Aug. 7, 2020
#DealersDoGood Friday
In the midst of a challenging time for our industry, AIADA remains focused on how dealers are helping the communities in which they operate. Each Friday, we highlight a few in FirstUp. Check out this week’s examples of dealerships who are going above and beyond to give back.
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Vince Family & Madison Honda in New Jersey has been conducting a two week long food drive to help a community hit by both a tropical storm and a pandemic.
“Madison Honda has been involved with many different local charities and loves to support any way we can,” said David Garcia, a Clifton resident who serves as the senior sales consultant at the Dealership for Madison Honda. Click here for the story.
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The Craig Zinn Automotive Group and Subaru of Pembroke Pines, FL presented a donation check to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation in the amount of $154,373. Click here for a picture.
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Maryland dealership group Jones Junction partnered with The Mill, a lawn and garden center that also sells pet supplies, to donate a $5,000 store credit and $1,500 in dog food to the Harford County Humane Society. Click here for details.
If you know of a dealership is doing something great, we want to hear about it. Click here, or join us on Twitter by tagging @AIADA_News and using the #DealersDoGood hashtag.
Modern Driver-Assistance Technology 'Far from Reliable': AAA Study
Advanced driver assistance technology automating steering and braking in a growing number of vehicles is not providing reliable safety benefits, a new study by the American Automobile Association showed on Thursday. Researchers at AAA, a federation of North American motor clubs, found the systems recorded disruptions and disengaged roughly every eight miles, encountering situations they were not equipped to handle. That creates dangerous situations if drivers rely too much on the technology and stop paying attention to the road, the AAA researchers said, adding that the systems are “far from 100% reliable.” According to Reuters, automakers are accelerating the automation of routine driving tasks including cruising on a highway and stop-and-go traffic. The options offer a new source of profit for automakers as more consumers buy or lease vehicles with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. For the full story, click here.
Auto Dealership Literally Offers White-Glove Treatment
The customer cried. Suddenly the Florida car dealership staffers realized general manager Bobby Watts’ white-glove idea wasn’t so crazy after all. Wards reports that the customer decided to treat herself to a BMW dream car after surviving cancer. That’s how she ended up buying one at BMW and Porsche of Ocala, a place where Watts has all but perfected the art of the purchased-car delivery. That takes place in a special section of the store and often includes gifts, food and flashing lights, a red carpet and staffers wearing one white glove, a la Michael Jackson, as they flamboyantly present vehicles to new owners. Click here for a picture. The cancer survivor/BMW owner was so overwhelmed by it all, she broke down. “Before that, some of our people thought wearing a white glove like that was kind of silly,” Watts says. “After that, everyone wore a white glove during the delivery. Who doesn’t want to make a customer feel good?” For more on the lengths Watts goes to in order to please customers, click here.
Trump to Reimpose Aluminum Tariffs on Canada
President Trump said Thursday that he had reimposed aluminum tariffs on Canada, reigniting a point of contention that had been cleared up prior to the finalization of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, which went into effect in July. The Hill reports that in a speech at a Whirlpool plant in Ohio, Trump said he signed a proclamation earlier in the day to reimpose the tariff at its previous rate of 10 percent. "Canada was taking advantage of us, as usual, and I signed it, and it imposes — because the aluminum business was being decimated by Canada. Very unfair," Trump said. The Trump administration agreed to lift the tariffs in May 2019 to pave the way for agreement on the North American trade deal. Driving American Jobs, a trade group representing the breadth of the auto industry, slammed the decision to reimpose tariffs. “Given the threat of tariffs hanging over the auto industry, Driving American Jobs is troubled by the Trump Administration’s decision to reimpose aluminum tariffs against Canada – a close trading partner and military ally," the group said in written statement. For the full story, click here.
Mitsubishi Motors Chairman Masuko Resigns, Citing His Health
Mitsubishi Motors Corp. Chairman Osamu Masuko is stepping down after 15 years due to health reasons, just as the Japanese automaker’s alliance with Nissan Motor Co. and Renault SA is being shaken by deteriorating profits. Bloomberg reports that Chief Executive Officer Takao Kato will temporarily assume the role of chairman from Friday. Masuko will remain as a special adviser to the company, which didn’t elaborate on his condition. Masuko was the last top-level leader remaining from when Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of the three automakers in the alliance, was arrested in November 2018 on charges of underreporting income. Masuko had negotiated with Ghosn to sell a third of the company after its stock had declined following a car-inspection scandal. Although the alliance unveiled a new strategy in May, all three automakers are on track to lose billions this year as they struggle to cope with the coronavirus pandemic. That has raised concerns over the viability of their partnership. For the full story, click here.
Next Week's Webinars Feature Economic Update & How to Handle COVID-19 at Your Dealership
Don’t miss out on AIADA’s back-to-back AutoTalk webinars next week. Together, they’ll help you understand where our industry stands, and what you can do to handle COVID-19 at your own dealership.
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Tuesday, August 11: An Update on COVID-19’s Impact on U.S. Auto Sales
Join Cox Automotive Senior Economist Charlie Chesbrough for a review of our industry’s most recent economic data. -
Thursday, August 13: What If My Employee Tests Positive for COVID-19?
Learn critical steps you can take to protect your employees, steps to take if an employee contracts COVID-19, and how to return employees to work after they recover.
Register for both sessions by clicking here.
