#DealersDoGood Friday
AIADA continues to highlight dealers each Friday who are helping their communities. We are proud to represent an industry that remains dedicated to helping their customers, employees, and local areas – especially in the midst of challenging times.
Thanks to dealers who have reached out to let us know about what they’re doing in their communities. If you know of a dealership is doing something great, we want to hear about it. Click here to let us know, or join us on Twitter by tagging @AIADA_News and using the #DealersDoGood hashtag.
Gatorland Toyota in Gainesville, Florida, presented four scholarships to University of Florida students. Tyler Hill GM of Gatorland Toyota presented scholarships to Titletown Gator Club UF Alumni. A $5000.00 sponsorship level was matched by the Titletown Gator Club. Pictured are four deserving students from Alachua County that will be attending the University of Florida, Gainesville Florida. Click here for a picture.
Empire Automotive Group of Long Island created a toll-free help line using an 800 number the dealership group had. The message: Empire is here to help — just call the number. Employees then used vehicles from the dealerships' lots to run errands ranging from pharmacy pickups to grocery store runs. It did not matter whether the person calling was an Empire customer. The service was available to anyone on Long Island. Read more here (Source: Automotive News).
Grayson Subaru of Knoxville, Tennessee, recently made a donation worth more than $58,000 – as part of Subaru’s Share the love event – to Ijams Nature Center to benefit the preserve named for the dealership. The local dealership and Subaru of America have helped Ijams clear about 5 acres on the 13.46-acre Grayson Subaru Preserve, and remove hundreds of pounds of trash and tires from what had become a dumpsite. Read more here (Source: WATE.com).
Ex-UAW Chief Williams Charged in Corruption Probe
Federal prosecutors on Thursday charged ex-UAW President Dennis Williams, who led one of the nation's most powerful labor unions from 2014 to 2018, with conspiring to embezzle funds from rank-and-file workers for nearly a decade. Automotive News reports that court documents say Williams and others spent hundreds of thousands of member dollars on trips to Palm Springs, Calif., golf outings, fancy dinners, and other luxuries. Williams, 67, becomes the 15th person charged in the ongoing corruption scandal. He's also the second former union president to be charged; his successor, Gary Jones, pleaded guilty to embezzlement and racketeering charges in June and awaits sentencing. Williams was charged in a criminal information, which means he's likely to plead guilty. He faces a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Read more here (Source: Automotive News).
La. Dealers Assess Damage After Hurricane Laura Blasts Gulf Coast
Louisiana auto dealers woke up to the devastation that Hurricane Laura left behind after making landfall overnight on Thursday, reports Automotive News. Laura hit Cameron, La., at 1 a.m. Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane. It was later downgraded and was listed as a tropical storm by late afternoon. Major damage was visible throughout southern Louisiana. Nearly 800,000 homes and businesses were without power in three states, The Weather Channel and CNN reported. So far, four deaths have been attributed to the storm. Will Green, president of Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association, said in an email that many of his members closed their dealerships Wednesday and Thursday as the storm continues to make its way up the state. "Many I have talked to have lost power and have damage to their buildings, especially those in the Lake Charles area," he said. The Louisiana Independent Auto Dealers Association said it is still waiting to hear from dealers in the impacted areas. Read more here (Source: Automotive News).
Hyundai's U.S. SUV Plant is Running at Max Capacity to Meet Demand
Bloomberg reports that Hyundai Motor Co.’s U.S. plant is running flat out to meet demand for sport-utility vehicles, and the company’s top North American executive says it will need to consider expanding production capacity if that continues. The South Korean automaker was slow to transform its lineup to meet Americans’ penchant for SUVs but now is capitalizing on a rebound in showroom traffic following pandemic-related U.S. shutdowns. Sport-utility vehicles were 67% of U.S. retail sales in July, thanks to models like the Tucson and Palisade, according to Jose Munoz, Hyundai’s chief executive officer of North America. That surpasses the company’s 2023 goal of 63%, he said in a phone interview. “I’m very confident that we will be able to maintain at least 60%,” Munoz said, “and perhaps even more.” Even when competitors have a good supply of products, “we’re having a very solid performance.” Read more here (Source: Bloomberg).
Japan Automakers Post 12% Slide in July Global Vehicle Sales
Global sales at Japanese automakers slipped 12.2% in July from last year, the fifth straight month of losses, as demand for cars remains sluggish after factories and dealerships reopened following coronavirus-related lockdowns earlier this year. According to Fox Business, the country's seven major automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp and Nissan Motor Co, sold a combined 2.01 million vehicles last month, according to Reuters calculations based on sales data released by the companies on Friday. The decline in monthly sales has slowed significantly since a 50% drop posted in April,and compared with a 21.3% fall in June. Sales in China increased on the year for most automakers, while Toyota, the country's biggest automaker, also saw growth in Europe. Total global production at Japan's seven major automakers fell 14.4% year-on-year to 1.99 million units last month, improving from a 26.1% tumble in June. Read more here (Source: Fox Business).
Around the Web
2021 is Final Year for Mercedes' S-Class Coupe and S-Class Cabriolet [MotorAuthority]
2021 Kia Stinger Engine Details Revealed, and It's Getting More Power [Autoblog]
Consumer Spending Likely Grew in July [WSJ]
Porsche Panamera Getting Updated for 2021 [The Detroit Bureau]
