2014 Harrisburg Auto Show

This past weekend, The Pennsylvania Auto Show featured more than 500 top of the line vehicles, all under one roof.  This gave people the opportunity to get a close-up look at the many vehicles on the market, and compare makes and models.  The show runs every year, hosted by Motor Trend, and is sponsored by the Harrisburg Automotive Trade Association, as well as The Patriot-News.  The Antique Automobile Club of America also displays classic and original cars from its museum.  

In 2010, the all-new certified pre-owned section was added.  Local dealers get to display a nice selection of their certified pre-owned vehicles inside for sale.  This year, the show had its first power sports hall that showcased ATV's, motorcycles, boats, personal watercraft and scooters. The section also had an ATV simulator that is designed to teach rider safety techniques.

There were also contests you could enter in to win a new car, plenty of materials on the various makes and models of vehicles, as well as a $500,000 Rolls-Royce that was showcased in the luxury hall.  Of course, we were there, showing off Honda’s line-up of vehicles, which included the all-new 2014 Civic. Overall, the show was well-done; you even got to leave with a free issue of Motor Trend magazine in your hand.  

If you are planning on attending next year for the 2015 Auto Show, check out their website, www.AutoShowHarrisburg.comfor discounts on E-Tickets, which save time at the door.

25 Years Already?

This week marks the 25th anniversary of the opening of Bobby Rahal Honda.  You may not know how it all began, or how far it has come to be what it is today.  Rewinding back twenty five years ago, the average car salesman was not always what you would call honest or helpful.  Most people would describe the car buying experience as confusing and frustrating.  When Bobby Rahal met Ron Ferris, a Chicago area sales consultant at the time, he was so impressed by the service he received that he formed a business partnership with him.  The idea was to open a car dealership that operated solely on customer satisfaction.  

In January of 1989, Bobby Rahal (Chairman of Bobby Rahal Automotive Group), Ron Ferris (Chief Executive Officer), and Bob Vladem (Chief Financial Officer) made up the original founding partnership and opened Bobby Rahal Honda in Mechanicsburg, PA.  Since its opening, Bobby Rahal Honda has been known for its customer satisfaction, and it shows.  Bobby Rahal Honda has earned the “President’s Award” from Honda eleven times since 1994, when the program first began.  The company has also been voted “Simply the Best” by Harrisburg Magazine Reader’s Poll for ten consecutive years.  

Bobby Rahal Honda is also known for its conveyer-driven service line.  First operating in September of 2004, this line was designed by the company’s President, John Rickards.  The five-station line is made for speed.  Oil changes, wiper inserts, bulbs, and many other routine service repairs can be done on this line in as little as a half an hour.  The company also boasts a Car Wash that uses recycled water with a state-of-the-art system to wash cars, whether in for service, or for cars that come in off the street.

The importance of customer satisfaction is seen in everything that Bobby Rahal Honda does and how the company as a whole, as well as its employees treats clients.