and retain skilled technicians hold a distinct advantage. Investments in recruiting, training and pay for productivity systems — not to mention the basics of coaching and worker engagement — set dealers up to access growing service revenues. Key Takeaways for Dealers Smoke and Skordeles recommend several strategies to stay competitive: 1. Remain optimistic for sales growth: The coming year is expected to be the strongest market for new vehicles since 2019 and the best for used vehicles since 2021. Dealers should prepare for increased retail activity. 2. Prepare to work harder to find used inventory: With fewer lease returns entering the market, prepare to adopt proactive sourcing strategies. It’s going to take more work to find used cars, but that will also put a floor under prices, benefiting dealers and helping maintain predictable margins. 3. Invest in technology: Rising labor costs and shortages will drive investments in productivity. Dealers should explore technology — with AI at the top of the list — that enhances productivity while supporting their teams in delivering high-quality service. 4. Leverage parts and service: Service and parts revenue will remain a critical profit center as consumers keep older vehicles longer. Increased demand for maintenance and repair, coupled with parts scarcity, should increase revenue from service departments. 5. Pursue F&I opportunities: As buyers of used vehicles seek protection against repair costs, warranties, extended service plans and other F&I products are likely to see increased consumer interest. 6. Focus on efficiency and scale: To offset operational costs, larger dealer groups will continue to add scale through acquisitions, seeking benefits from shared services and resource efficiency across multiple locations. Truist Bank, Member FDIC. ©2025 Truist Financial Corporation. Truist, the Truist logo and Truist Purple are service marks of Truist Financial Corporation. Equal Housing Lender. 1. Bloomberg. We invite you to join us today. Contact us at ElectrifyIL@Ameren.com to get started. Learn more about our ChargeSmart program at AmerenIllinois.com/ChargeSmart. Engage. Learn. Share. 1. Engage: Join our webinars and boost your EV sales expertise 2. Learn: You and your customers can use our EV calculator to compare gas versus kWh cost savings and more 3. Share: Our ChargeSmart Program can help Ameren customers earn a bill credit and charge for less— sign up is FREE Dealer Partner Network Benefits: • We help you get noticed by listing you on our AmerenIllinois.com/EV web pages • As a Dealer Partner, you get access to a special portal offering resources to help you educate EV customers. Enrollees earn a bill credit and charge for less costs— sign up is FREE An Exclusive Offer to Dealers Join our network of Auto Dealers and let’s transform the EV journey for customers together. The Ameren Illinois Dealer Partner Network is FREE to join and provides resources to help ease the minds of potential EV drivers. 17 Illinois Automobile Dealer News
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