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Apr 17, 2008 8:49 pm US/Eastern
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Dealers Hope Auto Show Jumpstarts Sales
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
The struggling economy has caused some car concerns for the automobile industry.
The annual Pittsburgh Auto Show opened at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center this afternoon, and local car dealers are hoping it will start the turnaround from a so far disappointing 2008.
Whether it's on the Southside, North Side, Monroeville, or Monaca, you don't have to look hard to find people driving a car they would like to replace, but are opting to drive it until it drops.
With Hemi's tuned, fenders shining and tires unblemished, the hopes of Pittsburgh area car dealers have rolled into the convention center.
"The car show always has been the kickoff of the auto buying season, the spring auto market," Day Chevrolet employee Jim Howarth said.
The struggling economy makes that even more important, as would be buyers shy away from major purchases, holding their dollars, and hoping for better times and cheaper gas.
"Just kind of stimulates the market, gets people out, you get a chance to get your sales people excited about the coming season because the car selling season here in Pittsburgh is March, April, May and through the summer months," Benson Lincoln Mercury owner George Benson said.
During the car show, local dealers get some help from the car makers, like $500 and $1,000 incentives.
The dealers said in many cases gasoline is driving the sales that do occur, with people choosing cars over trucks because of better gas mileage.
But there just aren't enough of even those kinds of deals so the dealers' hopes are in the ability of the cars, to unlock wallets.
Last year the Convention Center collapse delayed the car show until April, and Pittsburgh lost its prime February time slot, which was very productive in jump starting sales.
Dealers said the jury is out on whether April can net similar results.
The car show runs through Monday.
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