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AMG GT

Mercedes-Benz AMG GT is Coming to Compete with Porsche 911

JKRAdvertising / Auto Industry in the News /

September 11, 2014

AMG GT The Mercedes-Benz AMG GT sports car is coming soon. It appears that Mercedes-Benz is ready to throw its hat in the ring in the two-seater sports car arena, and the AMG GT is poised to compete against the likes of the Porsche 911, the Audi R8, Nissan GT-R and the Acura NSX.

While it won’t be the most powerful AMG model made by Mercedes-Benz, it certainly is no slouch. Want a car that goes from zero-to-60 in just 3.7 seconds? This is the car for you! The AMG GT S (the first of two GT models that will be released) features a 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V-8 engine that produces 503 horsepower and 479 lbs.-ft. of torque. Its top speed will be 193 mph.

More AMG GT Specifics

Unlike the 911, the AMG GT’s engine will remain in the front. A year after the GT S goes on sale, a slightly less power version will go on sale; it will have a 456 horsepower and 443 lbs.-ft. of torque. The AMG GT will feature a seven-speed automatic transmission that can be controlled by its paddles mounted in the steering wheel. The driver has the option to select from a number of different driving modes that range from an “efficient” mode all the way up to a “race” mode for maximum performance.

Why would Mercedes-Benz decide to enter a market that already has so much competition – and is essentially ruled by Porsche? For one reason, Porsche has slowly begun to pirate sales from some of Mercedes-Benz’s top segments (think four-door sedans and SUVs), so they believe turnabout is fair play. For another, this particular segment is an especially big moneymaker in terms of profit.

Mercedes-Benz is hoping their initial sales will be at least 3,000, and then escalate from there. They plan to debut the AMG GT at the Paris Motor Show next month, and it will make its way to the United States in November at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

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It is no secret that dealer gross profits per vehicle are down sharply in the post-COVID automotive world. According to a recent article in Automotive News, gross profits of the six largest publicly traded dealership groups plunged significantly from Q4 2022 to Q4 2023. One of them was actually down 35% per vehicle!

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This means that, while sales volume is similar, overall bottom lines are lower for many dealers due to the reduced gross profits. What about your dealership?

Being Realistic
It’s time to turn the page! The time for dealers to simply be order takers for people willing to pay MSRP for a vehicle (and in some cases more) has passed and dealers have to work hard once again to achieve acceptable gross profits.

Selling a high volume of cars doesn’t control gross profits, no matter how much you wish this was the case. Correct processes and menu pricing – and strict adherence to them – do!

What kind of processes?
∙ Slow down the transaction! Your sales staff has to once again sell the customer on the features and benefits of every new and pre-owned vehicle on your lot.

∙ Your salespeople and managers should devalue the customers’ trade-in value (politely, of course) as much as possible. After all, if the customer expects you to lower your price, shouldn’t you be able to do the same on their trade? Remember, you’ll have to fix it up, put your name on it and resell it to someone else with all the tenacity you would a brand-new car. So make sure you buy it right … because the profit is made when you buy it, not when you sell it!

∙ To that end, management should be ready and willing to leave the desk and do thorough walk-arounds on each trade to ensure the best outcome for the dealership.

The Cure for Low Gross Profits
If you are like a lot of dealers these days, you could use some good news. Here it is: while you may not have the capability to achieve profit margins similar to those you enjoyed during the pandemic, they could likely be improved. JKR’s clients enjoy the benefit of attracting not only more customers, but better ones, too!

If meeting and exceeding your sales goals (and increasing gross profits at the same time) sounds great to you, you need to call us. Don’t settle for reduced gross profits when help is out there to get you closer to where you’d like to be.

Want to know how we do it? Reach out to Senior Partner Richard Brauns (407) 701-4233 or Partner/Vice President Jon Albert (407) 718-2494 today.

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