Spitzer Shield came about as the group began to focus more of its attention on used vehicles amid a lack of inventory for new vehicles. The group launched its own Certified Pre-Owned program, which includes a 7-year warranty, as well as benefits including a 3-day, 300-mile vehicle exchange guarantee, free service inspection, and a 172-point inspection prior to installation. to sell.
Spitzer reports that its used vehicle sales grew 45 percent from 2020 to 2021, compared to a 29 percent jump in new vehicle sales.
The group focused some of that success on the launch of the CPO program and the sale of used vehicles for its new management and marketing. Spitzer declined to disclose any sales figures.
“We’ve had to do some soul-searching and really get acquainted with the pre-owned side, and to my team’s credit, they’ve done a great job,” he said. “They’ve been aggressive and have taken some risks they wouldn’t normally take, and they’ve learned a lot.”
Spitzer said that not having a CPO program can be a deal breaker for a lot of customers, so offering a program of its own has helped the group’s salespeople reach more customers.
“I know when I sold cars, I loved selling certified pre-owned, and my only real complaint was that I couldn’t sell any CPO Fords or Chevys when I sold at my Kia store. ,” They said. “It’s not like that anymore.”