Automotive News - March 9, 2009 - (Page 15) FEBRUARY 9, 2009 • 15 Nissan, Infiniti to offer express service lanes Lindsay Chappell lchappell@crain.com DealerTrack eases exchange of data Ralph Kisiel rkisiel@crain.com In April, Nissan and Infiniti will begin opening express service lanes in dealerships across the country. The move is part of a larger effort by Nissan North America to improve customer retention. The express lanes will enable owners of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles to get quick maintenance jobs — such as oil changes, wiper blade changes and fluid checks — done in less than an hour. Nissan North America hopes the lanes will make it easier for owners to do business with the 1,250 Nissan and Infiniti dealerships, said Allen Childs, Nissan North America vice president for parts and service operations. He estimated that an express lane ultimately could represent 25 percent of a dealership’s shop volume. Childs said installing the lanes will require engineering work at some stores. But he told dealers that Nissan will split the expense 50-50 with them, then reimburse part of the cost if the stores later hit performance targets. Childs said the express lanes idea had been recommended to Nissan by its national dealer advisory board and said a small number of Nissan dealers have been in an express lanes pilot program for three months. He estimated that the lanes will open nationally at the rate of 250 stores a year. c ■ 5-door Lancer joins Mitsubishi lineup Mitsubishi will import a five-door Lancer starting this summer. The five-door, available with 168 hp or 237 hp, offers slightly more cargo space than the sedan. The sedan was Mitsubishi Motors North America’s highest-volume vehicle in 2008 at 27,861 units. M-B: U.S. may get natural-gas car Harry Stoffer hstoffer@crain.com WASHINGTON — Mercedes-Benz says it is thinking of selling a vehicle fueled by natural gas in the United States. Mercedes, part of Daimler AG, displayed a B-class model that can run on compressed natural gas last week at the Washington Auto Show. William Craven, general manager of regulatory affairs for Daimler’s Washington office, confirmed the company’s interest in testing the market for natural-gas-powered vehicles in the United States. At a green-car conference before the Washington show, Craven and other industry leaders said many options to gasoline-powered vehicles exist, and all need to be used. Most conference participants argued against government choosing a single solution to the problems of overreliance on petroleum and the automobile’s role in the threat of climate change. Johan de Nysschen, president of Audi of America Inc., warned that government pressure on the Detroit 3 to focus on plug-in hybrids could be the death knell for the companies. He said the companies could end up trying to sell vehicles that don’t make economic sense. Natural gas once was considered a promising alternative fuel but has fallen out of favor in the light-duty segment.c NEW ORLEANS — Auto dealers who use the Arkona dealership management system soon will find it easier to exchange data safely with as many third-party vendors as they desire. DealerTrack Systems Inc. this month launched its OpenTrack program, which is designed to integrate outside vendors with a dealership’s Arkona system. “This is a win-win for all parties, giving dealers the flexibility to use best-in-class solutions and control which vendors have access to their data sets” while providing vendors with secure, two-way communication, said Raj Sundaram, senior vice president of DealerTrack’s solutions and services group. Third-party access to data in dealership management systems and the degree of security protecting the data have been hot issues among dealers and dealership management system suppliers over the past two years. DealerTrack’s Raj Sundaram: “This is a win-win for all parties.” DealerTrack is taking the open approach. OpenTrack will offer six interfaces, allowing easy third-party access to customer, vehicle and deal data, as well as general ledger, service and parts data, Sundaram said at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention here last month. The dealership will control what vendors it wants to use and what data the vendor can get, he said. Rich Holland, general manager of Arkona, said dealerships will be able “to go out and get boutique providers for unique services.” DealerTrack is working with 40 vendors seeking certification to connect to the Arkona system. c GE Security While you’re going everywhere, the sale is going nowhere. KeyAdvantage™ keeps the sales momentum going with the keys at the car so your sales team can stay with the customer. Now more than ever, providing customers with an expedient sales experience is critical. The KeyAdvantage™ electronic keybox system provides quick access to the vehicle and the test drive—an essential part of the sales process. Your staff can show more cars in less time, and customers can enjoy efficient car shopping at your dealership. Plus, KeyAdvantage also improves inventory management with detailed reports, including showing frequency and aging, for optimal lot position and attrition of vehicles. So get your sales headed in the right direction with KeyAdvantage. For more information call 1-800-889-8295 or visit www.KeyAdvantage.com. KeyAdvantage offers an affordable monthly payment, no hidden fees and a quick approval process. http://www.KeyAdvantage.com http://www.KeyAdvantage.com
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