Automobile dealers look for strategies to revive sales, arrest job losses

Automobile dealers and manufacturers congregated at the Second Auto Retail Conclave on Wednesday amid poor sales, lacklustre demand, dealer shutdowns and mounting job losses. 

They deliberated on revival strategies for auto retailing even as improving profitability and margins dominated the discussions.

Auto sales have been declining for 13 straight months as a broader slowdown in the economy has crippled demand across the country.

Addressing the delegates, Ashish Harshraj Kale, president of Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA), said dealerships have been forced to cut jobs in the recent past.  They had hired people last year, in anticipation of growth this year. “I am