Reliable Hyundai is now serving the greater SPringfield MIssouri area

Fuel efficient imports, popular RVs keep Reliable Imports going strong

Craig Reiserer, managing partner of Reliable Imports and RV, is an optimistic person. "I won't tell you the past year hasn't been challenging. I've been in this business for 32 years, and I've seen this kind of economy before," he said. "But our dealership's done extremely well in spite of the economy, and things could certainly have been a lot worse."

One reason for his optimistic outlook is because the three brands of new vehicles sold at Reliable Imports and RV-Hyundai, Subaru, and Mazda-have done better than bigger brands during the current recession. "The three manufacturers I represent did very well this year," said Reiserer. "I think part of that is because these brands have always made fuel efficient vehicles; when it became clear that fuel efficiency was the big issue for the future, they were already well positioned in the market. They've shown that they're the manufacturers of the future. They've all grown this year, because these manufacturers recognized that it was time to step forward a few years ago and work on creating new fuel technologies."

While some brands have struggled to remain pertinent in the automotive industry, Reiserer looks at the accolades that prove his brands are the wave of the future. "They have a lot going for them," he said. "Hyundai is one of the two companies with the largest increase of market share; the Elantra is highest in J.D. Power and Associates' initial quality for all cares; the 2011 Sonata is already getting a lot of attention; and Subaru is a zero landfill manufacturer.

"Actually, Subaru's just having a banner year in arguably one of the toughest car markets in recent years," he continued. "Reliable Subaru is up 750 percent in the month of October over the prior October, in terms of sales. We're number one in the South Central Region, and have actually tripled this market share over the previous year. The products are almost totally redesigned, too; the oldest model is only two years old. The new ones are really catching on, and 75 to 80 percent of people getting a new Subaru are trading in an old one, which fuels our preowned inventory. All Subaru models are all-wheel drive, which is especially good this time of year. They've always been bulletproof cars with a niche following of people who knew how good they were; now, the new look is appealing to more mainstream customers."

Some other citations:
SUBARU
• Subaru of America, Inc., received three Residual Value Awards from ALG for the 2010 model year: Best Mainstream Brand; Best Compact Utility Vehicle for the Forester; and Best Midsize Utility for the Outback.
• Subaru of America, Inc. was recognized as the only manufacturer with a Top Safety Pick winner in every vehicle class in which it competes by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
• The Subaru Outback has been named MOTOR TREND'S 2010 Sport/Utility of the Year.
• Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com named the 2009 Subaru Impreza one of its 2009 Top 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000.
• The 2009 Subaru Forester today was named to the "Best Family Cars for 2009" list by Parents Magazine and Edmunds.com.
HYUNDAI
• Hyundai has just topped the latest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy report, making it the most fuel-efficient automaker in America.
• Hyundai's flagship Genesis sedan was named the "Near Luxury Car" segment leader in Strategic Vision's 2009 Total Value Index(tm) and was the 2009 North American Car of the Year.
• Popular Mechanics honored the Genesis Coupe with a 2010 Automotive Excellence Award in the "Fun to Drive" category, and is a Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com pick for one of the "10 Most Fun Clunker Replacements."
• The Sonata was named "Best Budget Family Car" by ConsumerSearch.com.
• Automotive research and consulting firm AutoPacific named the Hyundai Genesis and Hyundai Elantra 2009 Ideal Vehicles in their respective categories.
MAZDA
• The 2010 MAZDA3 was named the Best Mid-Compact Car for value retention by ALG, a leading provider of data and consulting services to the automotive industry, with the MAZDA6 sport sedan and CX-9 crossover SUV ranked their in their respective classes.
• The Mazda brand was ranked third in predicted resale value by ALG.
• The all-new 2010 MAZDA3 was named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
• The Mazda CX-9 has been named the top of its class and received the AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Award.

• Jim O'Sullivan, president and CEO of Mazda North American Operations, and managing executive officer for Mazda Motor Corporation, was named the 2009 Automotive Executive of the Year, receiving recognition for his excellence in automotive leadership.

"We're also having solid RV sales. Manufacturers are hiring back people in anticipation of growth, and companies are building more fuel efficient RVs across the board," Reiserer continued. "Our RV service and parts department is doing very well; we have the facility to handle these big 40-foot RVs, which makes us very convenient for people traveling in the area."
Along with the quality products and service provided, Reiserer points out other factors that have worked in Reliable Imports and RV's favor this past year. "As a company, we're doing some things to improve. Service and parts are now open until midnight, we're actually in the process of hiring more salespeople now in anticipation of the spring sales market," he said. "The family man with a couple of children is finally learning that working in the car business is a good career; that allows us to hire, long-term, higher quality people.

"Service and parts continue to grow as people keep their vehicles longer and take better care of them," he continued. "We anticipate being able to continue upgrading the facility, and continuing to offer our customers more services. We recognize the importance of keeping our customer database coming back to us.

"Cash For Clunkers was an amazing success for us, and especially for Hyundai, because so many of those vehicles qualified. Plus, our cars are pretty affordable anyway. That promotion helped clear out cars, making room for our new remodeled inventory," he said. "Probably 75 percent of my cars are already 2010 models, and that makes it truly a good time to buy an automobile. The manufacturers are offering great incentives, and we're aggressive because we know it's a buyer's market and we're responding accordingly."

Reiserer thinks that 2010 is already looking better than 2009, but still manages to find the silver lining in the past year's clouds. "I feel very fortunate that Reliable Imports and RV is part of the Van Tuyl organization; this down time is a good time to grow, and we've maintained a financially solvent state that's allowing us to do so," he said. "And the other thing about tough times is that it tends to make the employees pull together. It makes them appreciative of what they've got, and basically just makes them better employees. By focusing on teamwork and doing what it takes to keep the dealership successful, we've all grown together, and that can only benefit our customers." This Story was brought to you by the Springfield NewsLeader