Inside Automotive:
How car dealers can drive more customers to their inventory with Google vehicle ads
Google is making things a little easier for car dealers and potential customers with the recent launch of vehicle ads. Ken Garff Automotive Group piloted the program, which shows nearby cars for sale to consumers, and the group has been using these ads ever since. Today on Inside Automotive, we’re pleased to welcome Google’s Head of Automotive Retail, Lissette Gole, and Nate Sato, Director of Digital Marketing at Ken Garff Automotive, to discuss this recent development further. Watch the complete segment here.
Headlines:
Recent filings from the Securities and Exchange Commission indicated that Tesla CEO Elon Musk sold over $8 billion in Tesla shares throughout last week. Musk did not provide his motivation behind the sale of 9.6 million shares but said on Twitter that he had no plans to sell any more at that time. Musk agreed to purchase Twitter for $44 billion last week, but the move will require regulatory clearance and shareholder approval. Shares of Tesla dropped 12% in the middle of the week before slightly bouncing back on Friday.
Stellantis Chief Executive Officer Carlos Tavares said last week that he doesn’t believe the semiconductor chip shortage will end this year and will instead drag into 2023. He said the largest problem is a lack of suppliers due to their operational issues. Still, he indicated that some of the automaker’s suppliers have been able to recover to some extent. Tavares said that Stellantis will continue to be mindful of the chip shortage while producing its vehicles and added that all automakers are also being affected by the conflict in Ukraine.
16 states sued the U.S. Postal Service and Postmaster Louis DeJoy last week, alleging that their ten-year business plan will do more harm than good for the environment. The states argue that more electric vehicles need to be purchased as part of their new fleet. The current plan is to buy 165,000 so-called next-generation delivery vehicles over the next ten years, and the Postal Service said 20% of these will be electric. The plaintiffs in all three lawsuits filed last week claim that the Postal Service’s plan is detrimental to the environment and fiscally irresponsible.
Lion Electric Company said last week that it has plans to help school districts around the U.S. receive the funding needed to obtain zero-emission school buses for their fleets. The recently-passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs act allocates a total of $5 billion for the so-called ‘Clean School Bus Program.’ Priority districts are eligible for funding of up to $375,000 per bus, while other districts can receive up to $250,000 per bus. Some buses will likely be produced by Lion Electric Itself, said the company has a team that will be helping school districts submit applications and secure funding.
News & Opinion:
How to prepare for your new career as a car salesperson
Car sales continue to grow, and you may be looking to join the sales team at the dealership. However, you’ll need more than a driver’s license to make your sales. You’ll also need to enjoy and be good at what you do. And although your consumer can find the value of the vehicle they want, they’ll depend upon you to provide something they can’t always find—knowledge, understanding, preparation, and selfless guidance. When you’ve decided that you want to pursue a career in car sales, it’s essential to prepare. So here are a few things you should do to get started. Read More
4 SEO tweaks for a bump in online traffic to your car dealership
In the age of digital everything, it’s all but guaranteed that car shoppers will be online from the beginning stages of their vehicle search right up to the point they contact the dealership. It culminates in more than a dozen hours online, and there’s extremely high competition for their attention. Buying ads can help a dealership get their store ahead of others in Google listings, but the little word – “Ad” – at the start of the listing often deters shoppers from clicking on it. Stand out in the digital world with a few key strategies in search engine optimization or SEO. Read More
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