continued from page 11 other industries, they too had unexpectedly profitable years after the pandemic shutdown. And although net profit was up for U.S. dealers, net profit included net operating profit and incentives paid by automakers to dealers who exceed sales targets. Also, chip shortages meant manufacturers focused on building SUVs and trucks because they have higher margins than small cars. Higher net profit is to be expected for everyone under those circumstances. The article then moves to an admiring analysis of EV manufacturers, with Rivian Automotive Inc. and Tesla Inc. mentioned by name. He says nothing about how direct sales affect EV profits, but he does say EV manufacturers are highly valued at the moment. He then talks about how the current system came to be. State laws passed decades ago were designed to prevent predatory behavior by big U.S. automakers and force them to use independent franchises for vehicle sales and service. After the history lesson, he claims that the current market is different from the 1950s market. Why? He says three U.S. brands no longer dominate the market. The current market, he claims, is too competitive to allow a repeat of the same issues that caused legislation to be written in the first place. Really? Tesla dwarfs all other EV manufacturers. And although Elon Musk has plans to fill the global market with Teslas, Denning ignores Musk’s gigafactories in Berlin, Shanghai and Texas. Even though Denning names Rivian and Tesla as two important companies in the developing EV market, citing sky-high valuations, he is wrong there, too. The three largest EV manufacturers are Tesla, VW and General Motors … not Rivian. Rivian is riding on expectations, not accomplishments. But since newcomer Tesla is the EV manufacturer currently dominating the EV market, why would anyone conclude states should throw away hard-earned legislative protections? Remember, too, that Musk – who is admittedly brilliant – will never remind anyone of the late Fred Rogers. Next, Denning says that high dealership margins come from selling vehicles and then taking care of them. He implies that EV sales departments meet several times with buyers while educating them about their potential purchases and that franchise dealers are all about the hard sell. Since EVs have fewer parts, though, he suggests service departments will be much less profitable in the future. It’s hard to know what to address first. Selling is selling, and doing it right means building a customer relationship. That’s why the best dealers have always made a point of helping their communities prosper. There are even many dealerships where the customers and employees are multigenerational. Dealerships like that do not fit a “hi, bye” model, especially in small communities. Dealerships have to care about customers, or they don’t last. And “less service” is not the same as “no service.” Tesla, in particular, has skimped so far on building up the service side of the business. As sales volumes increase, that’s going to be a problem. Denning then turns his attention to Michigan, Florida and New York. Yes, the market is changing, which means the way autos are built and sold will also change. Yes, dealerships have invested a great deal of time and 12 Pub Yr 2 | Issue 3
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