Inside Automotive
Emerging trends in online car shopping behaviors — Matt VanDyke | Shift Digital
The proliferation of online car shopping and digital retail in the automotive industry has presented both opportunities and challenges for dealers. While customers are gravitating towards e-commerce in increasing numbers, many still prefer an in-store experience, making it difficult for dealers to divide their focus between the two groups effectively. On this episode of Inside Automotive, host Jim Fitzpatrick is joined by Matt VanDyke, president of Shift Digital and former CEO of FordDirect. Watch full segment here.
Top Stories
United Auto Workers members reached a tentative deal with Mack Trucks over the weekend, narrowly avoiding a new wave of strikes against the Volvo-owned automaker as the union continues to disrupt Detroit-Three operations. Roughly 4,000 employees agreed to a new contract just before the Sunday night deadline. In a statement, Mack Trucks president Stephen Roy noted, “The terms of this tentative agreement would deliver significantly increased wages and continue first-class benefits for Mack employees and their families.” Read More
Tesla and Rivian have shared their quarterly delivery and production numbers, giving insight into the emerging electric vehicle segment’s progress as the industry prepares for the final three months of 2023. Tesla saw both sales and manufacturing decline from the April-June period, placing the company’s performance slightly behind expectations for the third quarter. Read More
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on October 2 that it was enhancing and broadening its investigation into 708,000 Ford trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) related to catastrophic engine failures tied to a faulty valve. The agency says under regular driving conditions, vehicles without warning may experience a loss of power due to catastrophic engine failure related to a potentially faulty valve in 2.7 L and 3.0 L EcoBoost engines. Read More
According to UAW Local 1005 President Dan Schwartz, General Motors has laid off 130 union employees at the Parma Metal Center in Parma, Ohio. A statement from GM claims that 34 union employees at the Marion Metal Center in Marion, Indiana, have also been let go. These layoffs coincide with a UAW strike that is intensifying at plants in other states. GM’s statement also declares, “The decision by the UAW leadership to announce a strike at the GM Wentzville Assembly and now the GM Lansing Delta Township Assembly continues to have detrimental impacts. Read More
For Dealers
It’s time to mystery shop your dealership’s online car buying process
While you may use mystery shopping to assess your dealership’s in-person sales, do you take the same measures for online car buying? Failing to do so could be costing you business. Keep reading as we walk you through how to mystery shop your online operations and customer service. These tips can provide guidelines if you’re hiring an outside service or are recruiting among family and friends. Read More
How electric cars are reshaping the future of service business
Since electric cars hit the road and have slowly become more mainstream, service departments have been wondering how to maintain the more profitable parts of the dealership. We’ll help you understand how electric vehicles are different from gas vehicles when it comes to the service center, and what the future of your service drive could look like. Read More
