Auto Finance News
  • Home
  • News
  • Features
  • Events
    • Auto Finance Summit East
    • Equipment Finance Connect
    • Auto Finance Summit
    • PowerSports Finance Summit
  • Webinar
    • Harnessing AI & Machine Learning to Address Vehicle Affordability Issues
    • Webinar Library
  • Podcast
  • Powersports
  • Big Wheels Data

No products in the cart.

Subscribe
  • Capital & Funding
  • Compliance
  • Risk
  • Technology
  • Best Practices
  • Compliance Monitor
Log In
No Result
View All Result
Auto Finance News
  • Home
  • News
  • Features
  • Events
    • Auto Finance Summit East
    • Equipment Finance Connect
    • Auto Finance Summit
    • PowerSports Finance Summit
  • Webinar
    • Harnessing AI & Machine Learning to Address Vehicle Affordability Issues
    • Webinar Library
  • Podcast
  • Powersports
  • Big Wheels Data
BIG Wheels
Log In
No Result
View All Result
Auto Finance News
No Result
View All Result

EVs could make dealerships a thing of the past, too

Bloomberg NewsbyBloomberg News
March 4, 2021
in Risk Management
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0

There’s auto news out of Sweden: Volvo Cars says that it will be fully electric by 2030. No more internal combustion, no more hybrids. It’s batteries or bust.

In making this commitment, Volvo is betting on a trend: that as EVs are becoming cheaper and new conventional cars are being priced higher, consumers’ math on electric-versus-internal combustion will soon come out in electrics’ favor.

But there’s more to Volvo’s position on EVs than just changing the powertrain. The carmaker says its pure electric models will only be available for sale online, and that its first fully electric car is now receiving over-the-air software updates. (Tesla has been doing this for years.) That first plan has implications for the built environment; the second, for emissions and the global climate.

I’ve talked before about what increasing electrification means for the gas station, an icon of the American landscape. There are more than 100,000 of them, they employ more than 900,000 people, and not all of them will survive a world with many more electric vehicles. We can apply that same lens to the auto dealer landscape — and when we do, the numbers are even bigger.

There are almost 118,000 car and parts dealers in the U.S. — fewer now than before the global financial crisis, but more than the low in 2011.

Bloomberg

Those dealerships employ nearly 2 million people — more than twice as many as filling stations employ — after a dramatic drop-and-recovery in 2020. Prior to Covid-19, that number was at an all-time high after rising for nearly a decade.

Bloomberg

More than half of those employees work in sales, and another 30% are technicians and mechanics. That’s a different distribution than gas stations, where almost everyone works as a clerk or prepares food, and it also gives an indication of what’s at stake for dealers with electrification.

Bloomberg

Volvo says that its retail partners will still take part in “selling, preparing, delivering, and servicing cars,” but that it “will radically simplify the process for, and reduce the number of steps involved in, signing up for an electric Volvo.” Just about anyone reading that would bet that means fewer people involved, too.

A digital sales channel changes not only the number of people needed to sell a car, but also the nature of their jobs and where they work. It means no one waiting in a showroom for people to drop in, no office managers, no janitors. EVs also have far fewer moving parts than internal combustion engine vehicles, and therefore are far less likely to need the same level of service. That’s part of the logic behind a Michigan bill that would have banned privately held electric vehicle companies from selling directly to consumers. (The bill died quietly at the end of last year.)

And then there are the updates. Modern cars contain dozens of software-embedded electronic-control units, i.e. the sort of things that could be updated over-the-air. Cars that can be remotely updated aren’t driving pointless miles to fix something that actually prevents them from being safely driven. That could also help cut down on costly recalls — last year, Toyota recalled 2.9 million cars in January for an issue with one of its electronic-control units.

But perhaps more important than avoiding millions of miles of driving for recalls — and therefore millions of miles worth of unnecessary emissions — is the promise of vehicles that improve over time. Here again, Tesla is setting the standard, doing not just over-the-air updates but also upgrades. These aren’t just patches or fixes; they’re permanent enhancements, which will keep cars on the road longer with — you guessed it — less maintenance. That’s another blow to dealers, but a boon to consumers, and to the climate.

– By Nathaniel Bullard

Tags: bloomberg newselectric vehiclesvolvo
Previous Post

AFI 2021: Practical applications of AI and machine learning in auto finance

Next Post

Powersports marketplace provider Rollick secures $8.5M in funding

Related Posts

Risk Management

Used-vehicle floorplan to see uptick ahead of tariffs

May 21, 2025
Bruce Newmark hosting a panel with Robert DeJarnette, VP of Risk Management at Consumer Portfolio Services, Charlie King the Chief Technology Officer at Arivo Acceptance, Eduardo Perez the Chief Customer Officer at Tricolor, and Scot Seagrave the Chief Executive Officer at FinBe USA during Auto Finance East Summit 2025 in Nashville, Tenn.
Risk Management

Subprime lenders see opportunity in recession talks  

May 20, 2025
Inside A Flo Electric Vehicle Charger Assembly Facility
Risk Management

Charging installations drop as Trump ramps up attacks on EVs

May 20, 2025
Next Post
© Can Stock Photo / welcomia

Powersports marketplace provider Rollick secures $8.5M in funding

Stay Informed with Our Newsletters

PowerSports Finance

The Roadmap Podcast

ABOUT US

HELP CENTER

ADVERTISE

PRIVACY TERMS

ADA COMPLIANCE

CODE OF JOURNALISM ETHICS

Manage Cookie Consent

EXECUTIVES OF THE YEAR

AUTO FINANCE EXCELLENCE AWARDS

MAGAZINE ARCHIVE

INDUSTRY GLOSSARY

facebook linkedin twitter podcast podcast
© 2025 Royal Media
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • All News
    • Capital & Funding
    • EVs
    • Technology
    • Management
    • Powersports Finance News
    • Risk Management
    • Sales & Marketing
  • Events
    • Auto Finance Summit East
    • Equipment Finance Connect
    • Auto Finance Summit
    • PowerSports Finance Summit
  • Features
    • Latest Issue
    • Features
    • New Tracks
    • Car Culture
    • Staffing Shuffles
    • Under The Hood
    • Spotlight
    • Issue Archive
  • Webinar
  • Podcast
  • Big Wheels Data
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Log In / Account

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • All News
    • Capital & Funding
    • EVs
    • Technology
    • Management
    • Powersports Finance News
    • Risk Management
    • Sales & Marketing
  • Events
    • Auto Finance Summit East
    • Equipment Finance Connect
    • Auto Finance Summit
    • PowerSports Finance Summit
  • Features
    • Latest Issue
    • Features
    • New Tracks
    • Car Culture
    • Staffing Shuffles
    • Under The Hood
    • Spotlight
    • Issue Archive
  • Webinar
  • Podcast
  • Big Wheels Data
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • Log In / Account

THIS WEBSITE USES COOKIES

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “I CONSENT”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.

Cookie settingsI CONSENT

Review our Cookie Policies
.
Manage Cookie Consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
34f6831605sessionGeneral purpose platform session cookie, used by sites written in JSP. Usually used to maintain an anonymous user session by the server.
a64cedc0bfsessionGeneral purpose platform session cookie, used by sites written in JSP. Usually used to maintain an anonymous user session by the server.
CookieConsentPolicy1 yearUsed to apply end-user cookie consent preferences set by our client-side utility.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
crmcsrsessionGeneral purpose platform session cookie, used by sites written in JSP. Usually used to maintain an anonymous user session by the server.
JSESSIONIDsessionThe JSESSIONID cookie is used by New Relic to store a session identifier so that New Relic can monitor session counts for an application.
LS_CSRF_TOKENsessionCloudflare sets this cookie to track users’ activities across multiple websites. It expires once the browser is closed.
LSKey-c$CookieConsentPolicy1 yearUsed to apply end-user cookie consent preferences set by our client-side utility.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
CookieDurationDescription
__cf_bm30 minutesThis cookie, set by Cloudflare, is used to support Cloudflare Bot Management.
_zcsr_tmpsessionZoho sets this cookie for the login function on the website.
663a60c55dsessionThis cookie is related to Zoho (Customer Service) Chatbox
e188bc05fesessionThis cookie is set in relation to Zoho Campaigns
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
CONSENT2 yearsYouTube sets this cookie via embedded youtube-videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
vuid2 yearsVimeo installs this cookie to collect tracking information by setting a unique ID to embed videos to the website.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
__Host-GAPS2 yearsThis cookie allows the website to identify a user and provide enhanced functionality and personalisation.
_dc_gtm_UA-1038974-31 minuteUsed to help identify the visitors by either age, gender, or interests by DoubleClick - Google Tag Manager.
_fbp3 monthsThis cookie is set by Facebook to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising, after visiting the website.
fr3 monthsFacebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
test_cookie15 minutesThe test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysA cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSCsessionYSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devicesneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt-remote-device-idneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt.innertube::nextIdneverThis cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
yt.innertube::requestsneverThis cookie, set by YouTube, registers a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
CookieDurationDescription
caf_ipaddrsessionNo description available.
citysessionNo description available.
countrysessionNo description available.
gnt_eidsessionNo description available.
gnt_eu6 hoursNo description
iamcsrsessionZoho (Customer Support) sets this cookie and is used for tracking visitors (for performance purposes)
systemsessionNo description available.
traffic_targetsessionNo description available.
Save & Accept
Powered by CookieYes Logo