The 20 Best from NADA 2020

As trendy as this saying may be, it rings true now more than ever (until we repeat this next year). In many ways, this is the underpinning of the NADA show and all education-exhibit hall conference structures for that matter. 

Google, “Innovation is the key to,” and you will learn that the answer is everything. Success, business, entrepreneurship, everything! Innovating not only involves creating and inventing new ideas or products but changing and tweaking your current practices to improve results. 

Dealers, managers, exhibitors, and allies alike attended NADA 2020 to innovate and evolve.

HAAH is soon to be the first Chinese company to sell vehicles in the United States under its own brand name, VANTAS. We were lucky enough to see their first two models, both SUVs, the TXL, and VX. Both models are scheduled to launch for sale in late 2021-early 2022.

For model specs, visit Carscoops.

Keeping it car related!

s/o ACV Auction and Rotary Lift

The 2021 All-Electric Mustang Mach-E is coming later this year. We got to see and a fully-loaded model and talk to a Ford representative, and it was impressive.

I apologize for the redundancy, but, once again, a significant topic of conversation was the online shopping experience. Everything from first touch-points to closing a deal and delivery.

Online shopping is not going anywhere, it is only just beginning to evolve, and many dealers understand this, so they are eager to converse about new ways they can attract and engage with potential customers.

Bosch VR service technician training. Save resources like time, money, parts, and space by training your technicians with virtual reality technology.

We got a chance to grab a free copy of “Fast Break: Creating A Customer-Centric Operating Philosophy for Automotive Service” by Jim Roche walking through Cox Automotive’s lineup. It has been re-published and includes a new chapter. 

Thinking about the customer from the very first moment they need service is essential! Along with Jim, that is something we strive to do here at Fixed Ops Digital. I’m sure we will undercover some new ideas through the many rereads we will give this one.

Many discussions during and around the show were about inclusion and diversity. 

I think Mary Barra, Chairman, and CEO of General Motors, said it best, I believe, in the show’s closing event, “Create an environment they [minority groups] want to be in.” She went on to mention that many dealerships are doing this for their customers already. These sales and service departments alike, often have the framework the very same thing for their employees. Being fair, respectful, and honest from the very being will help solidify an environment that will attract a world-class group of diverse people.

Seeing Hunter alignment checks, wheel balancers, and tire changers in action was a real treat.

The only time I would like to pat ourselves on the back; Our very own CEO, Owen Moon, and HR Expert, Sandy Zannino, were guests on Live With Lopes at the DealerBuilt booth. 

Discussing everything fixed ops digital marketing and automotive industry human resources, we were very proud to be able to share our knowledge and insights.

It being my first experience at NADA, I was surprised and enthused about the number of international automotive industry experts I saw and spoke with.

Exchanging processes, thoughts, and ideas with an eclectic group of people is the best way to do it!

The Hireology team was showed out in their lab coats. Hiring is a time-consuming, process, no matter your field. Finding the right person can be grueling. Looking for new service techs or salespeople is no different, and from what I saw, Hireology gets it! Their team and products seemed to be perfectly aligned with your dealership’s message and needs.

s/o Carfax

Truth be told, we have a similar idea for booth once upon a time, except ours, were to made of Lego and include a VR projector… maybe next year! Nevertheless, the model scales of Ford and Lincoln dealerships were still very cool.

As an amateur photographer, personally, 360Booth was fun to try out. Their 360-degree lighting studio is no joke! Getting some great shots within the studio is pretty easy and straight-forward.

0% from 5 feet… very embarrassed.

Looking to team-up? The show as a whole is great to do that. If you got a chance at all to wander around and check out others’ offerings, you were sure to be impressed. There were ample opportunities during the show to dig into different products or bounce ideas off each other.

As I was roaming around, there was never a shortage of different conversations happening. Many of which happened to be vendor-to-vendor. Whether you were just walking by and saw something integrated, you or knew a particular company was going to be there and wanted to hear a little about how they are operating.

As more and more vehicles on the road today become electric, how will that affect service bays? Electric cars are inherently built with fewer parts, fewer things that can breakdown or wear down over time. 

Once again, referring to Mary Barra from the show’s final conversation, “Set aside how the vehicle is propelled, just think about the complexities… on every vehicle, at least I can speak to every General Motors vehicle, there are hundreds of millions of lines of code.”

The automotive industry has evolved for new technologies in the past, just as if will in the future. Servicing electric vehicles is no different. Some services will disappear, while others will stay, and new ones will arise.

Thank you to everyone who took the time stopping by our booth!

My first NADA Show could not have been insightful and fun. See you next year in New Orleans!