The shift toward online sales is likely permanent, Dosanjh said.
“I don’t think business will ever be normal from here on out. This will force us to look online,” he said. “In the end, something good will come out of it.”
But there will be pain felt along the way. Dosanjh says vehicle sales at his group will take a hit, but his service departments were staying busy as of the middle of last week.
“People are in a panic, so everyone is trying to get their car serviced,” he said. “We’re busy. All stores are tracking more than what I did last year in service.”
And it wasn’t just critical repair work. Customers were getting routine maintenance done as well. “It’s crazy,” he said.
Dosanjh still expects to make money in March. The company had been on track for a record month.
“Financially, we’re solid. We have a lot of help from manufacturers. They are giving us cash advances,” he said.
If his showrooms are able to reopen in early April, the group could come out OK, Dosanjh said. But if not, “April is going to be a little tough. We’ll have to cut a lot of stuff back in April.”
Dosanjh’s message to fellow dealers: Get on local officials’ radar — now. That will help provide clarity on exactly what’s allowed in the event of a coronavirus-related shutdown order.
“If there’s no clarity, then there’s a big problem. If that language is not there, a local authority will come and close you down,” he said. “The whole country needs to be ready for this. It’s coming.”
