Dealerships Want to Get Trucked More Often in 2017

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

The cornerstone of every healthy relationship is frank and frequent communication. Last year, consumers wanted more sport utility vehicles, but automakers still had too many cars rolling off assembly lines. Caught in the crossfire were forlorn dealerships that were incapable of providing the trucks and crossovers that customers cannot seem to get enough of.

At the 2017 National Automobile Dealers Association Conference & Expo, this issue is apparently weighing so heavily on the minds of America’s automotive purveyors that it wouldn’t be surprising if gray matter began leaking out of their ears and onto the expo floor.

Making the rounds at the conference, Automotive News spoke to numerous dealership representatives and the song was largely the same: a demand for fewer sedans and larger profits.

“We had too many sedans and not enough SUVs — the X3 and X5. It is a matter of adjusting production and having the right amount of cars at the right time,” said Timothy Kraemer, general manager of BMW Minnetonka in Minnesota. BMW’s sedans have taken a particularly hard hit this year. The 3 Series saw its 142,232 U.S. sales in 2014 plummet to 70,458 only two years later. BMW’s 4 and 5 Series also hit a slump, while its SUVs managed better.

Volkswagen dealers had enough on their plate to worry about without having to cope with American automotive fads. Michael DiFeo, a dealer at Linden Volkswagen in Roselle, N.J., said that to remain profitable “we relied a lot on shifting our efforts to used cars.”

Now they’ll be shifting focus. “The Atlas is the first time that we’ll be in this large [crossover] segment,” DiFeo said. “Getting the larger Tiguan is huge for us considering the growth of that segment.”

Mike Bowsher, owner of Carl Black Automotive Group in Kennesaw, Ga., says Chevrolet dealers are worried about getting an appropriate ratio of cars to trucks on their lots as well. “I wouldn’t say we’re short,” Bowsher said. “But with Colorado crew-cab trucks and full-size utilities, we all want more. Dealers are always screaming for that. For SUVs, I’ll take every one we can get. Diesels, too — we just can’t get enough.”

“All dealers care really about two things. First and foremost is franchise value, and second is dealership profitability,” he explained. 2017 is “going to be the year of the crossover for us. We go in with solid momentum, and we’re going to continue to build on the market share gains, which would continue to give us strong franchise values and profitability.”

[Image: Faris/ Flickr ( CC BY 2.0)]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Stevelovescars Stevelovescars on Jan 27, 2017

    Production will get changed, gas will jump to $4/gallon thanks to a trade war or the bi-annual mysterious refinery disaster, and boom, car dealers will be screaming about not having enough smaller cars.

    • See 2 previous
    • JohnTaurus JohnTaurus on Jan 27, 2017

      Somewhere, someone is typing up the same "well when gas hits $4 again, you'll be sorry!" line for the next article that shows cars falling and truck/utilities gaining. Maybe if you guys say it enough, it'll become true, and everybody will be miserably pushing a Versa CVT suckmobile, just like you think they should be. I just wouldn't bet on it if I were you. CUVs and trucks are getting better MPG all the time, and plain sedans are looking more compromised as well, and those facts suck nearly all the air out of your argument.

  • NMGOM NMGOM on Jan 28, 2017

    Sedans are history. They are soon to be as extinct as dinosaurs. They are incapable, and a waste of money. After all, what does a sedan actually get you that a decent CUV or SUV doesn't? Maybe fuel mileage? But I am a pickup truck guy. Had 'em since 1974. Would never leave home without one. In fact, I can't, since that's now all I've got this winter. Just remember, Truckiness is next to Godliness....(^_^).... ====================

    • OldManPants OldManPants on Jan 28, 2017

      While I'd love to join your happy dance upon the sedan's grave, I feel constrained to note that the taller alternatives are being steadily CAFE'ed into representing only a marginal improvement over said squashed blobs.

  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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