GRANDVILLE, Mich. — Dealerships were allowed to open their showroom doors to customers starting May 26. The showrooms are open by appointment only.
Serra Honda Grandville had a busy re-opening day. General Manager Rick Clift said they had 16 online bookings for the showroom. That's double what they usually saw in the showroom prior to the pandemic.
"It feels great to see that kind of interest," said Clift, "and that number of people making appointments online and willing to get back in the store is incredible."
There are, however, a few new guidelines.
Customers inside Serra Honda Grandville must wear a mask, as well as all associates. They must keep six feet distance, and there are some plexi-glass partitions in the showroom. Test drives are done without an associate in the vehicle, and they are thoroughly sanitized after each drive.
"We have a responsibility to our customers to keep them safe," said Clift.
The past few months have not been easy times on the auto industry as a whole. Toyota and Honda both saw an April sales decline of more than 50 percent nationwide.
In March, the National Automobile Dealers Association said there was a nearly 38 percent decline in new vehicle sales, compared to the same month in 2019.
However, Clift said Serra Honda Grandville has weathered some of that storm. In fact, they are on track to sell more vehicles in May 2020 than May 2019.
"There was a period of about three weeks," said Clift, "where we didn’t have the ability to sell cars. Then bless her heart, Governor Whitmer gave us the ability to sell cars by appointment."
While showrooms were closed, Serra Honda Grandville held appointments outside, with the customer usually still in their vehicle. Customers now have a choice to continue shopping this way, or make an appointment inside the showroom.
"There’s just a pent up demand right now," said Clift, "both for people who need vehicles and some people just want to get out of the house."
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