The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A Bahamian auto dealer yesterday said it “would be fantastic” if just 30 per cent of the 130 proposals it wrote at the weekend’s Car Show translated into hard sales.

Rick Lowe, operations manager and a director at Nassau Motor Company (NMC), the Honda and Chevrolet dealer, said the 130 potential deals written by the firm’s agents at the Mall at Marathon show was “pretty damn good”.

The trick now for NMC, and all other auto dealers present, will be for prospective purchasers to secure the necessary financing from Bahamian commercial banks and other lenders - the hardest task, and the ‘make or break’ for so many purchases.

“I think we wrote about 130 proposals, which is pretty damn good,” Mr Lowe told Tribune Business.

“They surprised me this morning when they came and told me thee were that many. These people now have to go through the process, and if we close 30 per cent of those, that would be fantastic.

“Hopefully, it will work and we will get sales out of it. If we can close the sales, and people are able to get the financing and insurance, and we close 20-30 per cent of that, we will be very happy. ”

While foot traffic during the two-day event at the Mall at Marathon seemed lighter than in previous years, Mr Lowe said NMC’s sales team felt there were more serious buyers present at the 2013 event.

“Our folks said the people who came out there seemed to be quite serious, as opposed to fun seekers or those just browsing, not really interested in buying” he added.

“Maybe the cycle’s done, it’s over again and people need to replace vehicles with new cars.”