Chrysler, as you all know, cut 789 of its dealers this Thursday past, roughly a quarter of all its stores nationwide. For me, the news is bitter sweet. Actually- I feel pretty good about it. But more on that a little later.
The next day, General Motors too served walking papers to about 20% of its existing network of dealers.
The Economies of Sale
Not to get too technical or political about it, it’s better for these manufacturers and what remaining dealers are left that there will be fewer stores selling the goods. Why? Less competition. In a struggling business that’s competitive enough with namely Japanese brands like Toyota and Honda out there; no need for other mom and pop domestic shops to whittle down the prices so Joe Blow can get the best deal he can on an American car, with his Edmunds.com invoice printed in hand. It’s just not profitable, for any business, uncompetitive product or not.
Which leads me to the other facet of the car sales equation- factory support. Truth be known, a lot of dealers live and die (well, obviously!) by the factory, the manufacturer itself. Incentives, programs, marketing, floor-plans (how most new cars are loaned and supplied to the dealer’s lots), are all dictated by the manufacturer. Dealers, in most cases, supply the brick and mortar, the staffing, the used cars, the insurance, the local marketing and stuff like that; most new cars you see on the lots are loaned to them- by the factory, in an agreement that largely favors the manufacturer. Every day the car sits, doesn’t sell, is costing the dealer money like an accruing debt. It’s taken into account when they sell the car. Ever wonder why they want to show you a car in the back, covered in dust? It’s to cut a lingering loss.
The manufacturers set the bar every month for each region, each sales district. Dealers large and small strive to meet the demands of the floor-plan, so that they can get their unit spins- bonus money put on each car sold, which can amount to a significant “P” to the monthly P/L report, often times this money makes their month. It’s a bonus, and they’ll give away the store, sometimes even at a loss so
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Philip R. Davis is a founder Phil's Stock World, a stock and options trading site that teaches the art of options trading to newcomers and devises advanced strategies for expert traders...
Ilene is editor and affiliate program
coordinator for PSW.