Jarrett Santini says he happily senses that consumers, by and large, are seeing new vehicles in a whole different light.
“Buyer confidence is way up, and people are starting to see cars maintaining their value for as long as they ever have,” Santini, a sales associate with Berman Subaru of Chicago, told Mega Dealer News. “It’s a good time to be a Subaru salesperson.”
The same can be said for the entire automobile industry with Auto News reporting U.S. auto sales trended upward by 2.2 percent in December. Overall, sales eclipsed 1.639 million units for the month, registering the second-best 30-day period of the year in terms of sheer volume.
In 2018, sales for cars and light trucks hit 17.33 million, resulting in the fourth-highest annual sales total in history.
For Berman Subaru of Chicago, Santini said, the dealership’s new 2019 Ascent and Forester have made all the difference.
“They’ve really been big winners for us of late,” he said. “On top of that, the winters historically are good for us as the demand for things like our four-wheel drives build up in interest.”
Across the industry, sales of Subarus were up 4.9 percent in 2018 to 680,135, according to Auto News. The improved figures marked the tenth straight year of record sales domestically for the brand and the eleventh consecutive year of gains overall.
“There are a lot of incentives out there that are driving new car sales of Subarus and across the entire industry,” Santini added. “Things like zero financing and cash rebates are really proving to be huge attractions.”
Santini predicts the trend will continue, especially where his favorite brand is concerned.
“The Subaru brand is becoming a household name as our reputation for being one of the safest and most reliable vehicles around continues to grow,” he said. “I don’t see anything about that hard-earned perception changing anytime soon.”
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