Berlin City Auto Group Celebrates 30 Years in New England

PORTLAND, Maine--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Berlin City Auto Group is celebrating 30 years of business in New England this month. The dealership was founded in 1980 as a single store in New Hampshire and today consists of six dealerships located in Portland, Maine; Gorham, N.H.; and Burlington, Vt.; with 19 franchises including Toyota Scion Lexus, Nissan, Honda, Chevy, GMC, Buick, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Kia. Berlin City kicks off its 'Big 3-Oh Sale' today, which runs through Labor Day. During the sale, customers will be able to triple their down payment, up to $1,000, to put towards the purchase of a new vehicle. For example, if someone puts down $1,000, Berlin City will match that and add up to $1,000 in manufacturer's bonus cash.

"We deliver more than 40 percent of our inventory anywhere in New England. Our motto, 'over the top care' isn't a sales gimmick, it's just the way we do business"

Two Employees Still Here 30 Years Later

"There is so much history and heritage in New England, both in our stores and with our employees," said Yegor Malinovskii, Berlin City's market president. "We have two employees that have been with us since the beginning and 17 employees that have been with us for 20 or more years. Our employees are the backbone of our company and the reason why we've been able to sustain and grow our business over the last 30 years."

Auto Group Grows, Builds New Dealership

Berlin City has experienced steady growth and marked several milestones in its 30-year history. Recently, the company celebrated the expansion of its Toyota Scion Lexus dealership in Portland, Maine, which was completed in late 2009. The expansion included the purchase of two acres of adjacent land, adding more service bays to the existing service center, as well as the addition of 275 spaces for additional vehicles, increasing inventory display space by 20 percent.

In addition, a new Berlin City Honda facility will break ground in October in Portland and is slated for completion in fall 2011. The 27,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art service and sales facility will be three times larger than the existing facility and once complete will add an additional 20 to 30 jobs. Berlin City also plans to remodel its Gorham, N.H. Honda/Nissan/Toyota facility in 2011 to give it a modern and fresh look.

Convenience and Service Drive Success

"We may service small towns in New England, but we offer the conveniences of a big city," continued Malinovskii. "From our four-day/200 miles no questions asked return policy, and our lowest, most competitive price guarantee within four days of purchase, to our door-to-door delivery service, we really try to go above and beyond to make the car buying process easy and convenient for our customers."

Berlin City offers door-to-door delivery throughout New England, which was introduced in 1983 to make car buying even easier for New Englanders. The company employs nearly 75 drivers that make daily deliveries from Maine to New York. Transactions are completed over email and via phone, eliminating the need for a customer to travel far distances to purchase a car. "We deliver more than 40 percent of our inventory anywhere in New England. Our motto, 'over the top care' isn't a sales gimmick, it's just the way we do business," added Malinovskii.

Drive for Education: Supporting the Local Community

New this year, Berlin City plans to roll out a 'Drive for Education' program later this month at all locations. The company will donate a portion of proceeds from every car sale to local schools, at-risk youth and other kid-focused charities, with a goal of raising at least $100,000 annually. Berlin City regularly supports the communities in which it serves, from sponsorships to blood drives to fundraiser car washes.

About Berlin City Auto Group

Berlin City Auto Group consists of six dealerships in New England, located in Gorham, N.H., Burlington, Vt. and Portland, Maine. The company sells Toyota Scion Lexus, Nissan, Honda, Chevy, GMC, Buick, Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Kia. Berlin City offers a four-day/200 miles no questions asked return policy and the lowest, most competitive price guarantee within four days/200 miles, door-to-door delivery service throughout New England and pre-owned protection on certified pre-owned vehicles within 60 days or the first 2,000 miles. For more information or a list of locations, please visit www.berlincity.com. You can also find Berlin City on Facebook and Twitter.

31 people driving the competition are selected

 

Ford has revived a marketing campaign that debuted in 2007 called "Swap My Ride" in an effort to showcase real people who are impressed with the company's cars and trucks.

 

For its latest campaign, which began Tuesday, Ford randomly picked 31 people who were driving competitors' cars and trucks in Texas and California and allowed them to test-drive a Ford for a week.

 

"They found me in a shopping center parking lot," said Megan Daley of San Francisco, who drives a 2003 Audi A4. Daley, 31, hasn't owned a Ford since she learned how to drive her parents' Ford Taurus when she was 16. "They were obviously looking for non-Ford drivers," Daley said. "I was really impressed with

the car."

 

At the end of the week, TV celebrity and Ford ad pitchman Mike Rowe interviewed Daley and the other participants. Ford used those interactions to produce about 20 commercials for national and regional use.

 

Ford's goal is to use the authentic consumer reactions to convince others to drive a Ford, said Matt VanDyke, Ford's director of marketing communications. "What we wanted to do is bring it back when the showroom is really full of new vehicles," VanDyke said.

 

Over the past 18 months, Ford has launched a redesigned F-150, a redesigned Ford Fusion and an all-new Ford Taurus. The company also has several other new vehicles on the way this year, such as the Ford Fiesta subcompact car that is to go on sale this summer. Ford gained market share in the U.S. in 2009 for the first time since 1995 after it banked on the goodwill it received by being the only U.S. automaker to survive without federal emergency loans.

 

In March, Ford captured 17.2% of U.S. new vehicle sales, up 1.9 percentage points from the same month last year. Ford is convincing more consumers to put Ford on their shopping list, said Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research in Bandon, Ore. Still, many consumers don't even think about Ford when they look for a new car.

 

"What Ford needs to do right now is to keep building that consideration list," Spinella said. Using regular mainstream types of customers is a formula that Ford has been using for some time and fits well into the company's overarching "Drive One" slogan, VanDyke said.

 

In 2008, Ford approached competitive vehicle owners in Marietta, Ga., and Windsor, Calif., and asked them to drive a Ford for a week and then pass it on to a friend.

 

In October, Ford unveiled an advertising campaign with current Ford drivers talking about the features of the vehicles that they liked the most in a series of short, 15-second commercials. Both of those campaigns were inspired by the 2007 "Swap My Ride" campaign, VanDyke said.

DEARBORN -- With the National Retail Federation predicting a 7.7 percent
drop in 2009 back-to-school spending, cars offering uncompromised safety,
fuel economy and value for the money will be high on shoppers' lists. That's
why Ford Focus was named one of AutoWeek magazine's "2009 Best Cars
for College" and made a repeat appearance on Kelley Blue Book's "Coolest
Cars under $18,000" list. It's also the reason Focus was the No. 1 vehicle
nationwide purchased using Cash for Clunkers funding during July.
For 2010, Focus features the available SYNC hands-free communication
system to help students stay focused on driving while staying in touch.
Every Focus also comes standard with a full complement of safety
equipment, including ABS, Electronic Stability Control and the Fordexclusive
MyKey programmable vehicle key. Plus, Ford will match first-time
buyers' down payments up to $500 on a new Focus through September
30.

Parents can appreciate safety improvements, and all Focus models now
feature four-wheel ABS brakes and AdvanceTrac® with ESC (Electronic
Stability Control) as standard equipment. The systems work together, using
sophisticated sensors to help keep the car under control in extreme
conditions. Also standard on Focus SE, SES and SEL trim levels is a
perimeter alarm system to discourage vehicle theft and tampering - often a
significant problem on high school and college campuses alike.


And now through September 30, Ford is helping make Focus an even better value: First-time vehicle buyers can get a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $500, on their down payment when they purchase a new Focus. Just visit a
local Ford dealer for full details."The Focus delivers a variety of options, from appearance mods to performance upgrades, on nearly every model," said K.C. Dallia, Focus marketing manager. "And Focus offers amenities usually associated with more expensive cars - heated leather-trimmed front seats, moonroof, SIRIUS® satellite radio and premium audio."