Haig Partners’ Post

■ Mercedes-Benz plans to begin selling its dealerships in Germany in 2025! The sale of 60 Mercedes-Benz car dealerships will impact approximately 8,000 employees. Mercedes-Benz's plans to sell its car dealerships have been strongly criticised. However, the group wants to do this as early as next year. Source: Merkur What has been in the works for a long time will quickly get rolling. The car group Mercedes-Benz had already announced in 2022 that it wanted to completely restructure car sales. At the end of last year, there were initial reports that the Stuttgart-based global company was planning to separate from all of its branches. Mercedes-Benz has confirmed this step. The group justified the decision with considerable savings potential. However, this provoked massive protests at the country's locations. #Mercedes #Automotive #AutoNews #Dealership #CarDealer https://lnkd.in/eUkF2tBb

The Eide Automotive Group in Bismarck/Mandan, are pleased to announce the acquisition of 2 additional local dealerships. Chevrolet of Mandan and Subaru of Mandan will now be Eide Chevrolet and Eide Subaru. These are the 7th and 8th dealerships for the group respectively. They also own Eide Ford and Eide Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Bismarck, Eide Ford & Eide Kia in Mandan and 2 Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealerships in Minnesota. Jesse Peterson, President & CEO of Eide Automotive Group, stated, “This is an absolute dream come true for me. Adding these 2 dealerships, as well as the Chevrolet and Subaru nameplates puts us in a position to even better serve the residents of the Bismarck/Mandan communities.” Ryne Balzer will be General Manager of Eide Chevrolet and Jory Ditsworth will be General Manager of Eide Subaru. Both have extensive experience working for the Eide Automotive Group in various capacities. They also bring with them an experienced management staff to join the teams in place including Matt Christian, Dustin Larson, Ben Dingus, Cody Evanson, Reese Paulson and Peyton Gabrielson.

Embracing vehicle shuttling marks a turning point for dealerships aiming to elevate their service. By broadening inventory access, it ensures customers find their perfect match on the first visit. This game-changing strategy is paving the way for the future of automotive retail. https://lnkd.in/grg-cwax

■Fisker-Update, March 10, 2024 ARI_sk ■There is a light Over at the Nissan Place■ The strategic implications and leveraging of the global Nissan Network are a rescuing little light for Fisker. A partnership between Fisker and Nissan could significantly boost Fisker’s market presence by leveraging Nissan’s extensive dealership network. If a deal is struck, Fisker EVs could be showcased in showrooms across https://lnkd.in/etZmw6ve

Penske Automotive Group is one of the world's leading heavy vehicle retailers, but it has further expanded its Australian light vehicle footprint with the acquisition of a third Melbourne Porsche dealership.

Australian ready. Toyota and Walkinshaw lay bare Tundra’s RHD conversion process as retail sales commence | Toyota Motor Corporation Australia | Walkinshaw Group | Read GoAuto's story here: https://lnkd.in/gtgWgwyc

Flow Automotive Cos. has expanded its Greensboro and Triad dealership portfolio by acquiring Volvo Cars Greensboro from Hudson Automotive Group. Terms were not disclosed. Flow Volvo Cars Greensboro is the second Volvo dealership in its portfolio. https://lnkd.in/gYq29ahe

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) is gearing up for another battle in the ongoing war of protecting the dealership franchise system. This one involves the Volkswagen-owned Scout Motors Inc. which opting to sell direct to consumers. And it is at the top of NADA President Mike Stanton's list of concerns. It should be. Challenges from the OEM side of the business along with government or regulatory oversteps are why NADA exists. Although the courts and state legislatures have repeatedly voted or ruled in favor of dealers over the last hundred or so years, each new automaker-driven attempt to circumvent the dealer could be the one that ultimately takes down the system. After being relatively quiet the last several months, Scout Motors was all over the automotive headlines the last few days. It unveiled its initial two vehicles - the Scout Terra SUV and its Traveler pickup truck -- which are slated for production sometime in 2027. I'm not that concerned. 1. History shows us that Scout will have to show it's not a Volkswagen division or brand -- but it is. What differentiates Scout from Rivian, Tesla, Lucid, or other EV startups, is that those automakers are startups without existing dealer bodies. VW has an existing dealer body. State courts are going to have to upend decades of settled law and current legislation that is on the books if Scout is going to win the right to sell direct. Media outlets are falling into line with VW by referring to Scout as a WV-spinoff or offshoot. The current setup makes that a hard argument to make. 2. Given VW's current financial challenges that are directly created by its EV initiatives, does it have the fortitude (both financially and psychologically) to follow through? 3. The pending relationship with Rivian, which is a competitor to Scout. The much-ballyhooed VW $5 billion investment in Rivian that was reported a few months ago, still has yet to signed (although, indications are it will be before the end of the year). Nevertheless, it's still not done yet. Scout is going to use software from Rivian for its vehicles -- but that likely is dependent on the investment getting across the finish line. Relationships like this historically are difficult and don't last long. 4. We're still two years away from projected production. That's a long time. And much can happen in those two years. You can check out Stanton's forceful comments about Scout's strategy in a recent AUTOVATE podcast. https://lnkd.in/gNYRzB-G

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Strategies for maximizing profitability in a shifting automotive market – Kevin Frye | Jeff Wyler: … , Marketing Director at Jeff Wyler Automotive Family. Key Takeaways  1. Frye … contributed to a slowdown in automotive sales. Moreover, dealerships are facing … potentially delay major purchases like automobiles, impacting dealership sales. 3. Additionally … #car #cars #awesome