Car dealers ‘poised for a really good year’By Alisa Priddle, Detroit Free Press -LAS VEGAS — As the nation’s auto dealers gathered for their annual convention, the mood was driven by growing profits, the anticipation of new vehicles and the potential of social networks to boost sales as the bad memories of 2009 fade.From 2008 through last year, the domestic automakers trimmed their dealer networks in the wake of the industry’s financial meltdown.Four General Motors brands and Ford’s Mercury brand no longer exist. But in a National Automobile Dealers Association survey last March, 57.4 percent of dealers said they expected to be more profitable in the next year, the highest percentage expecting better results since the mid-1990s.With the news that the nation’s unemployment rate fell to a three-year low of 8.3 percent in January, the optimism is more sustainable.“The energy coming out of the Detroit auto show and heading into the dealer convention is a reflection of a stronger industry,” said Rod Alberts, executive director of the Detroit Automobile Dealers Association. Last weekend, more than 20,000 dealers, auto executives and exhibitors are attending the NADA convention.
Car dealers 'poised for a really good year' | NorthIowaToday.com
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Car dealers 'poised for a really good year' | NorthIowaToday.com