According to a recent study by KPA, a company that helps auto dealerships in the US comply with rules and regulations, 76% of Americans have lost trust in dealerships when it comes to price transparency.
The survey, which was conducted online from Jan. 16-18, included 2,098 Americans aged 18 and older and asked about their experiences at auto dealerships.
The results of the survey showed that 84% of respondents believe that most auto dealerships in the US are not transparent about their prices, and 86% are concerned about hidden fees that dealerships try to tack on.
Despite the negative findings, the KPA study did find that many respondents reported having positive experiences at dealerships.
For example, only 34% of respondents said they felt pressured to buy add-ons from the dealership when purchasing a vehicle.
About 30% of respondents said they discovered hidden fees after agreeing on a price for a vehicle, 28% said they felt like the salesperson was trying to trick them, and only 29% said they left the dealership because they felt the pricing was dishonest.
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More than three-quarters of Americans have lost trust in auto dealers’ price transparency. Photo by: The Globe and Mail. |
KPA CEO Chris Fanning said in a statement that buying or leasing a car is a major financial decision for many Americans and that KPA’s mission is to work with dealerships to help them comply with regulations and build trust with customers, which will ultimately benefit their bottom line.
Earlier this month, Carscoops reported on the surprisingly large dealer markups on the Kia EV9 in the US.
The Kia dealership in Woodbridge, Virginia is selling the EV9 GT-Line for $83,105, a nearly $6,000 markup over the $77,110 MSRP. The electric vehicle is marked up by $7,000 at the dealership in Owings Mills, Maryland, and another California dealership is selling the EV9 GT-Line for $3,500 over MSRP.
Good books to read on the car
The Cars section sends readers good books with many attractive topics. On the journeys with the cars, it is not uncommon for us to have moments of rest, relaxation, and the pages of the book are an interesting companion.
