GM dealers across the country told Insider they are generally optimistic about the future of their businesses and that they’re happy to sell cars no matter their power source. But some also expressed concern about how, exactly, to handle the expense (between $50,000 and $500,000 in upgrades, according to a GM spokesperson), the loss of revenue from cars that need less maintenance, and how to encourage customers to embrace a new way of getting around.
How they handle those challenges could dictate not just the long-term viability of their businesses, but also how widespread predictions that US EV sales are set to explode actually play out.
“Is it a concern? Absolutely,” said Paul Householder, service director at Michigan-based LaFontaine Automotive Group. “We just don’t know what we don’t know yet.”
It is clear, though, that dealers must be proactive. “It’s all that much more significant for us as dealers to be engaged,” said Ben Faricy, president of The Faricy Boys auto group in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “We know that this is coming, and we would rather be ahead of the game than behind the eight ball.”