GM Mark of Excellence Program Winner!

An open letter congratulating Walt Massey Automotive for our achievement in the GM Mark of Excellence program. Our team won for all three divisions: Chevrolet, GMC and Buick. Thanks to our entire staff for their efforts!

March 31, 2011

James Massey
WALT MASSEY AUTOMOTIVE INC
11241 OLD 63 SOUTH
LUCEDALE, MS 39452

Dear James,
I wanted to recognize and thank you for your performance in the 2010 Mark of
Excellence program. You placed among some of the highest performing Dealers in the
country last year. This means you met or exceeded your 2010 Divisional sales, CSI, RSI
and EBE objectives. And in a down market, that was quite an accomplishment.
As you know, I have a term for this kind of performance. I call it "Doing the Basics
Brilliantly". And if we can get this kind of dedication and excellence across our entire
Dealer network, I'm confident we will return to sales leadership and our role as America's
Brand, But it will require Dealers such as you to help lead the effort.
To showcase your accomplishment, you will receive the distinctive Dealer Recognition
Reward Plaque and a personalized set of 500 GM Mark of Excellence business cards.
In a highly competitive marketplace, your professionalism and excellence are truly
valued. Thanks again for all you do for Chevrolet. And I wish you continued success in
2011.
Congratulations!

Sincerely,
Alan Batey
Vice President
Chevrolet Sales and Service

www.waltmassey.com

"Packing The Pickup With Presents" - Making A Great Christmas!

Walt Massey Automotive is happy to help with providing less fortunate children with Christmas gifts this year with "Packing the Pickup With Presents". Through December 15, Walt Massey dealerships will be accepting new toys to go toward the Great Toy Drive and the Salvation Army. Drop off your toys at Walt Massey Automotive on Old 63 South in Lucedale, 601-947-3001 (across from WalMart) and Walt Massey of Citronelle, 251-866-5100 (Hwy. 45). Thanks to everyone for helping and Happy Holidays!

www.WaltMassey.com

Is GM Doing Better Than Reports Suggest?

Is GM doing better than first quarter numbers suggest?

Expressed in percentages - Stats are always hard to nail down
(5/6/2010)

If you just read the headlines after the close of the first quarter of 2010, you would have learned that Ford sold 25 percent more vehicles in the first quarter of 2010 than it did in the same period of 2009 - good news however you look at it. GM on the other hand reported overall sales growth of just 7 percent. Not bad, but, at least on the surface, pales in comparison to the Ford numbers.

According to analyst Rich Smith, writing in the financial advisory column known as The Motley Fool, this simple comparison does not tell the complete story.

According to Smith, GM's comparison to Q1 in 2009 included all the vehicles sold under the discarded brands of Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and Saab - which experienced a drop of 95 percent against the first quarter of 2009.

Smith also points out that if GM had taken the tack that many other retailers do in reporting sales more aggressively - in this case only reporting retail sales for comparison purposes - the remaining GM brands of Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC experienced an improvement of over 33 percent in Q1/2010. So, if we can coin a term - "same brand sales" - GM's same brand sales improved 33 percent, while Ford's same brand sales only (only?) increased 25 percent.

So after taking its medicine in the form of a bitter pill called bankruptcy, GM escapes virtually debt-free and with half the brands. It does appear after examining the sales results from this different angle that the reduction in brands has strengthened those that remain - and that GM's performance in those brands alone may have surpassed the bright Ford sales reports.

(courtesy DealersEdge)

www.WaltMassey.com

CREW CABS... You've Come A Long Way, Baby!

THE FIRST CREW CAB TRUCK.

The International Travelette was a crew cab, available in 2- or 4-wheel drive. It was available starting in 1957 (with 3 doors, 4th door added in 1961), and was the first 6-passenger, 4-door truck of its time in the U.S.