F&I and Showroom, November 2015

Letters 4 F I and Showroom November 2015 Vice President Group Publisher AutoGroup Sherb Brown 310 533 2451 sherb brown@ bobit com Publisher Dealer Group National Sales Manager David Gesualdo 727 947 4027 david gesualdo@ bobit com Editorial Director Gregory Arroyo 310 533 2592 gregory arroyo@ bobit com Senior Editor Brittany Marie Swanson 310 533 2588 brittany swanson@ bobit com Art Director Vince Taroc Graphic Artist Jeff Polman Great Lakes Sales Manager Robert Brown Jr 248 601 2005 robert brown@ bobit com Sales Marketing Coordinator Tracey Tremblay 310 533 2518 tracey tremblay@ bobit com E Media and Print Production Manager Brian Peach 310 533 2548 brian peach@ bobit com Audience Marketing Manager Tony Napoleone Chairman 1961 2014 Edward J Bobit President CEO Ty F Bobit Chief Operating Officer Cyndy Drummey Chief Financial Officer Armand Del Duca Business and Editorial Office Bobit Business Media 3520 Challenger St Torrance CA 90503 Fax 310 533 2503 Change Service Requested Return Address Bobit Business Media PO Box 2703 Torrance CA 90509 Subscription Inquiries 888 239 2455 BobitPubs@ Halldata com Printed in U S A Staying Power TO GREG ARROYO All I can say after reading your October cover story Vroom Service Page 12 is Wow There are many things about the Vroom model that raise the bar for everyone else I imagine that independent dealerships will not disappear anytime soon but we had better step up our game to compete with this Change is happening so rapidly This was a great read Wayne Herring CEO The Herring Group Schuylkill Haven Pa TO GREGORY ARROYO I think Vroom and other services like it are here to stay The reason is todays non social Millennial consumer This is a demographic that will order takeout and groceries online to avoid any contact with the outside world so there is a market for models like Vrooms As for this old school fella I think cars are like women You want to touch it before you buy it Robert Landry General Manager James Grimes Auto Sales Jackson Miss Junk Science TO BRITTANY MARIE SWANSON I read your online story CFPB Accused of Using Junk Science to Regulate Auto Lending and I want to point out that a study conducted by Charles River Associates completely discredited the Consumer Financial Protection Bureaus Bayesian Improved Surname Geocoding BISG proxy methodology for determining who is and who isnt a protected class member The CFPBs assumption that all rate differentials are racially motivated is naïve and ignores the reality of the marketplace where factors such as geography competitive offers a consumers budget constraints and creditworthiness for special rate offers come into play The only color dealers care about is green The CFPBs indirect assault on dealers violates the Dodd Frank Act and is an example of this unregulated agency being out of control Randy Henrick Associate General Counsel Dealertrack Technologies Inc New Hyde Park N Y GMs Future TO JIM ZIEGLER I find myself constantly digging into the online archives of several media outlets to read what industry pundits have written or said in speeches And one of the articles I continually revisit is your January 2013 column Stupid Is as Stupid Does in F I and Showroom Mr Ziegler you are among a select few industry pundits I follow religiously and your take on the dustup between General Motors and Oklahoma dealer Marc Heitz who sold his Chevrolet store because he refused to conform to GMs Essential Brand Elements Program just stuck with me Several years later it seems the pool of GM dealerships continues to shrink In fact many dealers have thrown in the towel and sold their businesses to other operators who remain steadfast despite the constant beat down from the automaker Many pundits are predicting the contraction of existing Cadillac Buick and GMC dealers by as much as 30 to 50 in the near term Many of them are also predicting the disappearance of one or more of those nameplates much like the demise of Oldsmobile Saturn Pontiac and Hummer Personally I hope and pray those pundits are wrong Time will tell Tommy Johnson Finance Director New Jersey