Automobile Dealers

Southern California chief executives who operate automobile franchises selling imported cars make considerably more annually than those with domestic franchises, according to a recent survey. The average compensation of the 118 chief executives surveyed ranged from a low of $206,000 among single-point domestic dealers to $314,000 for those owning two import franchises, according to Parke, Guptill & Co.'

If you are planning to sell or trade in a used car, the next couple of months might be the most optimum time. Prices of late-model used cars are expected to peak for the year over the next six weeks or so, according to analysts at the National Automobile Dealers Assn. Used Car Guide. That's because auto dealers are trying to stock up on their used-car inventory for the busy spring and summer seasons and there is a shortage of good used cars, an echo effect of the recession.

He was the quintessential Newport Beach entrepreneur: owner of a flourishing Mercedes-Benz empire and a jet-setter who married six times, kept an 83-foot yacht at Newport Harbor and boasted a string of showplace homes. Jim Slemons, whose name defined success in Orange County in the 1980s, told a Superior Court jury this year that any shred of the $87-million fortune he had amassed by 1988 was gone.

California's authority to enact automotive air pollution standards that are stricter than federal law has withstood legal challenge after a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Automobile Dealers Assn. did not have legal standing in the case. Under the 1970 Clean Air Act, California may request waivers of federal standards to enact its own, stricter laws — a right granted because the state had its own pollution laws before the federal government's.

A secluded treasure of downtown Los Angeles is to be dispersed before the bankers, brokers and cops on the beat even knew it was there. It's the Thomas Collection, a coven of 100 Cadillacs formed by one man's passion into a general chronology of the marque and an echo of America's belle epoque . For 25 years the museum has been hidden on the sixth floor of the venerable Thomas Cadillac building on West 7th Street at Bixel.

One of Southern California's largest auto dealerships conspired to defraud consumers, first with false advertising delivered by late-night pitchman Ralph Williams and then with sales representatives trained in deceit, a state investigator contends in court documents filed Friday. The documents, examined by Orange County Superior Court Judge John J.

Rashida Redd punched in a six-digit code in her Pontiac Grand Prix and got a new lease on life. The 34-year-old Pottstown, Pa., mother of five had to file for bankruptcy protection about a year ago in the face of mounting medical bills from her husband's open-heart surgery. Despite her poor credit history, Redd was able to lease the 3-year-old car from Williams Pre-Owned of Limerick on the condition that it have a starter-interrupt device. "At least I was able to save the house," Redd said.

Los Angeles' favorite cat seems to have nine lives. The three-sided "Felix" automobile dealership sign near downtown that has survived earthquakes, fires, riots and recession escaped another close call Thursday as the city's Cultural Heritage Commission voted to declare it a historic-cultural monument.

It may soon be legal for the car dealerships along Beach Boulevard to display colorful helium balloons. The City Council, responding to car dealers' requests, is scheduled Monday night to consider changes in sign ordinances that would allow the dealers to use balloons, flags, banners and other attention-grabbing devices. Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach rivals Harbor Boulevard in Costa Mesa as a showcase for car dealerships.

In Whittier, city officials are clearing the way for office buildings, retail shops and even homes to take root on the land where the vacant car lots stand. Classrooms offering lessons on green technology are being considered as a replacement for the deserted dealerships in Riverside County. And in coastal Ventura, a card club could soon take up residence among the Toyotas, Chevys and Jaguars being sold at the struggling Ventura Auto Center. For decades, cities have set aside vast expanses of land for auto malls and the dealerships have rewarded them with a steady flow of tax dollars, often providing 20% or more of an average town's sales receipts.

Between the Super Bowl and word that thousands of Prius hybrids could soon join the millions of vehicles already being recalled, Sunday threatened to be an awful day at Toyota of Glendale. But a slow stream of customers headed into its Brand Boulevard showroom throughout the morning and early afternoon. Some were looking for bargains, some for answers and some loyal customers were looking to buy. This weekend a company spokesman said Toyota was considering recalling its 2010 Prius hybrids because of problems with the anti-lock brake system.

For nearly two decades, John Symes has been a Toyota salesman. His dealership, Toyota Scion Pasadena, is a glass-encased bazaar glistening in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains, with a burnt-red showroom that's half the size of a football field. People loved coming here. And in a state where 1 in 4 cars sold last year was made by Toyota, they loved his vehicles. Now, many of these loyal customers have returned to fill his shop with questions and emotional chatter about the Toyota recalls.

Car dealers are seeing buyers come back to their showrooms -- giving the beaten-down auto industry a glimmer of hope that a long-awaited turnaround has begun. Most automakers Tuesday reported big U.S. sales gains in December, with Ford and Toyota notching gains of more than 30%. Hyundai and Kia beat their year-earlier numbers by more than 40%. Big discounts, heavy advertising and low finance rates helped jump-start the sales. Automakers were also helped by the fact that December 2008 was one of the worst auto sales months on record and thus was an easy target to beat.

It's the most wonderful time of the year -- for buying a new car. Savvy shoppers, desperate dealers and automotive analysts alike are singing that tune, thanks to fat rebates, cheap financing and an enticing federal tax break for buyers set to expire Friday. "I know we dealers always seem to say it, but with the tax benefits you'll get and the strong used-car values for trade-ins, this really is a great time to buy," said Mark Normandin, owner and president of Normandin Chrysler Jeep on Capitol Expressway Auto Mall in San Jose.

General Motors Co. is offering a $7,000 sales inducement to its dealers for every Saturn and Pontiac vehicle left in inventory as the automaker phases out the two brands. Assuming the cash is passed on to consumers, the move could result in savings for buyers looking to snap up one of the few remaining unsold Pontiacs and Saturns. But the savings might not be as much as one would think. To qualify for the incentive, dealers have to put the vehicles in their rental or service fleet before selling them to consumers.

While on the subject of Korean car companies, the president of Irvine-based Kia Motors America recently told dealers that the company's U.S. expansion is continuing as planned, despite Kia's troubles at home. (It has been placed under control of the country's national bank because of mounting debt.) In fact, President W.K. Kim told dealers at the recent National Automobile Dealers Assn. convention in New Orleans, Kia might just outsell rival Hyundai Motor America in the U.S. this year.

City officials have abandoned plans to encourage a business and office center on northern Manchester Boulevard, instead rezoning the area to lure in more automobile dealers. When revising the city's general zoning plan in 1994, officials had envisioned the northern stretch of Manchester as a bustling center for businesses. "We were unsuccessful in getting those, but we did attract a number of small and large automobile businesses," Community Development Director Rick Warsinski said.

Gary Grossinger was showing a visiting Toyota executive around his cavernous new $37-million "autoplex" this year when, somewhere between the first-floor manicurist and the 100,000-square-foot rooftop parking lot, the slack-jawed executive shot off a question. "You know the economy just blew up, don't you?" the executive asked. Grossinger laughed. "Aren't you supposed to be encouraging me?" he replied. These days, Grossinger needs all the encouragement he can get. On Aug. 31, amid a crippling auto industry crisis, the 43-year-old, third-generation auto salesman opened the doors on one of the biggest dealerships in the Midwest.

As the federal government's "cash for clunkers" program winds down, car buyers who go shopping over the next several weeks may find the selection a bit thin. The clunker program, which ends at 5 p.m. PDT today, created such a stampede of buying during its one-month life that many dealers' inventories of new vehicles drained to bottom-of-the-pool levels. And used-car supplies, already tight, will get a bit tighter. "You're not going to be able to find the car you want in September," said Rich Smith, chief financial officer of the company that owns David Ellis Chrysler Jeep in Canoga Park and Jack Ellis Glendale Dodge.