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Hawaiian Auto Dealers Say “Mahalo” to Increased New Car Sales

Posted by Heather Brautman | Wed, Feb 26, 2014 @ 10:00 AM

Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association

Quick: Picture Hawaii. This activity may conjure up beaches, PGA-caliber golfing, and pina coladas… to an auto dealer, Hawaii is one thing only: far away. You’re far too busy to envision actually getting away to the land of leis and grass skirts, much less plan the actual trip. Allow us to whisk you off on a virtual vacation to Hawaii, courtesy of the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association, where auto dealers are projecting a banner year for sales. Find out how you can take your own dealership to the luau.

1. A Heavy Dose of Light

New retail light-vehicle registrations increased at a much higher rate in Hawaii than in the rest of the country during the surveyed time period of 2012 to 2013. Hawaiians drove auto dealers’ numbers up 14.7%, compared to the 9% overall we saw here in the continental USA. When we look back all the way to 2010, the numbers are even more staggering: a 50% increase in market share, with a total increase of 16,000 vehicles sold in Hawaii from 2010 to 2013.

2. They’re Getting Trucking

Hawaiians also raided dealers for light trucks, driving up the market share by 0.8 points to 49.2% between 2012 and 2013. While most vacationers only see the inside of golf carts and tour buses, the people who actually live in Hawaii are opting for larger vehicles for both work and home.

3. The Need for New

Auto buyers in Hawaii have, overall, a love-love relationship with their vehicles. Because Hawaiians tend to hold onto their cars longer than the average Americans do (approximately 10 years), when they need to buy, they really need to buy. This means less waffling, fewer test drives, lower rates of comparison shopping. It also gives auto dealers in Hawaii the ability to upsell. Think of how much cars have changed in 10 years. Now think how you can wrangle all these benefits into a sales pitch.

4. Environment Friendly

Drivers may hold onto the past as long as they can with their current cars, but when they change out their rides, they’re thinking about Mother Nature. In 2013, Hawaiians registered 3,325 hybrid and electric vehicles, up a total of 581 units from 2012, a significant jump.  

5. All Areas See a Rise

Hawaii’s county markets (Kauai, Maui, and Oahu) all saw upticks in car sales between 2012 and 2013; none experienced a downturn, with 19.6%, 17.6%, and 13.1% rises in new vehicle market percent changes respectively. Light truck share was quite minimal compared, but again, all three areas experienced a rise in share points (0.3 in Kauai, 1.1 in Maui, and 0.5 in Oahu).

6. Dependable and Steady Wins the Race

So now you know that Hawaiians are buying cars. Curious as to which brands are dominating? Toyota took the honors, handily leading the top 10 brands in the state. Toyota conquered Kauai with a 33.5% market share; the next-highest Honda only had 17.1%. Nissan, Ford, and Mazda rounded out the top five cars you’ll see on the road if you are able to escape someday for that fantasy vacation to Hawaii.

We can’t promise you’ll be able to take that trip, crunch macadamia nuts from a beautiful hotel room, or enjoy a succulent pork luau, but we can offer you a way to sort out some of the day to day craziness that makes a trip to Hawaii seem like an impossibility. Start here by checking out our C.A.R.S. program, a way to ease the burden of payment processing for auto dealers. While we won’t guarantee that multiple check processing and remote deposit capture will be the same as the back nine at Kapalua's Plantation Course, we are sure it’s a start!

auto dealer remote deposit capture

Topics: Auto Dealerships, Increase Sales

Written by Heather Brautman