Two key market indicators should bode well for your shop, laying the foundation for bountiful service opportunities.
With international nameplate brands garnering a whopping 54.6% of December 2014 auto sales, and with that number pegged above the 50% mark for several years in a row, import vehicles in operation (VIO) will continue their steady climb north.
Add to that a forecast by IHS Automotive (www.ihs.com) that the average age of vehicles is likely to remain at 11.4 years through 2015, with the number of vehicles 12-plus years old on the road projected to increase 15% by 2019, and you’ve got an abundance of maintenance opportunities on a burgeoning import vehicle fleet that are ripe for the picking.
But, you’ll likely need to go after it by educating your customers about the value of vehicle system checks at specified intervals, especially on 6-12 year-old vehicles that are in the “sweet spot.”
We want to help you garner some of those overlooked maintenance dollars. With that in mind, we produced another edition of our special Maintenance Matters supplement. Tipped to page 25, this 24-page piece includes articles that help define the profit potential available within the maintenance category in the areas of belt service, TPMS service and air filter, wiper and battery sales, and provides useful information to help you sell maintenance services to your customers.
Start today! Tout the advantages and value of preventive maintenance, and you’ll boost your shop’s profitability in automotive maintenance services by leaps and bounds.
Imports Making Headlines — Again!
Mazda CX-9 And Mazda5 Named ‘Best Cars for the Money’
Last month, U.S. News & World Report named its “2015 Best Cars for the Money” awards, which included the 2015 Mazda CX-9 as the Best Large SUV and 2015 Mazda5 as the Best Minivan. This is the fourth consecutive award for Mazda5.
The “Best Cars for the Money” methodology combines quality and value data into a composite score. Within each of 21 categories, the vehicle with the highest score is named the “Best Car for the Money” in that category. For more info, go to usnews.com/cars-money.
