Each week, The Pulse provides insight into the buying, sourcing and brand-loyalty habits of counter personnel and professional technicians. This week, using Babcox Research we look at the growth of service bays in import repair shops.
Earlier this year, it was widely reported that import nameplates now outrank the Big 3 domestic carmakers in vehicle sales. According to some industry analysts, foreign nameplates now control more than half the U.S. market. While this may not bode well for Detroit , the service and repair industry will certainly benefit from the increasing number of import cars on the roads today.
According to the most recent Babcox Research, import car repair shops are already encountering an influx of repair business, necessitating the need for more service bays. A recent survey of ImportCar readers showed that 30 percent of shops participating in the study had three or four service bays, with the average being 5 bays per location. This is up from 4.7 bays (average) in 2004.
For more information about Babcox Research, go to: http://www.babcox.com/marketing_research.html