Inside Automotive
Could your dealership benefit from an in-store clinic? — Melissa DeMontrond | DeMontrond Auto Group
When most people hear the phrase in-store clinic, they typically picture some small, lonely alcove shoved into the corner of a Walmart or Publix, often next to a nail salon or optician’s office. However, as dealers are about to learn, improving access to healthcare can be beneficial not just for consumers and employees but for businesses as well. On this episode of Inside Automotive, host Jim Fitzpatrick is joined by Melissa DeMontrond, president of the DeMontrond Auto Group. Watch full segment here.
Top Stories
Toyota delivered several updates in the wake of its third-quarter report, highlighting the speed with which the brand has recovered from its post-pandemic inventory constraints. On Wednesday, the automaker adjusted its earnings forecasts after revealing its third-quarter profit had increased more than 150% year-over-year to $9.52 billion due to a weakening yen, improving cost-efficiency and stronger global demand for both ICE cars and green-energy vehicles. Read More
Hyundai Motor America continued to see stronger year-over-year sales in October, according to its monthly sales report published Wednesday. The South Korean brand recorded sales of 60,805 vehicles in the U.S., an improvement of 0.3% from last October. The percentage represents the 15th consecutive month that Hyundai has seen sales improve from the prior-year period. Read More
Ford is increasing the number of chargers in its BlueOval Charge Network in North America by 25%, bringing the total to more than 106,000. The BlueOval Charge Network in the U.S. and Canada now includes three additional charging providers from Ford: Blink, Red E, and Francis Energy. These new providers, like the existing ones, will benefit from embedded charger routing and simple payment options with FordPass. Read More
A significant win for Tesla, which currently is the subject of several lawsuits and federal investigations pertaining to driver assistance technology, came on October 31 when it emerged victorious in the first U.S. trial concerning allegations that its Autopilot feature caused a fatal accident. With this verdict, Tesla achieved its second significant victory of the year, as juries refuse to conclude that the company’s software is flawed. Read More
For Dealers
Your best F&I trainers may already be under your roof
When it comes to training your newer F&I managers, who do you trust to do it? Senior managers? Your Director? Or do you use your F&I provider through their field trainers or enroll new hires in their offsite ‘schools’? There may be a good argument to be made for simply doing it yourself. Before you think ‘This is crazy…our provider has been handling our training for decades now. Why would I change what’s been working?’ Fair point but there are a few things to keep in mind about the older way of handling training for F&I. Read More
Auto dealers and digital retailing: a modern marriage
It’s well established that evolving consumer preferences and technological advancements have transformed the car buying process in recent years — with auto shoppers, buyers and dealers embracing a more digital approach to auto retailing. The shift to digital has presented opportunities for auto dealers; 87% said digital retailing solutions have positively impacted at least one area of their businesses. But as we know, few evolutions come without challenges. Read More
