Car dealers ended 2022 stronger than the year before and are seeing indicators that this year could bring more improvements, Bahamas Motor Dealers Association (BMDA) President Ben Albury said recently.

Car dealers have contended with shipping delays, manufacturer delays and microchip shortages that have left local lots empty the last two years.

Albury, who made the remarks during an appearance on Morning Blend Business on Guardian Radio 96.9 FM, said there now seems to be some loosening of the supply chain, though he said there are still long delays from the US market.

He said, though, that there is more movement in terms of supply from the Asian market.

According to Albury, the challenges in the US are likely due to the fact that US manufacturers are still trying to catch up on filling US orders.

"There still are some challenges, but there is some loosening. Demand is robust. We're getting a lot of interest. We're getting a lot of traffic," said Albury.

"It seems like financing is starting to loosen up a little bit as well. So those are all good indicators.

"Now we're just hoping that the supply will continue to steadily improve."

Albury said the BMDA's numbers show that the total volume of sales increased year-over-year last year. He added that that information is only from preliminary numbers, as numbers from two dealers are yet to come in.

Albury called the data "encouraging", as the car dealers continue to deal with local issues such as the cost to import parts, the conditions of some of the country's roads and the importation of cheap Japanese cars.

He said the BMDA hopes to lobby the government to decrease the age of imported vehicles to no more than seven years. It is currently at ten.

While the sale of electric vehicles is being widely pushed and touted globally, Albury said the majority of BMDA members' buyers are still opting for internal combustion engine vehicles.

He said, though, that there have been a lot of inquiries about electric and hybrid vehicles.

"I do have more people inquiring about the technology. The hybrid is a lot easier for people to get into," said Albury.

He explained that a lot of manufacturers have been slow to provide their electric vehicles to this market for various reasons. Albury added that many dealers do not have the capacity to fix the electric vehicles being brought in, even if they are from the same brands held by the dealers.

"There are certain protocols that need to be in place if you're going to sell electric and sell it safely," he said.

The post Motor dealers eyeing strong 2023 after improved 2022 appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

The post Motor dealers eyeing strong 2023 after improved 2022 appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

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