Jaguar, Land Rover NA CEO Wants Dealers To Merge

William Maley
Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com
July 17, 2012

Jaguar Land Rover North America's CEO, Andy Goss is calling for individual Jaguar and Land Rover dealers to merge together.

“We want to cut the number of rooftops to about 200. At 200, the majority of dealerships would be Jaguar Land Rover,” Goss said.

Goss hopes that merger of individual Jaguar and Land Rover dealers will improve overall sales.

“Forty-five percent of people who own a Jaguar also own an SUV. It is the same customer base. It would be foolish not to try and get those customers,” said Goss.

At the moment, there are about 97 stand alone Jaguar or Land Rover dealerships in the U.S.. Goss wants to see half of them merge. The company is focusing this plan in seven markets: Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, Los Angeles, New Jersey, New York state and Portland, Ore.

The company isn't forcing dealers to buy or sell, but its not  offering any incentives for them to merge. Goss is hoping the prospect of better sales will convince them.

Source: Auto Guide

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at william.maley@cheersandgears.com or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.