Nissan President: Auto Dealers Should Be More Versatile

NEW YORK -February 21, 2003; Dow Jones reports that Nissan Motor Co. President Carlos Ghosn said Friday that automobile dealers need to have more channels for contact with consumers, including the use of the Internet, Kyodo News reported.

Dealerships no longer play the role of meeting all needs of auto customers, Ghosn said in his address to a general assembly of the Japan Automobile Dealers Association.

But Ghosn also stressed that dealerships remain the core of auto sales, Kyodo said.

Now that 70% of car buyers go directly to dealers, home-call sales are becoming an inefficient marketing practice, he added.