What part of sales satisfaction can you fix right away?
There are several things that consumers expect from us. Simple things that are not small. As an example, make sure your car is clean. At our dealer I say: A car should never be cleaner in its life than the day the customer got it. It’s important. That’s what we’re working on here.
I think perfect fuel is an important part of the process. That’s probably the expectation of all our customers, and we made the decision a few months ago to give them full fuel.
There are specific training requirements. In other words, you need a much better informed sales consultant. A unified delivery process for delivering cars, helping customers understand the technology inside their cars. These cars have a lot of technology. I also spend time on the delivery process because I need a process to keep customers from getting frustrated with the technology.
Looking at all the brands’ product lines, is there a vehicle you’re missing?
Yeah some. Now there are only three of his Dodge branded cars, but the fourth is almost identical to the Hornet. I think you can use a medium sized pickup truck. I’ve heard rumors of a midsize pickup truck. Since the Chrysler brand only has two vehicles, he knows they are undergoing an overhaul and are going to be completely different. You know what’s coming from the Jeep brand. You and I talked about Fiat bringing her 500e back into the party.
I know what’s missing, but it’s definitely coming. It’s not just a placeholder for your calendar. [Stellantis is] We are working legally towards providing these products.
What is the demand for Ram midsize pickup trucks?
I think it’s natural.we do it [Jeep] Gladiator, but not fully covered. I think the demand is quite high. We are not currently playing in that market. Going a little further, I think not only can you use a midsize, but you can also use a compact his truck. Something along those lines.
I think it’s a natural flow for us. I think our brand can support that. I think our volume can support that. If you add up all the volumes that everyone else is doing and you know what percentage of Ram’s as part of the light, medium and heavy truck business, you probably have a similar We can assume that there is a proportion. Even if only slightly. As long as they control it and make it really ram, I think it will be a home run for us.
Jeeps have gone upstream with their expensive Wagoneers and Grand Wagoneers. And now comes the enhanced Wagoneer L, which is even more expensive. What do you think of Jeep’s attempt to make it a more premium brand?
I’m proud of the Jeep brand and I think it adds a challenge if you want to add another brand that fits into the Jeep lineup but you want to call it something else entirely.
Like any new product, we have work to do and they are definitely working on it. Always evolving and getting better. Regarding individual branding, I think it is an issue that has not yet been fully resolved. But I know they are committed to it. As long as they give us something good to sell, we figure out what to call it.
What about stock shortages?
it is tidal. We are really depressed now. I’m having trouble getting what I need for sale. People always ask me, what about the car business? And I say, well, that’s good. No two days are the same. No rhythm, you can’t find your rhythm now. This he can assure you is not the way the OEM wants it. we are working on this together. difficult. I don’t expect much improvement. Certainly not before the end of the first quarter.
How are rising interest rates impacting Stellantis’ new and used vehicle sales and financing?
There are still plenty of competitive funding sources where you can get reasonable interest rates on loans. What you saw was OEMs responding with a 0% financing option. Because it makes sense compared to cash incentives. I’m sure it worked. But so far it’s not necessarily a devastating effect. If he had 500 cars like before, he might feel a little different than 90 today. There may be added pressure. But I think it’s okay because the stock is still low now. But I think it’s important because we’re not under pressure.
What can Stellantis do to help dealers deal with these rates?
Unfortunately, Stellantis does not control interest rates. It controls the reaction to interest rates. And they need to react in a positive and proactive way so that we can stay competitive and keep our inventories from exceeding a reasonable number. However, it may not be the pace we want.
Maybe they need a little more incentive, but they’re not turning their backs either. If you’re an OEM of him, it’s hard to say ‘oh let’s go aggressive’ when 45-50% of the normal is in the ground.
What is the demand for used cars?
I think the increase is because used cars are taking up some of the slack in new car demand as the pressure on new cars is intense and there aren’t enough new cars. The used car business will remain strong for the time being. There are groups of people who want ICE cars, there are groups of people who want electric cars, and neither is enough.
Are you optimistic about the direction of your business in 2023?
I am very optimistic. I look at our business and say here are the challenges and here are the transitions we have to make. It’s a pivot, but not a complete deviation. I think it’s another opportunity that probably doesn’t exist now. We expect 2023 to be a very good year and I think the industry is strong.