SEASON 5 | EPISODE 6
It’s fair to say that Alan Haig has a great pedigree in both the automotive industry and in finance in general. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, wrote AutoNation’s original business plan in 1996, and went on to found Haig Partners and the Haig Report, currently having $5 billion in total dealership transactions on his record.
“It’s amazing how resilient auto retail is” – Alan Haig, President, Haig Partners
On this episode, Alan chats with our host Derek D about how he wrote that AutoNation business plan without even knowing a single car dealer, what initial missteps taught him about economies of scale in the automotive business, and why automotive M&A is a close indicator of the health of retail car sales. Plus, he discusses why some dealer principals may want to sell out prior to retirement age, his early experiences working for the late Wayne Huizenga, and more.
Episode Highlights:
- Why pent-up demand won’t be matched by supply in automotive retail for years to come, even if factories stepped up production
- The chain reaction scenario that could result in some carmakers creating a glut of inventory, pre-pandemic-style
- How savvy online marketing will be critical in the near future
- Why wholly-online car buying is likely to grow, but why that growth may be limited
| Dealer News Today is a Dave Cantin Group production
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