For luxury-brand dealerships already limited in volume, finding ways to fill emptied lots amid an ongoing chip shortage can require a bit of courage, curiosity and risk.
At least that was the case for Alfa Romeo and Maserati of Ontario in California, which, like many U.S. dealerships, has been grappling with lower-than-normal levels of new-vehicle inventory as the chip shortage continues to disrupt global auto production.
“Just being … the limited-volume brands that they are, you don’t really have a whole lot of access to used cars,” said Brandon Goodermont, the store’s director of operations. “The used cars have been really, really minimal.”
In 2021, the dealership — part of Oremor Automotive Group — sold 158 new and 42 used vehicles.
Although it took a bit longer for the inventory shortage to affect the store, Goodermont said it was around June or July when he realized the two luxury brands’ inventories were going to become a feast-or-famine type model.
