Troubled GM customers can hit sales: dealer

An ignition switch failure in connection with deadly crashes and in the Assembly recalls motor showrooms, according to dealers, who are fielding more and more calls from customers worried about the safety of GM cars are afraid in General.

Ancira auto group in San Antonio, Texas, a banner expected after March, but there was a strong February 28 vehicles short of their goal of selling 200 cars and trucks, Vice President April Ancira said in an e-Mail.

GM Chief Mary Barra on Wednesday with allegations, endure a devastating attack at a US Senate hearing, that the company "a culture of cover-up" promoted and Ancira said the bad news on this switch ignition, helped miss their sales group centered.

"It will take some time for the brand back to attract the customers who lost it," she said. "But I must believe that General Motors will take advantage of this opportunity to really focus on improving the safety of their products."

GM spokesman Jim Cain said the company is aware that some dealers worried how the recall will affect sales.

"Time will tell," Cain said. "In the long run we will be judged on how we take care of customers. We have to use advertising, if it is proven that the revenue might be affected in the short term incentives and other tools. But we haven't seen that. "

Concerns that sales, also in a recovered would be used car market under pressure this week showed interviews with more than 20 US GM dealer. Traders also made it clear that there are a growing number of nervous current GM owners and the claims threaten after repairs to clog some repair service.

"they request information. People are a little confused, what they need to do. There are a lot of these cars out there, "said Al Belford, Ed Bozarth Chevrolet in Las Vegas, which is about 50 more operations Director set customer calls a day for the last three weeks."

Jacqueline Aguilar, service Coordinator at Brickell Buick GMC in Miami, said the dealership handles got up to 40 calls per day between 14 and 18

Holland, Michigan DeNooyer Chevrolet was always 10-15 calls per day, said Sales Manager Dominique DeNooyer local television, added that the dealers "Influx" of people find challenging was.

Since February has GM 2.6 million vehicles because of concerns ignition switches recalled, that unexpectedly turn off engines during the operation and airbags, power steering, and the service brake unusable. And this year, GM vehicles or reminded about the same number has a total value of nearly 7 million in the last four years together.

Toyota recall 2010

In January 2010, Toyota recalled nearly 2.6 million vehicles in the United States and Canada to sticky Accelerator pedals. The callback and the controversy, which punished sales in the run-up to the vote.

Less than two weeks after the recall, Toyota sales reported a decline of 16 per cent in January 2010 U.S.. Sales fell in February before rebounding again in March. However, has the U.S. market share set not the automakers, their peak of 17 percent in 2009 regained.

In contrast, GM improved figures in March, the month after the first phase of the recall were announced. Dealers delivered 256.047 vehicles in the United States in March, fueling a 4 percent of total sales from last year's level. Retail sales by 7 percent and GM said that it gained retail market share.

Overall the car market in recovery mode and many managers in the dealership remain optimistic, including Brad Sowers, owner of Jim Butler Chevrolet in the suburban St. Louis Fenton.

"I'm still in the mode in which it has a good year for us and the cars, which are 11 or 12 years old and the prices will be really low", Sowers said.

"Our sales have been average", said James Mardenli, general sales manager at Cerrone Chevrolet Buick & GMC Truck Dealership in South Attleboro, Massachusetts. "April is a good month in sales since April, may and June are usually the months where most have bought cars."

But Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas wrote in a research note that his uncle was a car dealer in Canton, Ohio.

"I think that April is reached a low point for us. We know we will get through this, but only hope, as soon as possible this problem passes "Jonas cited his uncle say. Jonas his uncle not to call or immediately respond to a phone call from this discussion.

If the GM dealers in the vicinity of the cities of the United States in Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Miami and San Antonio agreed Manager, that it much more time earnest customer concerns issued.