Buy-Sell Q&A: Where the Automotive M&A Market is heading

Q: Are there any risks that dealers must be knowledgeable of that could impression their profitability and valuations?

A: The shorter-time period menace we see is the possibility of a recession. Some economists forecast that we’re very likely to have a economic downturn in 2023, which would lower demand for vehicles and possibly impair the unbelievably substantial earnings on autos that dealers are making the most of these days. As earnings drop, so would valuations.

In the Q4 2021 Haig Report, we highlighted some medium to extensive-time period threats that sellers will will need to look at:

Tesla and Other New Entrants: Tesla now has grow to be the foremost luxury brand in the U.S. and its up coming product or service launch, the Cybertruck, is aimed at the heart of the domestic models. Other new entrants, these types of as Rivian Automotive and Lucid Motors, also are getting into the marketplace, as nicely as new models being introduced by conventional OEMs, like Polestar. These new entrants will likely working experience blended results in the marketplace, but there is a fantastic possibility that competing dealers throughout the state will reduce clients and income as a result. Maybe a increased menace to dealers is that new entrants may well force standard OEMs to drive the agency product on dealers (see underneath).

The Agency Design: Standard OEMs have noticed that tens of millions of prospects are willing to go to a web page, purchase a vehicle and then hold out for it to be shipped. And these OEMs also see they no more time need to have to deliver hundreds of thousands of vehicles for dealers’ storage tons, guessing at which motor vehicles shoppers will essentially want, and then closely publicize and deliver incentives in buy to get customers to obtain the autos. Their earnings for every automobile are much better when they deliver only what prospects want to acquire. And ultimately, they see that vendors are creating significant profits. This new set of details is causing a quantity of OEMs to reconsider their interactions with their dealers and individuals. Ford’s strategy to separate into two divisions, the Design e Division that will produce only EVs and the Blue Division that will deliver only inner-combustion motor (ICE) vehicles is an illustration of a likely Agency Product in play. Clients who want to obtain an EV will have to get from Ford’s Design e web page.

It does not show up that shoppers will be ready to purchase Design e cars instantly from sellers. This is a profound alter as the OEM will now set, instead of “suggest,” retail pricing and the OEM will be the stage of speak to with clients. The buyer can pick out which dealer will supply the automobile, but the selling price will be identified by Ford, which also will come to a decision how a great deal to spend the retailer. The customer will come to be Ford’s shopper, alternatively than the dealer’s client. This agency model, wherever the supplier turns into an agent and is not a retailer, is common in other places of the globe. It is our understanding that sellers in these locations make far less gain than sellers in the U.S. And Ford is not alone in its contemplating. OEMs have been envious of Tesla’s inventory industry valuation that is partly primarily based on this direct gross sales design.

Electric powered Vehicles: Some sellers are anxious that EVs will involve much less elements and support get the job done than ICE autos, which will harm their services departments.

Consolidation: Whilst however a extremely fragmented sector, consolidation in automobile retail accelerated in 2020 and 2021. Groups like Lithia Motors, Group 1 and Asbury Automotive Group acquired dozens of outlets to grow their nationwide network of dealerships, accompanied by digital retailing applications that will let them to sell and service buyers who choose on the web procuring. These automobile teams and other sellers are ever more convinced that huge scale will matter far more in the upcoming than it has in the earlier. They approach to present individuals a more substantial collection of motor vehicles and far more techniques to store than lesser sellers can provide. If profitable, they will gain marketplace share and remember to their OEM companions and shareholders. Their gains would occur at the cost of scaled-down dealers that can not match these abilities. Haig Associates features probable cures for dealers for each and every of these considerations. But due to space constraints, we just can’t reveal them in depth here. Nevertheless, you can read about these treatments on webpages 14 and 15 in the Q4 2021 Haig Report. These threats are genuine. Even so, sellers are highly resilient and we assume they’ll uncover methods to mitigate these challenges. We are nonetheless bullish on the franchise program.

Haig Companions gives prospective treatments for dealers for each and every of these problems. But due to area constraints, we cannot make clear them in element in this article. Nevertheless, you can browse about these remedies on pages 14 and 15 in the Q4 2021 Haig Report.

These hazards are true. On the other hand, dealers are extremely resilient and we anticipate they’ll find strategies to mitigate these threats. We are still bullish on the franchise procedure.