The shrinking car dealership.

[Carsinmyblood]

An interesting article:

https://www.wired.com/story/car-dea...ler-online-shopping/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

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[Logal727]

An interesting article:

https://www.wired.com/story/car-dea...ler-online-shopping/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Laughing at Honda selling a million EVs by 2030. They barely sell any now and their plans are pretty lackluster. They need an electric Odyssey to get them going.

 

[AllenXS]

The dealership I use have switched more to order taking now. Helping people to order. Next step, make the options easier online and deliver direct.
The large auto mall can shrink to a small block and free up lots of land.

 

[WNKent]

Interesting article. I do believe, "this is the way".

 

[Av8tor]

Interesting article. I do believe, "this is the way".

You have spoken

 

[pacman7474]

Laughing at Honda selling a million EVs by 2030. They barely sell any now and their plans are pretty lackluster. They need an electric Odyssey to get them going.

Actually the article says half a million.

 

[Logal727]

Actually the article says half a million.

Still hilarious considering their current spot in building EVs.

 

[ridgebackpilot]

No doubt this trend is real and I suspect no one will mourn the demise of the traditional auto dealership. Good riddance, especially their ADM!

 

[Cm12]

Still hilarious considering their current spot in building EVs.

Yeah, if they hadn’t bought Tesla’s “emission credits” in Europe, or whatever you want to call them, Honda would have paid millions in fines. The only realistic way to be compliant in Europe is to have an a formidable EV option and Honda still hasn’t really been interested.

 

[Logal727]

Yeah, if they hadn’t bought Tesla’s “emission credits” in Europe, or whatever you want to call them, Honda would have paid millions in fines. The only realistic way to be compliant in Europe is to have an a formidable EV option and Honda still hasn’t really been interested.

I loved our Honda Odyssey, but when we were looking for EVs, they had no compelling options. So I sold it for $10k more than I paid for it and bought our MME.

 

[DennisD]

An interesting article:

https://www.wired.com/story/car-dea...ler-online-shopping/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

It is definitely coming. The Service Department (along with the parts department) are also going to take a "hit".

Not certain in the end if this is a great deal for the consumer. I think back to when I first started driving. One would pull into a gas station and the attendant would ask if you wanted to fill it up and they usually asked if you needed the oil checked. Once they started pumping the gas they would wash your windows. Many times they would take the cash from you while you were still in the car and away you went when it was done.

Now I realize that there is a cost built into that kind of service but it was nice to see a friendly face and (as a kid) always thought it was neat to see the windows being washed sitting from the inside of the car.

My how things have changed. Once again, I think it is inevitable but I am guessing that our kids will say how fun it was to go into a car dealership and look at all of the cars on the lot and see their Dad negotiating with the Sales Person.

You can't stop this train a comin' but I think one will miss some of the things we enjoy now....................

 

[Reign of Ravens]

Interesting article but as someone who is still sour about the Mach-E sales process, I found this article to also be misleading:

Ford made its first sales for its electrified sports car, the Mustang Mach-E, on the internet and took online reservationsfor its electric pickup truck.

The sales for the Mach-E are not completed online. Ford uses the term "order" but the sales are still completed at the dealership. It's really more of an order request, or a reservation (yes, really).

As to whether dealerships would want this change or not... I'm not so sure. Having less inventory on hand is less of a liability, but it's also less of a driver to draw people in. I know dealerships don't make their main profits off of new car sales (traditionally, anyway; the current willingness to pay dealer markups might have shifted that a bit), but switching to online seems like it would be tricky. I guess the people who wouldn't do their "product research" and shop around are probably also not going to engage in that practice just because they're online, but being online certainly makes it a lot faster and easier to do that compared with driving from dealership to dealership. That's increased competition and communication, which seems like more work for the dealership with questionable benefit.

Interesting times ahead for the automotive sector in multiple ways.

 

[agoldman]

The markups and dealer foced huge dealer add ons have reached an all time high. This delaer system can't collapse soon enough as far as I'm concerned. It is out of control. I hate doing business like this. Luckily I got my FE and GT before the madness set in. Trying to buy another plugin car right now from a variety of other brand dealers is really quite disturbing.

 

[DennisD]

The markups and dealer foced huge dealer add ons have reached an all time high. This delaer system can't collapse soon enough as far as I'm concerned. It is out of control. I hate doing business like this. Luckily I got my FE and GT before the madness set in. Trying to buy another plugin car right now from a variety of other brand dealers is really quite disturbing.

I hear you bro.

It seemed like yesterday when one could call around and the dealership's would be calling you back begging you to buy from them and the prices would seem to drop by the hour.

Nowadays, you have so many dealership's that think this supply chain shortage is one that they can gouge anyone and everyone who dares to call them and the "stick it to them" philosophy is running rampant with the high ADM's.

Once again, I do miss the ole' days (a few years ago) but I am with you, this can't end fast enough and I have very little sympathy if the Dealership (those that gouge IMO) go under and are replaced with a tap of the computer keyboard.

 

[AllenXS]

Amazon cars will be the next big thing?

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