DST Asks: How Do You View the Industry and Your Career?
Every automobile in every dealer’s showroom in America displays an EPA fuel economy ratings sticker. The ratings are estimates developed by the automakers after testing a limited number of pre-production vehicles. The EPA then verifies the results on roughly 10 to 15 percent of the vehicles produced for that year. The tests, repeated the same way each time in a controlled environment, are the same for all autos and are supposed to simulate city and highway driving conditions. They can’t – and don’t – reflect the conditions under which every vehicle is driven; nor do they reflect the maintenance condition, type of fuel used, or – perhaps most importantly-the variety of driving styles that we all see everyday on the streets. What do mileage ratings and driving styles have to do with your aftermarket career? Plenty.
Dealership Parts & Service Takes Aim at the Aftermarket
Would you sell parts to your competitor? In all probability, you already do. While your driver delivers aftermarket parts through the OE dealership service department’s front door, OE parts are going out that same dealership’s backdoor to your best installer customers.
Executive Interview with Scott Meyer, President of MEMA
Our latest edition of “Executive Interview” features Scott Meyer, outgoing chairman of the Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA). As he concludes his time as chairman of the association, he steps into a new role as interim president of MEMA, which is in the midst of celebrating its 100-year anniversary. Join us as Meyer shares his insights on the anniversary of MEMA’s centennial, and what lies ahead for both MEMA and the entire industry.
Pep Boys Remodels Stores, Adds New Brands and Product Categories
Yesterday, Pep Boys celebrated grand re-openings at five newly remodeled stores in Jacksonville, Fla. The re-openings — which featured special retail and service promotions, ribbon-cutting ceremonies, remote radio broadcasts and a market-wide sweepstakes promotion — are part of a major “retail renewal” initiative that the company has undertaken.
Japan’s Fair Trade Watchdog Raids Bridgestone, Other Tiremakers
Japan’s fair trade watchdog on Thursday raided offices of Bridgestone Corp. and more than 10 other tiremakers on suspicion of rigging bids for supplies to the military, a government official said. The Fair Trade Commission launched raids on industry leader Bridgestone, Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd., Toyo Tire and Rubber Co. Ltd. and more than 10 other tiremakers, the official said.
TIA and GE Extend 20-Year Credit Partnership
The Tire Industry Association (TIA) and GE Retail Sales Finance have extended their 20-year private label credit partnership that enables TIA members to offer extended financing to their customers through the CarCareONE credit card network. The program was launched in 1984. The CarCareONE program provides extended financing terms from 30 days to one year, emergency roadside assistance for one year and electronic processing that enables dealers to obtain rapid credit decisions while the customer waits in the store.
ASA Launches Online Membership Directory
The Automotive Service Association (ASA) has added an online membership directory to its Web site. A key reference tool for finding fellow members, the directory can be used as a networking tool, according to ASA. The directory includes more than 12,000 member-businesses searchable by geographical location, or alphabetically by contact or business name.
Auto Components Supplier Set to Quadruple China Sales
World-leading automotive parts and components supplier Robert Bosch GmbH plans to cash in on China’s fast-growing auto sector by quadrupling its sales in the nation by 2012. The company plans to lift its sales to $6 billion by 2012 from last year’s $1.56 billion.
LKQ Corporation Acquires Albert Lea Auto Salvage, Inc.
LKQ Corp. has acquired Albert Lea Auto Salvage, Inc., a privately held company that operates a recycled OEM automotive replacement parts facility. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Located south of Minneapolis in Albert Lea, Minn., Albert Lea Auto Salvage will service the greater Minneapolis and St. Paul area, and provide a strategic link within LKQ’s network of facilities.
Advance Auto Parts Launches Consumer Education DIY Program
Advance Auto Parts has launched a new consumer education campaign which claims that with a little knowledge and confidence, the average consumer can save between $500 and $1,000 a year on car maintenance and repair, simply by doing the work themselves. The Virginia-based auto parts chain recently launched “We’re Ready with Answers,” a program to show vehicle owners how easy it is to become a “do-it-yourselfer.”