[ad_1]
Last year, it was learned that Opel had a new importer in Norway.
Bertel O. Steen, the second largest importer of cars in the country, has reached an agreement for the acquisition of 100% shares of Opel Norge AS.
At the same time, it was known that there would also be changes at the dealership level and last night what it meant became clear.
The current 22 dealers lose Opel. Here, customers must now deal with new resellers.
25 of the major current resellers can continue.
Revealed all dealers
Many of the resellers that are disappearing are being replaced by Bertel O. Steens owns stores. It is also to be expected that Opel will find itself in several places at dealerships, which nowadays have other brands Bertel O. Steens, Mercedes, Peugeot, Kia and Smart.
Benny Christensen, an expert in automotive brooms, believes that what is happening now is dramatic for many dealers, but that customers will hardly notice it.
– All Opel dealerships across Europe were in fact terminated when Opel was sold to General PSA by US General Motors two years ago. So, it was in the cards anyway that something would happen. Bertel O. Steen takes the opportunity to carry out an in-depth cleaning now. Opel is many years behind Norway. The goal is now enough to start over and facilitate an appropriate turnaround, Benny believes.
READ ALSO: Citroën went to Bertel O. Steen
It's been many years that Opel has had its moment of glory in Norway, with models such as Rekord.
Finished with stomach splash
– Why did Opel come home so tired?
– He has several reasons. These are products, marketing and certainly also resellers and tracking. The Opel brand has been scrambled. They missed cars perceived as attractive by many customers. An example is the SUV, where Opel has long been absent. And when they had an electric car designed to be a good salesman, she also found herself with a tummy tuck, Benny said.
At the launch of the Ampera-e electric, Opel owned a car offering a unique price range and range. Customers have queued. But it soon became clear that the importer did not have enough cars to meet the demand. There were long waiting lists, the price increased in several stages and finally the frustration was great among the customers.
Customers escaped after price increases and delivery problems
Electric Ampera-e seemed to be a success in Norway. But that was not the case.
More legs to stand on
– This has created a terribly heavy situation for the importer and the dealers. Ampera-e was the car that would actually reverse the negative trend. Then it was almost the opposite. So far this year, Opel sales have dropped by 33%, while they were already very low. Opel is ranked 19th among the best-selling car brands in Norway, behind Suzuki, Renault, Kia and Jaguar. So, here, it's clear that something must happen, Benny says.
The fact that Bertel O. Steen now integrates Opel with several existing dealers does not surprise him.
– No, it's a trend we've been watching for a long time. The margins of car dealerships are generally very low. This means that you have to operate as efficiently as possible. Having multiple brands is also an added security. You have more legs to stand up. In Norway, brands that have not had electrified cars have been heavy in recent years. Of course, dealers have noticed. All eggs in one basket are a frightening strategy, Benny concludes.
READ ALSO: Here's a new car brand up in Norway
Suddenly, the electric car Opel Ampera-e has become common again. Opel bought Norway.
This case was first published in Broom.no
[ad_2]
Source link
