NEW CARS IN THIS NEW WORLD

There are few things more exciting than that new car smell, pristine upholstery and the string of zeros on the odometer. Ever since Canadians first embraced car ownership as a symbol of freedom and status more than 100 years ago, buying a new car has become an experience, an event, a major celebration.

The Wood family knows all about that feeling, and they have proudly delivered it to Calgary car buyers since Gerry bought his first Calgary dealership, Southridge Lincoln Mercury (renamed Woodridge Lincoln Mercury), in 1983. Now, with seven full-service dealerships under the Wood Automotive Group (WAG) banner, customers have their choice of the best Ford, Lincoln, Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Volkswagen or Honda vehicles, from Mustangs to Mavericks and everything in between.

In the early years, families would make a trip to the dealership to browse the newest models in the showroom and the hundreds of cars on the lot. Salespeople would greet them, direct them to the models that met their needs and tell them everything they needed to know about it before setting out for a test drive around the block.

“When I started selling cars in 1992, a client and their family would come to the dealership to look at a car three of four times before they bought it,” says Travis Eade, Woodridge Ford Lincoln general manager. “Now they come in once, maybe twice. They do it all online.”

With about 40 per cent of a dealership’s car inquiries originating online, more shoppers are doing their tire-kicking virtually. New car deliveries are delayed due to supply chain issues that leave dealerships with much less inventory on the lots, so customers research makes and models online. By the time they come in to buy, they’ve acquired knowledge levels that rival the sales professionals on the floor. And those professionals, who hold a no-pressure advisory position more than traditional sales, now do more listening than talking to help put customers behind the wheel of their perfect car.

WAG’s team asks the right questions to uncover what a prospective buyer is driving, why they are looking to change and what’s most important in their next purchase so they can match them with the right vehicle. Unlike when WAG’s first dealership opened, what that right vehicle is has transitioned from a passenger car into an SUV or truck to better accommodate the Canadian climate.

BY RENNAY CRAATS

TOP: CONSUMERS RESEARCH ONLINE BEFORE VISITING THE DEALERSHIP/ TRAVIS EADE, GENERAL MANAGER, WOODRIDGE FORD LINCOLN.

MIDDLE: CUSTOMER SERVICE IS ALWAYS THE PRIORITY/CAILEAN WOOD, VP SALES AND MARKETING, WOOD AUTOMOTIVE GROUP.

BOTTOM: CONSUMERS CONTINUE THE PUSH FOR SUVS/RORY WOOD, VP PARTS AND SERVICE, WOOD AUTOMOTIVE GROUP.

“It’s a market pull, not us pushing. Customers here have decided on SUVs,” says Rory Wood, vice president of Parts and Service, WAG. “Some manufacturers do quite well with cars, but Ford and Dodge have gone the other way.”

Ford Mustangs and Dodge Challengers are the last of the new passenger cars for those manufacturers, and Volkswagen is planning to eventually stop selling Golfs and Jettas in Canada in favour of the more popular SUVs and crossovers. Manufacturers are also embracing greener options.

With electric and hybrid markets growing, and fuel economy and clean energy top of mind, WAG dealerships are learning as much as they can about these EVs, from impacts of cold temperatures to range limits to tire wear for these heavy vehicles, so they are ready when that market truly takes off here.

“It’s a new world. We’re listening better and it’s important that we have specialists in each of our departments who can talk intelligently about what’s going on in the industry,” says Gerry Wood, founder and executive chair of WAG. “We receive internet inquiries, and we respond immediately and are able to talk properly to customers who don’t want to come into the store.”

The Group’s four-decade reputation for customer service and for building great long-time relationships means that customers wanting to order their vehicle online without stepping into a dealership still choose WAG. The team ensures those customers feel as valued and supported as ones they advise face-to-face. And no matter how customers want to be reached – via text, email, phone or in person – and how much communication they want to receive, these dealerships can accommodate it all.

With technology advancing the industry, WAG dealerships have doubled down on service to remain the go-to dealers for today’s savvy drivers. “As much as our industry has changed in the past 40 years, customer service is the priority and that’s not going to change,” says Cailean Wood, vice president of Sales and Marketing at WAG. From dropping a vehicle off for an overnight test drive, to on-the-spot financing, to WAG’s Tricor leasing and services programs, the Wood Automotive Group makes buying a new car convenient and enjoyable. Generations of Calgarians know that no matter how much things have changed, Gerry Wood and his team will always put customers first.

In 2023 the Wood Automotive Group celebrates its 40th anniversary. In this edition and in the coming months, Wood Automotive Group Founder and Executive Chair, Gerry Wood and his team will recollect how vehicles have changed in the past 40 years and how serving customers continues to evolve. In this issue we focus on new vehicle sales.