Category: Industry Trends

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Dealership Training Industry Trends

Your Lender Relationship Checklist

Hollis Goode Regional Vice President EFG Companies
Contributing Author:
Hollis Goode
Regional Vice President
EFG Companies

In the last five to six years, lenders have been competing for your business. They’ve loosened credit requirements, extended loan terms, provided software solutions for automatic approvals, and been willing to advance more money for your F&I managers to sell consumer protection products.

With them doing all the work, you’ve been able to pick and choose which lenders with which to do business. That is slowly changing in 2017. According to the latest Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices from the Federal Reserve, auto loan demand at banks is softening while lenders are tightening approval standards.

This means that you now have to put more effort into maintaining your lender relationships as lenders pull back on the amount of auto loans they are willing to fund.

So what does it take to develop strong lender relationships? When pondering this question, think beyond complete and accurate applications. It takes communication and the ability to manage expectations.

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Economy Industry Trends

Perspective on the Auto Sales Plateau

Contributing Author: John Stephens Executive Vice President EFG Companies
Contributing Author:
John Stephens
Executive Vice President
EFG Companies

It’s official. Auto sales have plateaued. Dealerships across the U.S. are reporting low sales numbers in comparison to last year. Manufacturers have increased incentives, but no one’s taking the bait. These headlines give reason for pause and contemplation on the future of the retail auto market. But, let’s take a step back for a second.

According to Automotive News, the auto industry sold 17.5 million vehicles last year, representing a seventh straight year of growth. When put in that perspective, a plateau at 17.5 million vehicles doesn’t seem too bad.

Yes, vehicle sales aren’t hitting manufacturer projections, but seriously, how long did they really think sustained growth was going to continue? We’ve been in one of the longest economic expansions in U.S. history; the economy was bound to slow down at one point.

With that perspective in mind, economic indicators continue to be strong.  National unemployment has hit its lowest level since May 2007. We’ve seen strong jobs gains in recent months. According to CNN, wages rose 2.5 percent in the past 12 months, and the median price of a home has risen to $236,400. Lastly, consumers are still taking on debt. According to the Federal Reserve, consumer credit rose 4.8% annually in February.

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Industry Trends

Millennials Need Cars Now

Hollis Goode Regional Vice President EFG Companies
Contributing Author:
Hollis Goode
Regional Vice President
EFG Companies

Millennials – roughly those born between 1980 and 2004 – are late to join the car-buying masses. In fact, they also appear to be late to everything else – leaving home later, getting married later, and having families later. But latest reports indicate that this generation is finally entering the market en masse!

A recent study by J.D. Power’s Power Information Network reported that the share of Millennials in the new car market jumped 28 percent. By 2020, Millennials are expected to capture 40 percent of car sales. This is great news for those who thought the entire generation would forego a car purchase. But the Millennial care-abouts and approach to purchasing a vehicle are very different from traditional car buyers. Are you prepared for these changes?

Vehicle as Utility…not Social Status

In the past, vehicles were viewed as an extension of the buyer’s personality or social status in life. Got a promotion? Get a luxury or a sports car. At the moment, Millennials sacked with college debt don’t have the luxury of thinking this way. For the time being, a vehicle is seen a means of transportation by this generation. It is an easier way to get groceries home or ferry a growing family. In fact, according to a survey by the personal finance website NerdWallet, 43 percent of millennials said owning a car was a hassle!

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