EV Manufacturers Rank Behind Other Premium Brands in Customer Service, Survey Finds
Electric vehicle-only automakers are trailing other premium brands in shopping experience satisfaction, a report out from retail service tracker Pied Piper found. Automotive News reports the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index, or PSI, uses about 70 best-practice behaviors to measure retail service performance of automakers. These include in-person and Web-response categories, making up 60 percent and 40 percent of a brand's score, respectively, and included scores for sales person attentiveness, availability of finance options and how quickly the dealership responded to an online inquiry. Lack of inventory did not play a factor. In cases where a brand did not have physical dealerships, such as Rivian, its in-person score was determined by telephonic communication. The survey also used a different set of factors to evaluate electric-only automakers because of different sales practices compared with those of with traditional automakers. In Pied Piper's latest survey of 25 premium brands, all four electric-exclusive brands included — Tesla, Lucid, Polestar and Rivian — were ranked in the bottom quarter of PSI rankings. The average score of the four brands was about 27 percent below the industry average. Click here for the full story.
Why a Subaru Dealer Says ‘No Thanks’ to Nonlocal Buyers Willing to Pay More
Jeff Shutt and Alex Casebeer know that the fundamental strategy followed right now by their dealerships might seem a bit out of place for the times, given short inventories, outsized consumer demand for new vehicles and the financial rewards reaped from meeting that demand. Yet what Capitol Subaru of Salem and Capitol Auto Group in Oregon are doing is pretty simple, and — they hope over the long term — potentially more profitable, even if it costs them revenue upfront and flies in the face of what a large number of their fellow dealers are doing. They're saying "no thanks" — specifically to prospective buyers from outside their primary marketing area — even when those buyers offer wads of extra cash above sticker, which is where Capitol prices its vehicles reports Automotive News. "We have to take care of our local customers first," explained Shutt, general sales manager at Capitol Subaru, part of the family-owned group that also has a Toyota store and a Chevrolet-Cadillac store on the same campus. Click here for the full story.
Vietnamese Tesla Challenger to Stop Making Gas-Powered Cars Soon
Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast said it will stop making gas-powered autos by the end of August, four months earlier than previously planned as it ramps up global sales of electric SUVs and targets to open a plant in the US. The company has stopped selling gas-powered autos after the last batch of Lux and Fadil autos were ordered by customers, according to an emailed statement from Vingroup JSC, VinFast’s parent. From now until the end of August, VinFast will focus on production to fulfill prior bookings, and simultaneously switch to become a full EV business reports Bloomberg. The carmaker, backed by Vietnam’s richest man Pham Nhat Vuong, opened six showrooms in California last week as the newcomer tries to muscle into a US market dominated by Tesla Inc. The showrooms are VinFast’s first outside of Vietnam, with plans to eventually open more than 30 in the state and elsewhere to sell directly to American consumers. Click here for the full story.
Social Selling: What is it and What are the Benefits for Automotive Dealers?
Car dealerships have always been good at selling cars. But in recent years, how people buy cars has changed dramatically. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise to you to hear more and more people are using social media to research and purchase vehicles. This shift has created a new opportunity for car dealerships: social selling. But what is social selling? Simply put, it’s using social media to build relationships, develop referrals, get leads and sell products or services reports CBT News. For example, in the context of a car dealership, dealerships can use social selling to connect with potential customers, share information about vehicles, and ultimately drive sales. Since communicating with your customers through social media is here to stay, your dealership needs to be as successful with online relationships as in person. There are many reasons why social selling matters for car dealerships. First, it allows dealerships to reach a wider audience. With over 302 million active social media users in the US and an expected increase to 327.22 million by 2027, automotive dealers can get a vast potential customer base through social selling. Click here to learn more about social selling.
Porsche Working on Ultra-Luxury Electric SUV Above Cayenne
When Porsche unveiled the original Cayenne, purists were enraged by the company's decision to introduce an SUV to the range. But as the past two decades have shown us, it's the best thing Porsche could have done as a business. Over the years, it has been joined by the Panamera sedan, the smaller Macan SUV, and the electric Taycan models. They may not be as iconic as the 911 sports car, but these vehicles have all contributed significantly to the brand's bottom line. In Europe, for example, 40 percent of Porsche sales come from electric vehicles or plug-in hybrids. Unsurprisingly, it's the Cayenne and Macan that led the charge in 2021, with 42,015 examples sold in the USA alone reports Carbuzz. As such, it would only make sense for the Zuffenhausen-based automaker to expand on its electric and SUV offerings. "We plan to add a new luxury, all-electric SUV model to our attractive portfolio, which will roll off the production line in Leipzig," said CEO Oliver Blume at Porsche's recent Capital Markets Day. "This will further expand our position in the luxury automotive segment." Click here for the full story.
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