Car-dealer house calls: Auto makers and dealers unveil coronavirus-time tactics
So the salesperson sent a staffer to the customer’s home with paperwork and closed the sale of the loaded $40,000 vehicle. Given the circumstances, the dealer was lucky the buyer even agreed to meet in person at his house.
“I remember the ’94 [Northridge] earthquake and 9/11 and the recession, where we just had to press on and work hard. This one, we really don’t know what to do.”That one deal, of course, won’t offset all the economic damage inflicted by the coronavirus outbreak. Ault said his sales were probably down more than 20% so far this month, and analysts are forecasting an ugly year nationally for manufacturers and dealers.
The plight of the auto dealers is not nearly as dire as that of restaurants and retailers that have been forced to shut their doors. Since cars still need mechanics to keep running, dealerships have been spared the harshest restrictions that have brought commerce in other segments of the economy to a screeching halt.issued by Bay Area counties on Monday, for instance, includes a shutdown exemption for “gas stations and auto-supply, auto-repair, and related facilities.
Tesla Inc. will see a sales decline this year even with the much-anticipated Model Y crossover SUV coming, he said. Ford Motor Co. will post its first annual loss since 2009, and GM will burn $3.5 billion in cash. None of those outcomes seemed plausible before the outbreak of the virus.
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