Business View Magazine | June 2022

89 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 6 CARMACK CAR CAP I TOL 08/09, and now the COVID situation, which has been the most challenging of all.” One of the main issues Carmack currently faces is inventory shortage. Prior to COVID, their combined Honda/Hyundai inventory was approximately 150 new cars. Over the past year, this number has been closer to 20 vehicles. “What we hear from the manufacturers, especially Honda, is that it may be a year or so before we start seeing inventory. Hyundai has given us more promising news saying their production is going along pretty smoothly,” Knight reports, adding that he has noticed the looks of shock on people’s faces as they drive in and see the empty lot. “They don’t understand. In the business, we understand this, but the consumer, when they come in, they ask ‘where’s all your cars?’ That’s our challenge.” These inventory delays have meant that some customers are waiting several months for a vehicle, but Bill Lucas, Sales Consultant, says they are willing to wait for a popular model, or a vehicle that offers specific features. People are also willing to drive long distances. “A couple of months ago we had someone come from 11 hours away,” Lucas says, “because we had a certain car in inventory, and there were only three in the United States.” It doesn’t hurt that he has been with the company for 45 years, and has many loyal customers. As Knight shares, “Bill’s secret is that he has great customer satisfaction, and his customers just love him. He’s sold to whole families, from the grandparents to their grandchildren. They drive from 300 miles away just to come and buy a car. He has a great reputation in the area… everybody likes to buy a car from Bill Lucas.” With fewer new vehicles available, there is also a shortage of available pre-owned vehicles.“We don’t have the new car inventory,” explains Knight. “So, we’re not getting the same number of trades to supply the used car lot. We’ve had to buy some just to have enough cars to sell.” Local President and Owner, Gary Knight John Cox, Master Technician