Inside Automotive
Enhancing your dealers’ brands to reach your customers where they are — Matt Bowers | Matt Bowers Auto Group
Dealers are seeing more inventory- meaning their lots are filling back up. In fact, the Matt Bowers Auto Group, based near New Orleans, Louisiana, has had several stores lead their markets in a new volume in May. On today’s Inside Automotive, we’re joined by Matt Bowers, Owner of Matt Bowers Auto Group, to discuss the new volume and other business happening for the Group. Watch full segment here.
Top Stories
J.D. Power and GlobalData forecast a monthly new vehicle sales total of over 1.38 million units this June, placing the automotive industry well ahead of its position during the same period last year. According to the joint report, June’s total fleet and retail volume will be 22.6% higher than in 2022. Excluding fleet customers, dealers sold roughly 1.11 million retail units, a slightly lower increase of 16.6%. Assuming these estimates are accurate, the automotive industry will have sold a mid-year total of 4.12 million new vehicles by July. Read More
Current GOP frontrunner Donald Trump criticized the automotive industry’s electric vehicle transition during a weekend event in Michigan. Trump made the remarks at the Lincoln Day Dinner, hosted on Sunday, June 25, by Oakland County Republicans. The presidential candidate told attendees that the “maniacal push” towards widespread electric vehicle adoption would “decimate” Michigan manufacturing jobs. Trump also targeted gas-powered vehicle bans, currently planned in multiple states such as California. Read More
After receiving complaints about modifications meant to stop vehicles from unexpectedly rolling away while in park, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, is looking into Ford’s recall of more than a quarter million Explorer SUVs in the U.S. The initial recall covers particular 2020 through 2022 Explorers with 2.3-liter engines and three-liter and 3.3-liter hybrids. According to the agency, the issue was fixed by a software update created to deploy the electronic parking brake if the drive shaft failed and was attributed to fractures of a rear axle mounting bolt that might cause the drive shaft to disengage. Read More
Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen brand, VW, pledged to make vehicles easier for passengers and drivers, claiming touch-sensitive controls “did a lot of damage” to the company’s connection with customers. According to Schäfer, the new VW Tiguan crossover‘s cabin demonstrates the brand’s departure from controls that have received widespread criticism for being challenging to use while driving. The Tiguan eliminates climate control sliders and haptic steering-wheel buttons. Read More
For Dealers
Boosting BEV sales: the power of app training for dealerships
The automotive industry is in the throes of a significant shift towards battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), with mobile applications playing an increasingly instrumental role in the driving experience. However, dealerships must understand that high app usage does not necessarily mean high customer satisfaction. Therefore, let’s consider the pivotal role of app training in enhancing the customer experience and, in turn, driving BEV sales. Read More
Why automotive marketers should leverage short-form video content + 5 practical strategies
In the modern world of marketing, short and long-form video are highly effective ways to communicate your message. With the presence of Facebook and Instagram reels and the rise of TikTok, videos are an important way to communicate with customers in a form they trust and understand. We’ll discuss short-form video content and how you can use it to connect with current and potential future customers. Read More
