This is a good place to drop general and weird news, entertainment, and general show prep material that might be interesting to air talent or producers. Hot dog threads ALWAYS welcome.
AP Source: Chrysler to cut 800 dealers on Thursday May 12, 2009 @ 05:14 PM
Herald-Dispatch.com
DETROIT (AP) —
A Chrysler dealer says the automaker will tell at least 800 of its 3,200 dealers on Thursday that they have been fired.
The dealer listened to a conference call Tuesday held by lawyers who want to represent the dealers whose franchise agreements will be rejected.
The dealer did not want to be identified because the call was confidential. But he says a lawyer from the firm Squire Sanders out of Cincinnati told dealers that Chrysler will ask a bankruptcy judge to reject the franchises.
Chrysler, which has received $4 billion in government loans, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York.
It was rather sad a few weeks back when I was driving back from AC on White Horse Pike and looking at all the car dealerships that are out of business. Southeastern PA and south Jersey have been hit pretty hard with a significant number of dealers having closed or consolidated.
I guess that number is only going o get worse.
The first step in a successful revolution is to defeat all competing revolutionaries.
I am wondering if we really need independent dealerships. When I go to Wal-Mart in Huntington, WV, I will pay $5.99 for a bottle of Tide. When I go to Wal-Mart in Walla Walla, Washington, I will pay $5.99 for a bottle of Tide. We don't need independent Tide dealerships, we just go and buy Tide.
For autos, A Toyota in Huntington should be priced very similarly to the same model in Ashland, KY. So why are two Toyota dealerships forced to compete with each other, rather than focusing on other competitive brands?
I bet the dealer in Ironton (which sold me the only Dodge I ever owned) is one of the ones cut.
"Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached"
-Manuel II Palaiologos Byzantine Emperor (1391-1425)
Don't worry, Hoos, Chrysler's new UAW owners will no doubt look out for the little guy, like the small-town dealers.
Seriously, it is too bad, time has caught up with the antiquated dealer system, no doubt prolonged by the franchise dealers themselves. Change indeed, here's some of it.
Somebody with more time and even less of a life than me check this out. Doesn't Toyota, even with its huge sales, have less dealerships than Chrysler did. Something just under 3000.
Maybe it's GM. I saw this story a couple months ago, saying how the incredible amount of dealership duplication was another reason GM and Chrysler were in such trouble.
This may be a good thing.
Fired dealers could fire their idiot sales people and hire more competent mechanics
and convert to an all service business plan. A business that did this could be very successful.
"Everyone Should be aware that you're just a screen grab away from infamy."
I remember hearing a story about dealership duplication a couple of months ago.
One of my Gallipolis car dealer buddies says that duplication been a big problem for many years, but has really come back to bite the Big 3 given the current economic situation.
It is not as crowded as it used to be.
Most of the dealerships are multi-line dealers.
at one time Huntington had separate dealers for:
Cadillac, Olds-Corky Black
Chevy-Dutch Miller
Pontiac-Moses
Buick-Hez Ward
GMC truck-R F Steiners.
All now are Dutch Miller and Moses.
I didn't count the cross river dealers in Ashland/Ironton and Chesapeake.
"Everyone Should be aware that you're just a screen grab away from infamy."
Years ago, Chesapeake (Ohio) had Jerry Gillen Ford and Hairston Chevrolet.
In a town of 1000 people.
Willow Wood, population 84, had Higgins Chevrolet.
Ironton had a full range of dealerships back in the day.
Bob Gillen Ford (Jerry's brother) and Tomko Buick are the only names I remember, though ...
Note: Hairston sold to Hamilton which eventually moved the dealership to Proctorville.
Last edited by Hoosier Daddy on Thu May 14, 2009 10:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
genlock wrote:It is not as crowded as it used to be.
Most of the dealerships are multi-line dealers.
at one time Huntington had separate dealers for:
Cadillac, Olds-Corky Black
Chevy-Dutch Miller
Pontiac-Moses
Buick-Hez Ward
GMC truck-R F Steiners.
All now are Dutch Miller and Moses.
Galligher Ford
Don Smith AMC/Jeep
Can't remember the Huntington Chrysler/Plymouth and Dodge dealers, but they were there.
Bill Spurlock Dodge (Huntington), Logan Chrysler Jeep Dodge, Crown Dodge (Nitro), Earehart Chrysler (Beckley), Harmon Motor Sales (Ironton), Harry Green (Clarksburg), Joe Holland Chrysler (South Charleston), Kincheloe Motors (Parkersburg), Lewis Jeep (Oak Hill), John Howard Motors (Morgantown), Paul's Auto Sales (Rainelle), Pavlik Motor Cars (Weirton), Pioneer Chrysler Jeep (Marietta), Spencer Auto Group), T & T Jeep (Bluefield), The Union Sales Company (Martinsburg), Thomassen Chrysler Dodge Jeep (Charles Town), Wharton Jeep (Parkersburg)
