TheBuzz
TheBuzz
Diving Dodge sales
spur hopes for a
better new yearSales of Dodge Chrysler and Jeep vehicles are down 30 percent to 50 percent statewide, depending on the dealership, because of the West Coast dock lockout.
Despite the back-to-work order issued by President George W. Bush that got goods moving to Hawaii again, then a new contract, vehicles were low on the priority list, said Trey VeDova, owner of Windward Dodge Chrysler Jeep and president of the Hawaii Dodge Chrysler Jeep Dealers Association.
"We were in a situation here at Windward where we usually stock 250-plus cars and trucks and we were down to under 100," VeDova said.
The association pulled its advertising for December due to lack of inventory, he said.
Chrysler ships its vehicles out of Los Angeles, where Windward Dodge at one time had a backlog of 200 cars and trucks. For all five Dodge Chrysler Jeep dealers' eight locations statewide, VeDova estimates the backlog at three times that figure.
The other guys haven't been so hard-hit, VeDova said, because imports come to Hawaii from the other direction and other domestic car brands are shipped from Oakland, where the backlogs have been less severe.
Diving sales have also taken a divot out of the dealers' allocation system with the manufacturer.
"If you're not selling, you don't have the ability to order," he said. "It'll probably be another several months before we're back to normal."
Now that the ships are back, VeDova expects dealers will have full inventories by the end of the month.
The dealers' fund-raising for the Toys for Tots program has also suffered. Last year the association presented Toys for Tots its largest single donation, $11,000 raised with a $50 donation for each sale between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year, in spite of the sales drop-off, "We're going to try our best to get them at least $10,000," he said.
Lost sales will never be recovered, but VeDova doesn't want to paint a picture of doom and gloom.
"The bright side is the cars are coming in and the advertising's going to start up and we're expecting good things in January and throughout 2003," he said.
VeDova said in addition to whatever advertising dealers do on their own, the association will launch "The largest amount of advertising in January that we've ever spent to get back to business as usual."
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com