Today’s Featured Interview:
Mar-Kee Group President David Martin on automotive sales training through the pandemic
As the pandemic roles on, the retail automotive industry is being reshaped. Roles and training for many positions are being reworked, but what should that look like? On today’s show, we’re pleased to welcome David Martin, President and Co-Founder of the Mar-Kee Group, to discuss sales and management training through the pandemic and beyond. Watch the full segment here.
Top Headlines:
Near the end of September, CBT News broke the news that the 2021 NADA Show was going to be held virtually. Nearly three weeks later, NADA has made the move official. In a press release, NADA announced that the 2021 show, which was originally scheduled to be held in New Orleans in January, would be moved to all-virtual in February. The new date for the virtual experience will be February 9 through February 11. Registration for the new show is expected to open in the coming weeks.
Ford’s team of white-collar workers are going to be staying home a little longer. The automaker announced that salaried employees will continue to work remotely into July of 2021. The extension of the company’s remote-work implementation follows General Motors’ decision to keep its office workers home through June of next year. To this point, Ford has said that salaried employees would not be expected back until January. However, the company recently found that 75% of employees preferred staying home based on results from an employee survey. The automaker plans to reevaluate the situation at the end of the year.
Ford’s rival, GM, is temporarily shutting down its Corvette plant. The shutdown at the company’s assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky was enforced due to a parts issue. The work stoppage impacts approximately 1,400 employees at the plant. In a statement, GM says that it hopes to get the plant back up in running by Monday, October 19.
Despite a solid third quarter, Volkswagen’s Audi sector expects to report lower sales in 2020. The company said that despite great numbers in Q3, Audi will not be able to make up for losing ground due to the April and May shutdowns. September has been the best sales month for the luxury brand across all global markets, and Audi hopes to build on that momentum in the final quarter of the year.
News Stories & Opinion:
Chevy dealership in Albany, NY issues quick response to COVID-19 cluster
Albany County has been experiencing an influx of coronavirus cases and on Oct 10, a dealership in the county voluntarily closed their doors for 10 days when a cluster was identified. DePaula Chevrolet on Central Avenue in Albany was issued the notice on Friday by the health department, according a story published by the Times Union. Read More
Four FCA technical business leaders receive awards at Women of Color STEM conference
As of 2017, only 11.5% of science and engineering employees were women of color. Additionally, this group only represented 14.1% of Bachelor degree holders in STEM fields. Nevertheless, automakers like FCA and events like Women of Color in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) look to bring more attention to the initiative of propelling more women—particularly women of color—into STEM fields. Read More
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