#Sales

Stellantis’ U.S. dealer network is none too pleased with the manufacturer and looks to be blaming CEO Carlos Tavares. The National Dealer Council has sent an open letter to the executive and it doesn’t pull any punches. It blames his decisions for the swift decline of numerous brands taken over when PSA Group purchased Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2021.

Despite market analysts forecasting that August would offer a sizable boost in automotive sales, aided by the fact that Labor Day weekend partially overlaps with the end of the month, customers failed to come out in droves to buy a new vehicle. August had everything working in its favor to bolster sales and came up a little short of expectations. Though it was hardly a bloodbath for dealers and prices are starting to trend in favor of shoppers. Consider this an addendum to our earlier coverage of the declining dealer market sentiment.

A recent Cox Automotive poll has shown that U.S. dealers are becoming less optimistic about the upcoming sales period. Top reasons included the economy, high interest rates, and an uncertain political climate. That said, it probably doesn’t take an in-depth study to realize there’s something off about today’s product mix and financing options when the most common question I receive from friends about automobiles pertains to why they all seem to cost so much these days. But it's nice to have the extra data.

I could probably write some version of this QOTD just about everyday, and I probably have written some version of it at some point over the last half-decade.

But it's worth revisiting. When will new-car prices become less insane?

With so many manufacturers retreating from their earlier promises of electrification, the public has begun to take notice. While industry targets often go missed, the EV debate has grown rather contentious due to the strong rhetoric used by automakers for years. Companies weren’t just vowing to sell all-electric vehicles, they were claiming a fundamental shift in transportation was about to happen.

Penske Automotive Group has just purchased Michigan’s Bill Brown Ford in Michigan, which sells more Ford-badged automobiles than any other retailer in the world. This is the second Ford dealership purchased by the company this year. Penske had previously bought Don Allen Auto Service Inc. in Massachusetts.

With loads of automakers walking back past promises of electrification, Porsche seems committed to staying the course. Reports out of Germany are claiming that the brand has been forced to discontinue several combustion models for being out of regulatory compliance and now plans on accelerating its timeline to field more electric vehicles globally, rather than allowing the EU-banned combustion models to linger on markets less prone toward regulation.

It appears at least one brand is recognizing the importance of a well-informed owner, with Nissan choosing to offer a so-called Second Delivery for its all-electric Ariya. Interestingly, a dig into the program reveals that dealers can farm the duties out to a third party called Doppler Automotive.

Welcome back for another edition of the TTAC podcast!

While new-vehicle inventories have been on the rise this year, we’re still below the average supply levels witnessed prior to 2020. But we're getting closer.

Stats nerds at S&P Global Mobility have detailed some registration data for electric vehicles in this country through the first three months of this year – and the market share continues to sit at around 7 percent.

Locals near the town of Chesterfield, Missouri have reported fleets of new Tesla models appearing in the parking lot of a once-bustling shopping mall. But, as usual, there’s more to the story than may be suggested in bombastic headlines.

The State of New Mexico has denied a petition put forward by automotive dealers to ease off on planned electric vehicle mandates. The groups had claimed that forcing electrification would hamper commerce by encouraging residents to purchase more vehicles from neighboring territories and were limiting residents freedom of choice. However, a governor-appointed state Environmental Improvement Board reportedly voted to deny the challenges late last week.

Lotus has reported a net loss of £594 million (about $751 million USD) for 2023. However the company actually had a good sales year, moving 6,970 vehicles in a twelve-month period. Lotus noted that sales ramped up in the final quarter of 2023, with the company seeing a 110-percent increase after the launch of the Lotus Eletre SUV. Though getting that vehicle, and other upcoming electric models, into production are one of the primary reasons for its crash burn.

Mercedes-Benz will reportedly be offering the all-electric EQS with a traditional grille lifted from the S-Class sedan. The brand’s all-electric flagship has failed to unseat the true king and the company has taken steps to try and incorporate some of the older model’s charms into the EV. Moving forward, the EQS will have a more traditional exterior as an option — perhaps signaling that the entire EQ line will soon be abandoning its overtly electric design language.