When the New Jersey Assembly voted last week overwhelmingly to allow Tesla to sell its vehicles directly to consumers it looked like the Jim Appleton led dealer-association had their rear ends handed to them. There had to be more to this story. There is no way New Jersey’s assembly votes 77-0 against the dealers unless Appleton…
Lithia Motors’ pending acquisition of the DCH Automotive Group for $362.5 million looks like a it should be a homerun, but there a few manufacturers who likely are going to struggle approving this deal.
A couple of days ago, on April 30, Southern Motors Chevrolet filed a lawsuit against General Motors for blocking its purchase of Fuller Chevrolet, located in Rincon, GA. According to dealers and individuals who broker dealership acquisitions one of the more under-reported dynamics of the dealership buy-sell field is the growing willingness on the part…
April 20, 2014 — Six New Jersey dealerships owned by Bob Ciasulli last week filed lawsuits against Toyota Motor Sales USA and American Honda Motor Corp. claiming dealer incentive programs created by manufacturers are illegal according to New Jersey state franchise law. The implications of this case could be far reaching because there is little… Continue Reading
March 26, 2014 — The automotive retail system is on the cusp of revolutionary change. The transformation already is happening and we predict over the next 20 years, forces such as changing franchise laws, new retail models being developed by automakers along with the ever-lurking autonomous vehicle are going to upend the system as we… Continue Reading
November 11, 2013 — As part of our Brands in Transition series, we take a look at Volvo this week, a once-storied brand that has never recovered from the downturn of 2009-2010. Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. bought the Swedish automaker for $1.8 billion in 2010 from Ford Motor Co. Since then, the brand has…