This year’s Motor Trend Awards have been released, and it’s a really good year for Chevrolet. The brand sporting the bowtie for its logo took home two of the three awards as the major automotive publication announced their favorite car, truck and SUV for 2015.
Winners of Motor Trend Awards
Car of the Year: Chevrolet Camaro
Judges chose the Camaro due to its lighter-weight design, and it’s just in time for its 50th birthday. The Camaro got the nod over finalists Audi TT, BMW 7 Series, Honda Civic, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Mercedes-Benz GT 5, and the hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai.
Truck of the Year: Chevrolet Colorado
Last year’s winner takes home the hardware once again, besting the field for a second straight year. Finalists included the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Canyon, GMC Sierra 1500, Nissan Titan XD and Toyota Tundra.
SUV of the Year: Volvo XC90
The XC90’s new design and plethora of powertrain options made it the winner in a hotly contested field full of worthy candidates. Finalists included the Honda Pilot, Lincoln MKX, Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class, an Nissan Murano.
Do you think the Motor Trend Awards went to the correct vehicles?
Do you know what your customers want in a new vehicle?A recent Forbes article detailed AutoPacific’s research on this very topic. While safety features are moving up the list, it’s still the simple comfort items that win the day.
It is interesting to note that, while driver assist features are increasing in popularity, today’s motorists are still struggling with the idea of a 100% self-driving car (the “autonomous driving” option garnered only 11% of the vote).
While this list may change slightly depending upon the part of the country in which you reside, this is a pretty good snapshot of what today’s automotive shopper is looking for in a new vehicle.
As your sales team serves its customers it wouldn’t hurt for them to know this list well … however, there is no substitute for asking questions and being a good listener. That is always the best way to determine what a customer wants!
According totworecent articles released by Insideradio.com, radio automotive advertising has a definite knack of steering potential customers into dealership showrooms all across the country. These ads cause a favorable reaction among the nearly 85% of potential car shoppers who hear hem prior to visiting automotive showrooms during the always-critical Friday-Sunday time period that accounts for about four-fifths of all auto sales.
LaNeve and Insideradio.com
Why are they so adept at creating action? There are several reasons, and we’ll let an industry expert tell you about some of them. Mark LaNeve, Ford’s Vice President of US Marketing, Sales and Service, said the storytelling capabilities of radio are excellent for highlighting differences among vehicles, such as in the areas of technology and safety. He also said, “Radio provides scale and high ROI at a reasonable cost.”
LaNeve also told Insideradio.com that his company made an adjustment to its automotive budget for August and September, and the end result were two of its best months of the year. Why? Because radio allows his company to send specific, targeted messages to potential customers based on factors such as demographics, lifestyle and geographic location.
So when it comes time for the customer to decide where he or she is going to buy a car, radio is the magic bullet that draws attention to dealerships savvy enough to have a major presence on the airwaves. You should think about these things if radio is not a significant part of your monthly advertising strategy.
JKR: Your One-Stop Auto Ad Agency
If your dealership is not advertising on radio, what are you waiting for? JKR Automotive Advertising will not only help you get the most bang for your advertising buck, we also go the extra mile for our clients … with the software and experience in place to ensure you get everything you ordered. Call JKR today at (321) 397-0777 and ask for Eric Tigner.
Suntrup sales are soaring! This longtime St. Louis-based JKR client is experiencing a year for the record books in every store; and with each of its four automotive brands. “The number of milestones the Suntrup group has eclipsed in 2015 has been monumental,” said Richard Brauns, Senior Partner at JKR and Account Executive for the Suntrup account.
We provide details on just a few achievements in today’s blog, citing these October 2015 vs. October 2014 year-over-year numbers.
∙ Suntrup operates two Kia stores, South County and West County. South County was the No. 1 regional dealer in sales for October – and better still, they were the No. 1 Kia dealer in the entire country in CPO sales. Meanwhile, West County placed third in the region in sales, and finished in the top 10% of CPO sales nationwide.
∙ Suntrup operates two Hyundai stores, South County and Wentzville. While the St. Louis metro was up 42% year-over-year in October, South County was up 78%, and Wentzville was up 50%.
∙ Suntrup Volkswagen finished No. 1 in both new-car sales and CPO in the St. Louis metro region.
∙ Suntrup Nissan is among the top Nissan dealers in the St. Louis region in both new and CPO sales.
Suntrup Sales Solid All Year
You might say, these are great numbers, but they’re just one month. We respond to that with the following statistics that show excellent year-to-date growth for every Suntrup store that is a JKR client. Suntrup sales are soaring everywhere you look.
∙ While Kia sales are up 4% nationally year-to-date, Suntrup Kia South County sales are up 13%, while Suntrup Kia West County is up 34%.
∙ Suntrup Hyundai South County is No. 1 in Hyundai new-car sales in the St. Louis metro region in 2015.
∙ While Volkswagen sales are down 2.1% nationally year-to-date, Suntrup Volkswagen sales are up 23%.
∙ While Nissan sales are up 5.2% nationally year-to-date, Suntrup Nissan sales are up 33%.
∙ As a whole, Suntrup’s used-car sales are up 17.5% year-to-date when compared to 2014.
∙ Suntrup is the No. 1 CPO dealer in the St. Louis region for all four of its franchises; Kia, Hyundai, Volkswagen and Nissan.
∙ As a whole, St. Louis metro-area new car year-to-date sales rose 4.8%, while Suntrup’s sales were up 12.5% in the same time frame.
How to Get the Best of Everything
What do you get when you cross an expertly run automotive dealership group with an equally great automotive advertising agency? You get chart-topping numbers, much like the Suntrup group. You can achieve record numbers for your dealership, too, without giving away the proverbial farm to make it happen.
JKR can help you get results … quickly and consistently. We have the experience, software and know-how to get big numbers for dealerships of any size, in any market. Most advertising agencies make you promises, but how many of them can show you real, tangible results like this? Call Eric Tigner today at (321) 397-0777 to find out more.
There was mostly good news in October for the major automotive brands. New-car sales in the United States increased by 13.6% year-over-year in October, with a total of 1.46 million vehicles sold during the month.
In addition, Kelley Blue Book is reporting that the estimated average new-car transaction price for light vehicles during October was $34,023 – an increase of $458 per deal from October 2014; and $233 from September of this year.
Should the good news in October continue on through the end of the year, there’s a very real possibility the auto industry will establish a record calendar year sales number. Currently, the best-ever figure stands at 17.3 million in the Year 2000.
To what can we attribute the October gains? According tothis report in The Wall Street Journal, favorable economic conditions and a nice array of incentives helped boost what would otherwise be one of the slower months in the automotive industry. Though incentives have not always been popular with dealers, these days it isn’t so bad. Why? Customers seem to be more interested in bigger-ticket vehicles, allowing dealers a bit more wiggle room to negotiate – and thus they are still able to get a good profit from these cars.
Customers, of course, are looking at bigger vehicles because gas prices have stayed below $3 per gallon for a good while, and they seem confident the prices will stay low for the foreseeable future.
Which automakers did well in October? General Motors numbers were up 15.9%, while Fiat Chrysler rose 14.7%. As you might suspect, Volkswagen’s numbers were not as high as others amid the backlash over the uncovered emissions cheating scandal. Still, even they managed to increase their numbers 2.9% from October of last year.
Did You Have Good News in October?
Did your dealership underperform in October? If so, you need a strong, knowledgeable advocate to help you drive people to your dealership … and your store’s Website, too, for that matter. You should have someone on your side who can help you plan well beyond just this month. That’s us; that’s what we do for all our clients on a regular basis at JKR Automotive Advertising.
Call Eric Tigner at (321) 397-0777 today to get things in motion. Before you know it, you’ll have the high volume of foot traffic you have always wanted (and known your dealership could have).
To give you something for your time, by contacting us you will also receive a free-of-charge advertising review. Using our scientific data provided by our media buying specialists, you’ll find out how you’re doing compared to the other guys in your market, which is a very valuable piece of information to have … and it’s yours with no strings attached, whether you sign up with us or not.