Automotive News' Big Boss Says Internationals Brands Will Dominate

EDITOR'S NOTE: WOW, what an amazing prognosticator. Truly prophetic, LOL. I guess Keith missed what's been happening in the auto industry for the past 40 years and didn't realize that foreign auto brands were catching on.

WASHINGTON, DC - June 30, 2009: The AIADA newsletter reported that Keith Crane at Automotive News writes that he drove by one of the newer, more modern Pontiac dealerships in the Detroit area recently and was surprised that it was no longer a Pontiac store. It had become a Toyota dealership, with a prime location and a modern facility. Score one run for Toyota.

When the Asian automakers arrived in the United States, they set up shop on the West Coast, then expanded up and down the West Coast, along the Gulf Coast, and up the Eastern Seaboard. That left the middle of the nation with far fewer Asian dealers than the coasts.

But now General Motors and Chrysler have been nice enough to take care of that. In the next few years, we'll see international automakers expand in the middle of the United States.

Crane writes that the result will be fewer dealers and fewer sales for GM and Chrysler with a loss of market share. That means more sales for the internationals with more dealers and an increase in market share.

It's also a great opportunity for manufacturers from India and elsewhere.

It's a great time for international automakers to fill in their gaps with outstanding, seasoned dealers.