Automotive News, Press Releases, and Events

A New Jersey dealer raises concerns about the state's approval of Tesla's direct sales model, questioning whether this represents the beginning of a broader challenge to traditional franchise dealer networks and seeking input from other dealers on how to respond. The thread receives minimal engagement, with only one reply expressing shock at the development, suggesting the community was still processing the implications of this regulatory shift at the time of posting.

The thread examines GM's Shop-Click-Drive online car-buying platform, questioning whether the massive investment — reportedly thousands of programmers over two years — is justified by the actual sales numbers, which the original poster argues are unimpressive despite positive media coverage. Discussion centers on the gap between the automotive industry's digital ambitions and the reality of consumer online purchasing behavior, with contributors debating whether the initiative represents meaningful progress or expensive window dressing.

Jerry Thibeau pushes back on trainer Alan Ram's claim that dealership managers should personally listen to and coach their own sales calls, arguing the call volume alone makes that impractical. Thibeau makes the case that outsourcing call tracking and coaching to third-party services is more cost-effective and realistic than expecting in-house managers to handle it. The thread centers on the debate between DIY call monitoring and paying for specialized external services to improve phone performance.

Jeff Kershner promotes an upcoming DealerOn webinar featuring Ben and Justin discussing digital strategies to grow Fixed Operations revenue, addressing the common problem that service departments are often neglected or under-marketed compared to sales operations. The post highlights three typical obstacles: dealerships over-prioritize front-end sales, digital marketing managers lack incentive to focus on service revenue, and fixed ops managers rely too heavily on traditional direct mail instead of digital channels. The core insight is that progressive dealers must shift strategic focus to their service bays and adopt digital marketing approaches to remain competitive.

Jeff Kershner outlines five actionable tips for car dealers to refresh their dealership websites in 2015, covering technical audits, broken links, content freshness, and search rankings. The core takeaway is that simply having a website isn't enough — ongoing maintenance and updated content are essential to staying competitive and visible online.

The discussion centers on Google's 2015 deal to display tweets in search results and what this signals about Google's abandoned Google+ strategy and implications for automotive dealers' social media tactics. Participants debate whether dealers need to adjust their Twitter strategies and introduce concepts like "meta tweets" optimized for search visibility, with consensus that quality, contextually relevant content from trusted sources with high domain authority will benefit most from the integration. The key insight is that success depends on dealers creating intentional, search-optimized content rather than casual tweets, requiring a deliberate content strategy rather than a passive social media presence.

Jeff Kershner highlights Google's expansion of Knowledge Graph social profile links to all brands, previously limited to celebrities and public figures since late 2014. The feature allows dealerships and brands to display their social profiles directly in Google search results via structured data markup. The key takeaway is that dealers should implement the markup to control which social profiles appear in their Knowledge Graph panel.

Jeff Kershner shares and adapts insights from a HubSpot article on blogging consistently without burning out, focusing on four practical strategies to overcome procrastination, boredom, and idea deficits. The core advice centers on habits like reading widely, curating inspiration, and building a sustainable content routine that dealership bloggers can implement immediately. It's a straightforward, actionable post aimed at automotive professionals who struggle to maintain a regular blogging cadence.

Dealers discuss optimal commission structures for BDC coordinators, debating whether to pay higher commissions for appointments set (shows) or vehicles sold. Key insights include that compensation should account for base salary, additional responsibilities beyond lead-handling, and dealership volume, with some arguing that show-based pay incentivizes quantity over quality, while sale-based pay encourages proper follow-up and customer qualification—though the ideal structure varies significantly by dealership size and market.

Josh Knutson offered a single extra ticket to the sold-out Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, which includes full admission, both dinner nights, and access to all speakers, available on a first-come-first-serve basis via email. The offer was appreciated by the DealerRefresh community member who replied, indicating it was a valued opportunity for someone seeking to attend the already-booked event.

GM is implementing a quarterly BDC (Business Development Center) assessment that will constitute 20% of dealer bonus compensation, with evaluation criteria spanning whether dealers have a BDC in place (5%), appointment-setting ratios of 1:1 per salesperson per selling day (50%), appointment-to-show and show-to-close conversion rates (25%), formal appointment processes (10%), and call scripts/guides (5%). The post appears incomplete but suggests GM is systematically incentivizing dealers to adopt structured BDC operations and track specific performance metrics related to lead conversion.

Jeff Kershner reflects on DealerRefresh's 2014, touching on cultural moments from the Ice Bucket Challenge to GM recalls as backdrop for the community's growth. The key highlight is a November forum upgrade that improved navigation and user experience, with Kershner expressing strong enthusiasm about the platform's direction heading into 2015.

The thread discusses Google's strategy to embed Android directly into vehicles as a native operating system for entertainment and navigation, rather than relying on phone connectivity. A respondent notes that similar initiatives like Android Auto and the Open Automotive Alliance were announced years earlier with limited market adoption, citing failed or underperforming products like QNX demos and Parrot's Android head unit as examples of the industry's struggle to successfully implement in-car Android systems.

A DealerRefresh user shares a BrightLocal webinar featuring Greg Gifford of AutoRevo discussing advanced Local SEO optimization techniques in the post-Pigeon/Panda algorithm era, with specific insights applied to the automotive industry. The resource covers both general Local SEO best practices across all industries and automotive-specific findings relevant to dealers seeking to improve their Google visibility.

Cardinale Automotive Group posted promotional content about implementing integrated marketing systems to reach customers at the "Zero Moment of Truth" (ZMOT) and direct them to dealership stores, claiming dealers have the right to market their brands through unified direct channels. The community response was dismissive and skeptical, with multiple members questioning whether the post was substantive discussion or merely advertising/link bait, and expressing cynicism about a dealer "discovering" ZMOT as though it were novel. No meaningful conclusion or insights emerged; the thread devolved into moderators and users discouraging further engagement with what appeared to be vendor promotion disguised as industry discussion.

Joe Webb challenges the industry assumption that price is the primary filter for vehicle selection, citing Cobalt's 2014 Inventory Shopping Experience Study showing 63% of dealers prioritize price above all else. He argues that ignoring color preferences early in the shopping process slows down the path to finding the right vehicle for customers. The key insight is that color may be a faster qualifying factor than dealers realize, and overlooking it costs time and opportunities.

A webinar titled "Are You an Internet Ninja Warrior?" features an expert panel including Joe Webb, Eric Miltsch, Jeff Kershner, and David Kain discussing lead handling strategies and best practices for automotive dealers. The event, hosted by Jerry Thibeau, promises to deliver actionable advice on internet lead management to help dealers improve sales performance.

The thread discusses an Inc. Magazine article about TrueCar CEO Scott Painter's crisis management approach following the company's operational failures, highlighting his strategy of repeatedly apologizing to dealers at industry conferences. While Painter's tips emphasize admitting mistakes and acknowledging valid criticism, forum members remain skeptical, with some questioning whether his public contrition was genuine or strategically staged.

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Rebecca Chernek is hosting a webinar on December 4th examining whether dealerships can realistically deliver customers from the F&I office in 30 minutes and what operational changes would be required to achieve faster turnaround times. The session will explore the tension between improving delivery speed to meet modern customer expectations (especially Gen Y) and traditional dealer practices, while addressing how faster F&I processes can increase both profitability and customer satisfaction.

Ken Kolodziej draws a parallel between political campaign advertising and dealership marketing, arguing that big spending on traditional media doesn't guarantee success. The key insight is that dealerships need a deliberate go-to-market strategy rather than simply outspending competitors, with targeted and measurable approaches delivering better results than blanket TV and traditional ad buys.

Women in Automotive, an organization founded by industry professionals including Subi Ghosh, announced its first female-centric conference scheduled for June 5-6, 2015 in Orlando, Florida, designed to help women in the male-dominated automotive industry network, develop skills, and advance their careers. A brief debate emerged about whether a women-only speaking conference was necessary, but the original poster clarified that the event addresses real industry challenges, including unequal hiring practices and wage gaps that women still face despite decades of equality movements. The thread concluded with strong support from community members who recognized the conference as an overdue initiative and requested sponsorship information.

This post shares a recap of the Driving Sales Executive Summit (DSES) held at the Bellagio, written by the AutoMotion team. The piece highlights the event's reputation for featuring progressive speakers and fostering collaboration on automotive industry innovation. It serves as a promotional and experiential overview for dealers curious about the value of attending DSES.