Why Dealerships?

Every day, automakers announce new developments in such technologies as electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles. More than 20 EV models are available this year. General Motors alone says it will have 30 new EV models by 2025 and the federal and state governments are promoting EV adoption as well, with expanded goals for low- or zero-emission vehicles.

South Carolina dealerships are “all in” when it comes to selling and servicing these new vehicles. Utilizing the dealership network—with more than 16,000 stores nationwide and more than 1.1 million skilled employees in sales, service, and management—is the best way to get these vehicles onto the road and into the mass market.

• Dealerships are buying new equipment and installing charging stations on their lots. They are training their technicians and salespeople. They are educating customers about EVs and all the options they have when it comes to purchasing one. 

• The best way to achieve the government and automaker goals for EV adoption is to leverage the dealer network—not scrap it. Electric vehicles are no longer luxury or niche vehicles but vehicles for mass-market customers who need options, a trade-in process, financing, and other dealership services. 

• Mass-market customers need to be able to service their vehicles locally. They can’t afford to send their cars to far-off service centers or wait weeks for service to their primary vehicles. State laws have afforded those protections and they need to apply equally to dealerships and manufacturers.

• Dealership jobs are critical to local economies. More than 1.1 million people work at America’s dealerships, with good-paying jobs in sales, service and management. Dealerships afford opportunities for advancement and paths to management even without a four-year college degree.