The collective marketing agreement announced last year between Ford Motor Co. and 13 of its Utah dealers will officially get under way Wednesday under a single name: the Utah Auto Collection.
Bountiful Ford dealer Duff Willey will serve as chief executive officer of the group, which will include Lincoln, Mercury and Mazda marques. The kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at the Salt Lake Ford Superstore, 730 S. West Temple.The group says it will offer customers a "whole new approach" to buying and servicing their vehicles, including uniform pricing and the so-called "no dicker sticker" in which the traditional haggling process is avoided.
"The automotive business is going through a dramatic change," said Willey. "Joining together as the Utah Auto Collection is just good business for our customers and us as partners."
Similar collaborations have been undertaken by Ford dealers in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla., and San Diego and later this year in Rochester, N.Y.
Ford says studies have shown that the biggest competition Ford dealers have is from other Ford dealers. The new plan is intended to eliminate that competition.
Under the no-haggle pricing, the sale staff is not paid commissions based on the sales price of a vehicle, a practice that many believe creates a predatory and highly stressful atmosphere when buying a car. Instead, sales people are paid a salary and additional compensation based on their "productivity" -- how many vehicles they sell -- but not on how much profit they generate for the dealership on each sale.
Auto Collection customers will get a three-day, 300-mile money-back guarantee on every new and used vehicle.
Member dealers also promise to take trade-ins at an agreed-upon price whether they buy from the network or not, and trade-ins are "completely independent" of the sales.
The Auto Collection has five service centers along the Wasatch Front.