes all in the colors of the nearby major university. Instantly, a regular Ram became a “University-Series Special.” It could not have cost this dealer more than $2,000 to make the truck special and alluring to alumni.</span></li>
<li><span class="font-size-3">In Utah, a local hunting and fishing TV celebrity had his own limited edition of a “tough guy” pickup truck customized by a local dealer. The truck included the TV program logo embroidered on the seats plus all the accessories needed to handle the rugged Utah landscape. It sold well.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span class="font-size-3">In an era of transparent pricing, innovation on the car lot is a key profit builder.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Sometimes, I hear dealers complain about not being able to get hot-selling inventory from the factory. But a dealer can create his or her own hot product through clever accessorizing and displaying.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Consider creating an exclusive line only available at your store. Why fight other dealers in an era of transparent pricing when all the consumer really wants is personalization and customization at a great value? </span></p>