GM CEO Rick Wagoner Represents for Dealer Consolidation
So, here's the latest chapter in the "GM wants to consolidate all its brands and build multi-branded mega-stores– oh wait, no we don't" saga. GM CEO Rick Wagoner signaled his faith in the company's tri-branded (down from octo-branded) consolidation effort by blessing the opening of a new Henry Brown Buick-Pontiac-GMC store in Gilbert, Arizona with his presence. According to The Arizona Republic newspaper, Wagoner made no bones about the reason for his visit. "The three brands at Brown's dealership have been 'channeled' together in about 40 dealerships nationwide, Wagoner said, with about 100 more to come. The Gilbert dealership is one of the first to show the new look of the stores." Wagoner didn't do a Mulally– sell a carefully prepared customer a car– but he did praise Brown as "one of the best in the business." "One of the best." Nice.
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There is nothing new about combined brand GM dealerships, almost always with GMC as part of the mix. In the Southwestern corner of Los Angeles County alone there is Penninsula Buick-Pontiac-GMC and Power Chevrolet-Pontiac-Buick-GMC. Imagine that, Chevy and GMC trucks on the same lot. Buick and Pontiac have fallen so much, are there any stand-alone dealers for those brands left anywhere?
FINALLY! DUH! How about a GM-store where a customer can look and buy ANY GM vehicle. Maybe GM will just stumble along and let companies like Car-Max rise and redevelop the concept of a car dealer into multi-brands where the consumer really DOES have more choice. Frankly I won't be sad to see the "pillars" of America like auto dealers and the big three become something different. They are sadly out of date.
I can see the coming together of Dealerships, in my rural area of SW Ontario there are two GM dealerships with in a ten km circle, yet if people want more variety they either go to a large Town like Guelph or all the way to the big smoke(Toronto) When I tried purchasing a vehicle at one of the so called local dealerships, both of them were not ready to deal in any way, I think there future is rather dim!