Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Nov. 20, 1997, edition 1 / Page 30
Part of The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
14B Auto/The Charlotte Post Thursday November 20, 1997 pealers try to change image, tactics ’ Continued from 16B ' Tt will be like a shopping mall ' atmosphere,” said manager ‘ Andrew Price. "We’re trying to ‘ take away any kind of negative i that anyone could come up with.” i In Butler, N.J., when Kaytes IPord and Nissan expanded in ‘April, it added a nail salon, coffee shop and a boutique that sells i items such as T-shirts, hats and lyeeting cards. 'We have a lot of women that ; bring their cars in” for servicing, ; said Nancy Bolan, the office man- : ager. "Rather than hang around ' in the so-called men’s world, we’re ■ making it more of a relaxed atmosphere for women.” But even more than physical : changes, these dealers stress a ' new customer service philosophy. ^ Wes Lutz, who owns Extreme I Dodge in Jackson, Mich., said he Z tired of forcing customers to go Z several departments for different Zneeds. So he gave each of his salesmen a wireless phone, a fax and personal computer with full access to dealership data. "We’ve eliminated having to go ask someone,” Lutz said. 'We’ve just empowered our people to be the de^tive answer for every customer that walks through the door.” Tom Roulette, owner of Courtesy Chevrolet in San Jose, Calif, alsio had customers in mind when he installed a 1950s-style diner in his dealership. The diner is not only a hit with customers and sales staff, but iCs attracting a lunch crowd from neighboring businesses and is turning a profit. Roulette said. "It’s just a step up above what most dealers are doing,” he said. "If I was a younger man, Td go to Starbucks and try to put one in every GM dealership.” At stake for many dealerships is their survival. The nation’s 22,700 dealerships are disappear ing at a rate of 50 per year, and that rate is expected to triple in five years, according to the dealer ship association. Mark Rikess, a dealer consul tant in Los Angeles, says the number of failed dealerships could be much higher _ largely due to bloated management, poor customer service and because many have resisted no-haggle policies. There also have been changes in the auto business. There’s an ample supply of quality new vehi cles and an unprecedented num ber of places to buy them, from new superstores to the Internet, said Donald L. Keithley a partner at J.D. Power & Associates in Agoura Hills, Calif "The bottom line is the con sumers are really kind of calling the shots,” he said. Many dealerships say they have seen results from their changes. After Grand 'Traverse Auto in 'Traverse City, Mich., hired profes sional greeters, placed its service area in the front of the dealership and built a glass-enclosed area for new vehicle deliveries, sales went up _ 50 percent in August alone. "The customer response has been phenomenal,” said general manager Gary Moss. "We’re get ting more customers from a wider reach because this is such a unique store.” Get you copy of The “97 Black Guide Today $ FORD’S'USEDTISES'Sl Tuesday & Wednesday Special Buy 3 used tires & get 1 Free U2056515 ff20570I5 #23575/5 1 - Brake Job - Labor $35.00 ■ Oil Change ■ Labor $17 95 N.C. State Inspection I Lutz, like several of the dealers who made changes, said no single factor motivated him. But he said the auto business is cyclical, and that it’s best to make the changes before a downturn rather than after one. 3401 Tuckaseegee Rd. Charlotte, NC 28208 (704)393-1109 NEWLOCATION 2012 Beatties Ford Rd. Chariotte, NC 28216 (704)392*9799 1222 Cfentral Ave. Charlotte, NC 282 (704)377*0870 $! _ j 'You’re either going ahead or your going backward, you can’t stay still,” Lutz said. "Competition is very strong in this business. I think you need every edge you can get.” lAmerican Mazda chief resigns amid turnaround ZBy Chester Dawson *THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ; TOKYO - Mazda Motor Corp. Jsaid president Henry Wallace, ;the first non-Japanese to head Ja major Japanese company, ■stepped down Friday after ■helping steer the world’s 12th •largest automaker out of a four- jyear slump. J Wallace, 52, said it was an •appropriate time to step down, jciting Mazda’s improved finan- Scial performance and strength- ■ened ties with Ford Motor Co., •which owns a controlling one- •third stake, said spokesman •Hire Akutagawa. i The tall, mustachioed native of Scotland assumed the top job Jat Mazda in June last year {shortly after Ford increased its Jstake in the company to 33.4 percent from 25 percent. Wallace had previously served as the head of Ford’s Venezuela division. The move came as no surprise to auto industry analysts. "Wallace’s departure is not unexpected,” said Saul Rubin, auto analyst at SBC Warburg Japan Ltd., noting Mazda is back on track for stronger prof it growth after a racking up losses for much of the decade. The appointment of Wallace last year stirred concern that Mazda, a proud, formerly fami ly-run business, would face massive job cuts and a future as little more than a small car division of Ford. But Wallace sought to put those fears to rest by pledging to trim payroll by attrition instead of layoffs. Still, he oversaw the imple mentation of cost-cutting mea sures such as the use of shared auto platforms with Ford and the introduction of a merit- based employee performance evaluation system. He appeared in full-page Japanese newspaper ads to plug Mazda’s cars. And his efforts were paying off. On Friday, Mazda reported a three-fold increase in parent company net profit for the April-September period to 555 million yen, or $4.4 million. Sales rose 11.4 percent to 746.22 billion yen. Mazda, based in Hiroshima, has wallowed in red ink at the group level since 1993. But SBC Warburg analyst Rubin said the Mazda group will prob ably stage a return to prof- IRecall affects Ford’s Aerostar Continued from 16B problem. 5 Cox said in the lawsuit that he Jfc'as involved in an accident July 4l in Mariaima, Fla. 'The accident «mong other things resulted in a i«olIapsed disc, he said, i; Ford spent months investigat- IJpg the problem. In late August I5996 Ford tried to fix the trans- llnission in new Aerostars by Iieplacing the rear driveshaft with ■a new, aluminum driveshaft. Ford at that time decided a ; recall wasn’t necessary, Vmyard ’.said. But the fix didn’t work for ’.the new vehicles, and those same lAerostars fixed once already are ipart of the recall announced ['Thursday I Clarence Ditlow, executive jdirector of the Center for Auto (Safety said even if Ford didn’t !know how to fix the problem, it jshould have notified NHTSA and 'the public in 1996. In mid-September, Ford did alert NHTSA that it would recall the vehicles. But the automaker asked the agency not to disclose the recall until Ford’s then- planned announcement in January. The agency complied - even though it’s rare for NHTSA to do that, agency spokesman "Tim Hurd said. "It will probably get more rare,” he said. Hurd said NHTSA agreed because there had been no injuries or crashes and Ford was doing what it was supposed to do. Vinyard said Ford wanted to keep it private until the automaker got enough parts to fix the problem. But Ditlow said such reasoning was faulty, saying vehicle owners should be alerted as quickly as possible. “It’s simply inexcusable for NHTSA to have joined a conspira cy to conceal this from the public,” Have news of note about your organization? Fax it to Jeri Young at (704) 376-0496. You can reach us toll free at (888) 376-Post LIVE IN AREA ONE YEAR^ • SIX MONTHS ON JOB • MUST EARN $1050 PER MONTH YOU CAN RIDE TODAY! BAD CREDIT, NO CREDIT msmim BANKRUPT DIVORCE PAST DUE CHARGE OFF TAX LIEN COLLECTION For Comments or questions, Please call us at 704-376 0496 or 1-888-376-POST *EVERY APPLICATION ACCEPTED* HARRELSON FORD 6500 South Blvd. • Charlotte CALL TOLL FREE 1-888-910-5626 1-800-852-3528 • 552-2760 HARRELSON MAZDA 9029SouthBhd. • Chariotte 1-800-430-4041 552-8522 itability after the current fiscal year which ends in March. Mazda shares fell 12 yen, or 3.2 percent, Friday to close at 361 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The decline stemmed from jitters the man agement change may indicate further trouble for the carmak er, traders said. Vice president James Miller, an American who is part of a management team installed by Ford, will replace Wallace. Miller, 51, recently headed Ford’s Eastern European and South African operations. Ford bought its 25 percent stake in Mazda in 1979. All New 1998 Volkswagen Passat LIVE LARGE .Even if your budget isn’t. The all new Passat from Volkswagen. We’ve given you everything you want from a car: comfort, safety, quality and style. And we’ve taken something away: The high price you’d expect from a car of this caliber. The all new Passat is the car of the future, but you can drive it today. Come see us and prepare to be impressed. Volkswagen—Audi 7401 South Boulevard 552.6500 800.426.6347 he said. When Ford did announce the recall two months earlier than planned it was because the parts became available, Wnyard said. The suit also names Dana Corp., the maker of the drive- shaft. Gary Corrigan, spokesman for Dana Corp., said he doesn’t comment on pending litigation. Fieger said his lawsuit and pressure from NHTSA forced Ford’s hand. Fieger said Ford doesn’t know how to fix the problem and should buy the minivans back at a total cost of at least $1 billion. 97 Lincoln Vinyard said Ford has discov ered a fix, which involves not only replacing the rear driveshaft but also the rear driveshaft case. As for Ford’s motivation in making the announcement earlier, than planned, Vmyard said, "It wasn’t Geoffrey Fieger,” he said. PW. PL. Leather, Alloy Wheels, LOw Miles, Has Remainder of Factory Warranty Prices Starting At ^23,999 15 AVAILABLE 98 Mercurp^^ 98 LincolnCONTmEMmL PW. PL, AM/FM Cassette V6 $16,999 98 Mercury^^^UJLmmm: $33,999 Leather, PW, PL, AM/FM Cassette, Alloy Wheels I 98 Mercury mountfuneefi $23,999 V6, PW, PLi Altoy WbeeWAM^M ' $17,999 Cassette, 7 Passen^ Lincoln Town Car 97 Mercury Grand Marquis PW. PL, AM/FM Cassette, Low Miles $18,599 $32,999 Nobody Beats Our Price... Not Now! Not Ever! 7301 SOUTH BLVD. CHARLOTTE 704-553-8300 Hours: M-F 8l^*'am-8pm Sat 8!^^am-7pm • Discounts include all rebates, incentives, owner loyalty, factory discounts, and $400 Recent College Grads Discounts. Low APR in lieu of rebate. Low APR up to 48 months. All prices plus tax, tag, and doc fees. *98 Sable 2.9% APR ‘98 Mountaineer 3 9% APR ‘98 Villager 1% APR.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Nov. 20, 1997, edition 1
30
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75