Steering Thru the Skid
Spring comes to the Detroit metropolitan area later than most parts of the country and even though it’s almost May, a palpable chill remains in the air. Just as the region begins to thaw out from a long, cold winter, at least one if its longtime residents is emerging from a deep freeze of its own. For Southfield, Michigan-based Avis Ford Inc. (No. 14 on the be auto dealers list with $86.5 million in sales), the worst is over. In fact, in the first quarter the dealership sold 645 vehicles, the best quarter in more than five years. And with Ford vehicles gaining in market share combined with a relatively steady stream of work going through Avis’ 42 service stalls and body shop, Chairman and CEO Walter E. Douglas Sr. is cautiously optimistic about the prospects for 2010.
