Local to me it appears the former Mitsubishi dealers are now moving to MGs and Ssangyong from a single site.

Most prestige brands require that you as a dealer invest in a glass palace with carpets, leather sofas, complimentary coffee and glamorous receptionists on an expensive site with a lot of passing trade, while they continue to screw you over with their stocking plans, and purchase discounts.

Yes, I've been there both with a manufacturer and as a dealer but not in the car trade and I got out with my shirt intact.

Sadly the marketing executives of these "prestige" brands don't seem to realise that the glass palace approach alienates more customers than it attracts in any area apart from the habitat of the moneyed metropolitan elite.

Smaller family owned dealerships are the backbone of any product, they might not conform to the marketing and sales minimum standards in the sales manager's policy binder, but they do lend credibility to the product to the ordinary Joe who spends his money wisely.

As I wander occasionally around rural Brittany it's common to find little tin-shed Renault dealers tucked away in odd corners, a sign on the front displaying "Renault Service" - they probably sell less than half a dozen cars a year, but they are the vital link from the manufacturer to the customer.

That is why I will probably end up with a new Dacia as a second car, as any Renault or Dacia dealer can service it and supply parts.

Edited by focussed on 02/07/2021 at 00:31