Fleecing Of America

Fleecing (continued)

Listen, I truly love the GM automotive line, but quite frankly, poor management dictates failure at every
level. Competent administration is a fundamental key in successful and long term profitability.

This concerns all of us automotive professionals. How are we to have a glimmer of hope when our

current leaders in top office positions don’t?


	Receive our E-Newsletter

For Email Marketing you can trust

Jim Bernardi has held such positions as; Dealer, General
Manager, Director of Operations, District Operations
Manager, Parts & Service Director, Service Director,
Service Manager, Service Advisor and is President of
AutoPro Training & Marketing Solutions. A National Fixed
Operations Training Company which guarantees
increased GP or their training is free. 812-325-5651

SUPERIOR DEALER SOLUTIONSsm

Jim Bernardi
Publisher/CEO Automotive Dealers Network
President/CEO AutoPro Training Solutions
email: jbernardi@auto motivedealersnetwork .com
and visit

We had heard speculation some time ago about Chrysler selling off Jeep, but that is the company's most
valuable asset, Chrysler would not realize maximum value from selling Jeep. This is entirely too much confusion for
all of us to deal with. If your store is still vibrant and solvent then hats off friends; if not then we all are suffering. I for
one get concerned when I read about dealers and managers committing suicide over all of this. What a concerning
time indeed. As I have stated on many occasion; get your management team and your front line staff involved in the
big picture. I am certain if our manufactures involved the work force and the UAW regarding the possibilities of
closing the doors forever, they would come to terms and negotiate a reasonable solution that would reduce their
overhead expenses and shave the areas of concern. In short: get everyone involved in the solution before
everyone becomes part of the problem.

Until my next article; Stay on top of your team and demand exceptional results and be ever so encouraging in doing
the very best you are capable of.

GM, which has already received

$13.4 billion in federal loans and has said it needs $16.4 billion more to make

through the current economic downturn. What a shame to receive that much money and still not have a clear

picture

where they are headed as a company. Was it a ball park figure when they requested a bailout?

In hopes I am not offending any dealers and department managers out there, I am frustrated and disappointed

at the lack of leadership in our industry. I am in my 32nd year in this profession and take this very seriously.

Moving on to Chrysler & Ford:

A Crisis is Nothing New at Chrysler; Back in June of 08 we learned of the downturn in the P & L. And Chrysler's sales
in June were down 28% from a year ago, and market share was 9.9% against 12.6% in June 2007. In June of 08,
General Motors and Ford Motor Co were down 8% and 18.5%, respectively. Why wasn’t something done back then
when these figures were readily available? I’m certainly not a rocket scientist, but I have common sense enough to know
we were headed for trouble. And I’m not too proud to say to my colleagues and Board of Directors……HELP!!!

While GM and Ford have been rushing to convert their smaller European cars for North American production--or
maybe even add more Korean small cars in GM's case--Chrysler does not have similar foreign resources.

GM, which has lost $82 billion

over the past four years, is

in the midst of a radical restructuring to

remain viable. But the

company thus far has been unable to reduce its $27 billion

debt or come to an

agreement with the United Auto Workers

union on how to fund retiree health care. Negotiations with

bondholders and with the UAW continue but; I

see no

foreseeable solution to this situation.

Chrysler's Bankruptcy Files