On the cover of Automotive News (Feb 4th) the headline screams!” In an Icy Economy, Early Signs of Frostbite–January sales soften, dealers scramble”

That sure is interesting, I know Auto Solution doesn’t speak for the industry at large, but we had our best January in 3 years–maybe consumers are looking around for good deals…ya think?

Ok, here’s Toyota’s newest- A system that monitors the eyes of a driver to tell when he or she is getting drowsy. If your eyes start to close it sets off an alarm. Guess you wouldn’t be able to drive and listen to the presidential primary speeches…

Maybe quality is not the problem- The CEO of one of our Credit Unions ordered a new Chrysler Town & Country van eight weeks ago. We dutifully ordered it through a Chrysler dealer and waited…3, 4, 5, 6 weeks with no news. I get on the phone to the dealer and he says:

“Oh, Chrysler didn’t have enough orders so they closed the plant for a while.”

“Closed the plant? What about the customer?”

I called the CEO and today delivered her a new Honda Odyssey. The problem wasn’t quality, it was a complete lack of customer service. I am a buy-American guy but I agree with her–Chrysler doesn’t want the business, so go somewhere else.

That’s it for the exciting update.  But believe me something funny will happen soon.  This is, after all, the car business.