47 Nominated for Time Dealer of the Year
Forty-seven dealers, including AIADA 2020 Chairman Jason Courter, have been nominated for the 2022 Time Dealer of the Year award. Automotive News reports that they were selected by executives of state and metro dealer associations for success in auto retail as well as a commitment to their communities. "In cities and towns across the country, auto dealers make a big economic impact — going the extra mile to strengthen their communities," Doug Timmerman, president of dealer financial services at award sponsor Ally Financial Inc., said in a statement. "It's an incredible achievement to be nominated for Time Dealer of the Year. The program not only recognizes leadership in business and customer service, but also a commitment to giving back and doing it right." A panel of faculty members from the Tauber Institute for Global Operations at the University of Michigan will select one finalist from each of the National Automobile Dealers Association's four regions and one national Dealer of the Year. Click here for the nominees for the 2022 award.
New Features Car Buyers Want Most—And Those They Steer Clear Of
Legend has it that automotive pioneer Henry Ford once said, "If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, 'A faster horse!'” Apparently, if you ask the descendants of those Model T buyers what they want most today in a new vehicle, the answer would be heated seats, and a long list of what are now familiar safety systems and comfort/convenience features. Their preferences for leading edge auto technologies like biometric features and gesture controls, not so much. According to Forbes, that’s more or less the gist of the annual Future Attribute Demand Study (FADS) report compiled by the market research company AutoPacific, based on the opinions of nearly 90,000 new-car buyers and lessees. Among advanced driver assist safety systems, the survey found buyers most want their next cars to have blind spot warning and lane departure warning functions. For the top 10 features the study says buyers want the most in their next vehicles, and the seven they don’t want, click here.
Opinion: Planet Does Not Care Whether EVs are Union-Made
Congressional approval this month of the bipartisan infrastructure bill formally known as the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act is a welcome $1.2 trillion shot in the arm for the roads and charging infrastructure that this industry desperately needs. But, according to Automotive News, a provision inserted in the Biden administration's accompanying budget reconciliation bill that is still before Congress — one that would grant customers who purchase a UAW-made electric vehicle $4,500 more in federal tax credits than for other EVs — is wrongheaded and should be removed. The extra incentive, championed by U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint) and Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), would place a federal thumb on the scales to benefit the legislators' home-state automakers as they compete for sales in the fast-growing EV market. The government has a legitimate stake in favoring a less-polluting powertrain. Its role in labor is to ensure a fair playing field for union organizers, not to subsidize a small group of employers. For the full Automotive News editorial, click here.
Dealers and their employees should contact their Members of Congress and urge them to oppose this proposal that will divide American workers and play politics with car sales. Click here to learn more about the issue and to contact your legislators.
Toyota CEO Defends Combustion Engines: ‘The Enemy Is Carbon’
Akio Toyoda, the president of the world’s biggest automaker Toyota Motor Corp., spent the weekend swerving around a racetrack in western Japan in a Corolla. But it’s no ordinary version of the bestselling car. Bloomberg reports that Toyoda drove a version specially equipped with its new in-house hydrogen engine, which propels the vehicle by burning the fuel much like traditional engines use gasoline. Toyota’s hydrogen-powered car underscores the automaker’s belief that a wide variety of vehicle types -- including hybrids and hydrogen-powered cars, in addition to electric vehicles -- will play a role in decarbonizing its fleet over the coming decades. That puts the company in contrast to others, such as General Motors Co., Jaguar Land Rover and Volvo Car AB, which say they’ll sell only EVs two decades from now. “The enemy is carbon, not internal combustion engines,” Toyoda said at a briefing Saturday. “We need diverse solutions, that’s the path toward challenging carbon neutrality.” Toyota says that that different emissions-reducing car technologies are needed for different regions of the world. For more on Toyota’s perspective, click here.
Car Dealers Influence EV Sales
Car dealers may not always realize it, but they play a major role in persuading customers to buy electric vehicles, according to consumer research. “Dealers have more influence than they think in EV purchase decisions,” says Stephanie Valdez Streaty (pictured, below left), Cox Automotive’s director-mobility and R&D, citing her company’s consumer surveys. “Dealers can take a lead role in educating consumers about EVs.” Such edification includes informing consumers about the general care of EVs, battery systems that propel them, infrastructure to charge them and government tax incentives to buy them, she says. Wards reports that surveyed dealers say they have invested more in EV sales training with targeted messages. Helping consumers find all available incentives “is a big opportunity for dealers,” Streaty adds. So is including EV-specific information on dealer websites, “especially with the industry moving to a more digital sales process. That would benefit EV sales.” For more on how dealers can influence EV sales, click here.
As Many As 212,000 Vehicles Damaged By Hurricane Ida
In the wake of Hurricane Ida, dealers are encouraged to be on alert for flooded vehicles resurfacing on the used car market. CARFAX data suggests that widespread flooding from Hurricane Ida – centered around New York City, New Jersey, and Louisiana – potentially damaged as many as 212,000 vehicles. That’s on top of 378,000 flood-damaged cars that, according to CARFAX, were already on the road in 2021. Get the state-by-state breakdown of where flood cars appear today, as well as free resources for avoiding flood cars.
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