At the top of our round-up of the week’s most popular industry news items is a feature story from this month’s issue of our sister print publication Counterman magazine. The article, titled “Aftermarket Prime Time,” reviews the opportunities that lie ahead for the aftermarket in the wake of the thousands of dealerships expected to close across the country in the next several months. In the article, Counterman Editor Mark Phillips talks to a number of program groups to get their perspectives on the situation.
Another highly read feature this week was our Executive Interview with Jason Best, vice president of marketing and sales – aftermarket, for Spectra Premium Industries in Quebec. In the exclusive interview, Best talks about Spectra’s evolution from manufacturer and distributor to focusing primarily on its role as a manufacturer. Best also discusses plans for the company’s expansion into fuel system development and talks about Spectra’s focus on clean data and customer service.
The hotly debated Cash for Clunkers legislation became official this week when President Obama signed the bill into Federal law. The legislation, officially known as the Car Allowance Rebate System (C.A.R.S.), is expected to take effect around Aug. 1 and will provide an estimated 250,000 motorists with vouchers to trade-in their vehicles for more fuel-efficient ones. Some industry analysts, including J.D. Power & Associates, have reported that the impact of Cash for Clunkers on new vehicles sales this year is expected to be relatively minor given the short life-span of the program, which ends in November.
Readers this week mourned the passing of D.C.-area aftermarket veteran Larry Singer. Singer, 53, died unexpectedly on June 21. Singer had a long and varied aftermarket career that included running his own manufacturer’s rep agency, a jobber store, Mel-Jule Auto Parts (Kensington, Md.) and most recently working as a service manager at Graeves Auto & Appliance (Olney, Md.). He also continued to serve as a Washington, D.C., area rep for Pitt Penn Oil Co. He was an active member of the Chesapeake Automotive Business Association, serving on its board of directors for six years.
In other personnel news, Rene Daudelin has joined CADNA Automotive as vice president of retail sales. Daudelin, a 15-year industry veteran, most recently served as vice president of sales and marketing for International Lubricants Inc. based in Seattle, Wash. In his new position with Memphis, Tenn.-based CADNA, Daudelin will immediately begin to expand the company’s reach into markets that were previously underserved. CADNA is the licensee of such premium automotive brands as Prestone, Autolite and FRAM, and its proprietary brand Armor Mark.
