In all, 24 dealer franchise meetings are scheduled in San Francisco
McLEAN, Va. (Jan. 12, 2011) – For thousands of the nation’s new-car and truck dealers, the NADA Convention & Expo in San Francisco next month is a rare opportunity early in the year to meet with auto industry leaders in person to discuss a wide array of key business issues.
“It’s a must for dealers to attend the franchise meetings to set goals and objectives for the year,” said Ed Tonkin, 2010 NADA chairman. “The franchise meetings provide dealers with access to top automaker executives in a forum they can find no place else.”
In all, 24 dealer franchise meetings are scheduled in just two days at the NADA convention. And seven automakers – Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co., Kia Motors America Inc., Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc., Subaru of America, Inc. and Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. – will be exhibiting on the Expo floor.
“The NADA convention provides an opportunity for us to hear directly from dealers about the issues that matter most to them,” said Jim Bunnell, GM’s general manager of U.S. sales operations. “We are able to talk to a large number of dealers, answer their questions and share news about our business plans and performance.”
GM executives from Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac will share their 2011 business, product and marketing plans with the dealers at the meetings, Bunnell said.
Ken Czubay, Ford vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service, said the NADA convention “allows our leadership team to spend time with dealers and discuss the state of the business.”
“We’ll continue to share information and engage in dialog with our dealer partners about the progress we’re making on our transformation plan and the opportunities and challenges in 2011 and beyond,” Czubay said.
“Continuing to focus on dealer profitability through growing our sales and market share and enhancing the customer experience is a top priority for us,” Czubay added. “On the Lincoln side, we will continue to work with dealers to execute our transformation and growth of the Lincoln brand.”
In addition to the dealer franchise meetings, J.D. Power and Associates will present its annual International Automotive Roundtable on Friday, Feb. 4. The topic is “Surviving to Thriving: What it Takes to Win (Big) at Retail.” Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Chrysler, is the scheduled keynote speaker.
NADA’s Tonkin, vice president and general counsel of Ron Tonkin Dealerships in Portland, Ore., will join the J.D. Power roundtable panel, which includes Mark Reuss, president of GM North America; Ernst Lieb, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA; and Bob Carter, Toyota Division’s U.S. group vice president and general manager. Mike Jackson, CEO and chairman of AutoNation, will moderate the panel.
On the Expo floor, GM will showcase new programs and tools for dealers. GM is also planning to display two Chevrolet Volts, one as the 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year and the other will showcase its charging stations.
Ford plans to exhibit its key products, tools, equipment and services for dealers from several of its business units. The Ford exhibit will also include interactive elements tied to the Super Bowl weekend (Sunday, Feb. 6) and the company’s support of World Rally racing.
On Saturday, Feb. 5, Tonkin will deliver NADA’s chairman address at the general session followed by keynote industry speaker Jim Lentz, Toyota’s U.S. president and chief operating officer. Stephen Wade, incoming 2011 NADA chairman, will speak at the general session on Monday, Feb. 7.
“In our collective race back to prosperity, the NADA convention provides a tremendous opportunity for dealers and automakers to meet and discuss ways to rebuild the industry,” Tonkin added.
NADA’s 94th annual convention runs Feb. 5 to 7 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. For more information, visit www.NADAconventionandexpo.org.
About NADA: The National Automobile Dealers Association, founded in 1917, represents nearly 16,000 new-car and truck dealers, with about 34,700 franchises, both domestic and international.
Editor’s note: All convention attendees are invited to attend the first-ever NADA Welcome Reception, co-hosted by J.D. Power and Associates, on Friday, Feb. 4. The reception, held at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis from 5:30 to 7 p.m., offers a unique opportunity to meet and network with industry professionals from across the globe. Registration for J.D. Power’s roundtable and NADA’s reception can be completed at the same time. Reception-only tickets can be purchased at convention registration. Tickets are limited. For pricing and registration information, visit www.NADAconventionandexpo.org.
Contact:
David Hyatt
Vice President
NADA Public Affairs
(703) 821-7120
dhyatt@nada.org
Charles Cyrill
Director of Public Relations
NADA Public Affairs
(216) 870-8837 (mobile)
(703) 821-7121
ccyrill@nada.org