Herb Chambers Companies. are gearing up for the grand opening of their 50th dealership — a Hyundai franchise in Westborough.

The grand opening celebration is set for Thursday. Herb Chambers Hyundai features 12 service bays and a two-lane drive-in service department where each customer will be greeted by a valet.  Amenities will include a café, a client lounge, and a business center with free Wi-Fi access as well as a “high-tech carwash,” the company said.

Herb Chambers purchased his first car dealership in 1985 and has grown his company into the largest automobile dealership group in New England and among the top in the country.  Herb Chambers Companies is also among the top privately held companies in the United States.

The company operates dealerships throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

CLICK HERE to jump to their website!

For more Dealership Photos CLICK HERE

Winterkorn: 500,000 employees by end of 2012 is possible.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) — Volkswagen is looking to increase its global staff by more than 10 percent next year, CEO Martin Winterkorn told a German newspaper.

Winterkorn, in an interview published Sunday by newspaper Bild am Sonntag, said it was possible for the group to have 500,000 employees by the end of 2012, up from 449,000 currently.

German premium-car makers BMW and Daimler, for their part, struck a more cautious note, saying their headcount next year would depend on the business development, the paper said, citing BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer and his Daimler counterpart Dieter Zetsche.

VW has been aggressively expanding globally under Winterkorn’s leadership.

Winterkorn told Automotive News Europe in September that VW wants to cut costs and boost profits further as part of its mission to rise to the top of the automotive world by 2018 with global vehicle sales of more than 10 million units and a profit margin of more than 8 percent.

“We are not just increasing volume but cost effectiveness as well,” Winterkorn said.

He said that capital investments should not exceed the current 6 percent share of revenue and the share for r&d should not exceed the current figure of 4 percent. “We are completely on track on both figures,” Winterkorn said in an interview.

A key to reaching the financial goals will be maximizing VW Group’s modular car-production system.

“You are no longer competitive in the auto industry without such a strategy. Our modular approach reduces costs, production and development time and makes possible an even greater variety of models and technologies,” Winterkorn said.

“For example, the modular transverse platform reduces one-time and unit costs by 20 percent. The production time per vehicle decreases by about 30 percent, to say nothing of the significant reductions in weight and emissions.”

Automotive News Europe staff contributed to this report.

About Atamian Volkswagen & Honda

The Volkswagen and Honda franchises are operated at 150 Main Street, Tewksbury, MA, which occupy land from Route 38 to I- 495 in Massachusetts. Reed Atamian has succeeded Bob and Virginia Atamian as Dealer Principal. Reed entered the business in the mid 1980?s and has pushed its growth from a few hundred cars a year to several thousand. Reed has been joined by nephew Benjamin, who represents the 4^th generation of Atamians in the business. Reed Atamian has also long been active in numerous community and charitable activities throughout the years. Local organizations benefiting from Reed Atamian’s sponsorships include the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, The Genesis Fund, The Boys & Girls Club, The Tewksbury Patriotic Activities Committee, T.H.E. FARM Tewksbury, Tewksbury Police Athletic League, The Highland Sports Association of Lowell, Tewksbury Youth Skating Association, Tewksbury Youth Soccer League, Tewksbury Little League, Tewksbury Girls Softball, Ocean Matters, and The Claddagh Fund.

Atamian Honda | Atamian Volkswagen

Reed Atamian is the owner and president of the Atamian Volkswagen Dealership located in Tewksbury MA. Atamian Honda & Volkswagen serve among many others the communities of Billerica, Wilmington, Lowell, Lawrence, Bedford, Westford, Burlington, Woburn, Andover, North Andover, Haverhill, Middleton, Danvers, Tyngsboro, West of Boston, Boston, Greater Boston, Southern NH, Manchester, and Nashua for Honda, Volkswagen, Used Cars, Pre-Owned Cars Sales and Service.

Please visit Reed Atamian’s Professional Site http://www.terryatamian.com, as well as his civic site http://www.terryatamian.org .

Herb Chambers - Biz Markie - Kevin Youkilis

For most baseball players, the right walk-up song — the song that plays as betters approach the plate — is a crucial element to playing the game. Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis likes to have a little fun with his.

Youkilis uses a little play on words as he goes to the plate to Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend,” a song famous for its “Youuuu, you got what I need…” lyric.

That part of the song, of course, is very familiar to the refrain of “Youuuuk” that rains down every time Youkilis takes the plate.

Local car dealer Herb Chambers, has finally brought Youkilis and Biz Markie together. In a new commercial for Chambers’ car dealerships, whose slogan is “We’ve got what you need,” Youkilis and Chambers get a little help from Biz Markie.

Check it out below.

Visit Herb Chambers Official Website:CLICK HERE!

Car Dealer Review Strategy

How many new products can we market to a hungry and tentative automotive community… How high can you count?

Review Strategy..YES you need one!

For many dealerships keeping up with the latest, greatest, have to have it online marketing tools is fast becoming a full time job.  As trust agents for one of the largest automotive businesses in the country Media Crush acts in such a manner for The Herb Chambers Companies.

There are many ways to tackle this and most of you probably have tried many of them or a combination thereof.  While experience and an updated personal knowledge base are invaluable; an overall dissemination of new products has to occur to truly discover income effecting related marketing opportunities.

Step one seems to be the most influx at the moment:
Reviews!

There are a lot of steps to a dealership handling this; we will reveal them in a series of posts leading up to the release of a New Car Networks and Media Crush free e-book release by the end of the year.

Today’s consumers are coming to the dealership with more knowledge and information than ever before.  Armed with price points and most importantly the opinion of your dealership based on word of mouth and online reviews – they are here to negotiate.

Next Posts to include answers to some questions we are getting from the field.

With the recent changes in the way Google handles reviews and your Google Places accounts what should you be doing?

We are condition to make sure we inform everyone when we have been wronged, however, why don’t we take the time to let people know where to go for a great experience?

Is your dealership giving them an easy path to provide this input?  Do you ask for the review?
What type of reviews should we broadcast and how?

Dealer Rater a respected and well known review site has added some innovations to up the ante most likely based on the latest moves by Google and increased competitive pressure in the site development space.

We will publish our take on the DealerRater product after you all get a chance to digest the following letter.  PLEASE SHARE your thoughts… Are you a Certified Dealer?  Does this look tempting?  How are you rating this review enhancement tool?  Is this all getting a little bit too BIG BROTHER for you?

DEALER RATER Letter to Certified Dealers…

Dear Certified Dealer,

As you are likely aware, in late July, Google implemented various changes in regard to third-party reviews appearing on Google Maps/Places. Given what we perceive to be significant misperception within the industry regarding these changes and their subsequent impact, I would like to address the key facts surrounding these modifications.

• Third-party reviews are no longer fully integrated with Google reviews and Google star-count ratings. DealerRater reviews are, however, still indexed on Google and your DealerRater star rating is still prominently seen on the first page of Google search results. In addition, DealerRater reviews remain to offer high organic search placement.
• Third-party review snip-its no longer appear on Google Places. Google revamped the appearance and layout of its Places page to allow for increased emphasis on Google User reviews. The Places page displays Google user review counts, star ratings and review content, which is then followed by third-party review counts like DealerRater.

To help you address the changes, DealerRater has released a new product called DealerRater Push™ as a part of the DealerRater Certification package. When a consumer posts a review to DealerRater, DealerRater Push is able to instantly identify whether or not that consumer maintains a Google/gMail account. For every reviewer that does maintain a Google/gMail account, DealerRater Push will enable that reviewer to easily copy and paste their review and star rating to Google Places. DealerRater Push ensures that you generate numerous positive reviews on both DealerRater and on Google, and also enables reviews to post immediately to your Google Maps/Places page (rather than having to wait the 4 to 6 weeks it has traditionally taken for Google to find and index your DealerRater review content).

Google is a great starting point when you’re looking to monitor what your customers are saying and hearing about you online; however, you also need a comprehensive Online Reputation Management strategy in place to not only build, but truly manage and leverage reviews. DealerRater’s Certified Dealer Program provides various point of sale tools (such as rating reminder cards) as well as best practices training to help position your dealership for a successful Online Reputation Management strategy. As you’ll see in the “Lane Change” section of this newsletter, we’re continuously updating and enhancing the Certified Dealer program to provide you with the tools you need to leverage your reputation to close more business and gain a competitive edge.

Sincerely,
Chip Grueter
President, DealerRater

Inbound Marketing – Brand & Reputation Management – Custom Ad Network Landing Pages

The Herb Chambers Companies have kicked off a social media campaign with Tier 10 Marketing supported by Media Crush.

The program was initiated by David Schwartz Advertising Production Manager for the Herb Chambers  Companies.

The program is into its fourth week and is generating substantial results and on an upward trajectory.

The Tier 10 Marketing program is spread over a number of supporting  release points including Facebook and Twitter as well as Media Crush deployed and managed Herb Chambers hyper local targeted private network websites.

Enter the Herb Chambers Giveaway program:

• http://www.herbchambersgiveaways.com
• http://herbchamberssocialmedia.com/giveaways/

Inbound Marketing – Brand & Reputation Management Domination

Reed Atamian also shows support for the area’s Little League Baseball and Softball.

Honda is proud to be a national sponsor of Little League_® Baseball and Softball for the 15th consecutive year. From great displays of sportsmanship to juicy orange slices to perfectly pitched fastballs, we’ve seen the kids of Little League_® Baseball and Softball accomplish seemingly unreachable triumphs. It’s about sweat, sportsmanship, and teamwork. But at the end of the ball game, it’s really about good play and more fun, all while participating in a game these kids truly cherish. Hats off to the real stars of the game: the players.

So here’s a big thanks to all the players, coaches, volunteers, parents and countless others who make Little League_® such a success. Your selfless dedication has made the baseball diamond a great place to play, learn and grow. We’re thrilled to grow with you.

Official Vehicle of Little League Baseball and Softball – Honda Odyssey

With seating for up to 8 (EX and above), there’s no better game shuttle than the Honda Odyssey. There’s also plenty of room for equipment in the spacious cargo area and an available 16.2-inch split-screen capable Ultrawide DVD Rear Entertainment System[1] with HDMI Technology[2] to view game footage.

Urban Initiative

In 1999, the Urban Initiative program sprang to life. Designed to help communities with the dream, but without the resources, to play Little League_® Baseball and Softball, it has grown from just Los Angeles and Harlem to include over 200 leagues in 85 cities nationwide. The goal is to bring the benefits of the Little League_® program to children within urban communities across the United States by creating or renewing baseball and softball programs in these neighborhoods. Its success is evident: Kids learn and build citizenship, discipline, teamwork, self-esteem and physical well-being. And beyond the mission and the success, at the heart of this program is providing every child a chance to know the magic contact of the baseball bat hitting a ball, or the thrilling thud of the ball landing squarely in a mitt—giving each kid a chance. Honda has proudly supported this program for the past 10 years with contributions totaling about $800,000. And in each of those years, the Urban Initiative has aided approximately 43,000 players.

Donations from Honda this year help to improve playing fields. Better still, they improve the life of each kid who steps up to the plate on those very fields. You can make a difference, too. To find out more about the Urban Initiative, to see how you can help, and to find out if your local league may qualify, please visit the Urban Initiative Web site.

Atamian Honda | Atamian Volkswagen

Reed Terry Atamian and the Atamian family Honda and Volkswagen Dealerships are located in Tewksbury MA. Atamian Honda & Volkswagen serve among many others the communities of Billerica, Wilmington, Lowell, Lawrence, Bedford, Woburn, Andover, North Andover, Haverhill, Middleton, Danvers, Tyngsboro, West of Boston, Boston, Greater Boston,Southern NH, Manchester, Nashua for Honda, Volkswagen, Used Cars, Pre-Owned Cars Sales and Service.

Reed Atamian has also long been active in numerous community and charitable activities throughout the years. Local organizations benefiting from Reed’s sponsorships include the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, The Genesis Fund, The Boys & Girls Club, The Claddagh Fund, Ocean Matters, The Tewksbury Patriotic Activities Committee, T.H.E. FARM Tewksbury, Tewksbury Police Athletic League, The Highland Sports Association of Lowell, Tewksbury Youth Skating Association, Tewksbury Youth Soccer League and Tewksbury Little League Baseball and Girls Softball.

Please visit Reed Atamian’s civic site http://www.terryatamian.org .

Herb Chambers Honda of Seekonk is honored to be recognized by American Honda Motor Co., Inc. as the winner of the prestigious 2010 Customer Service Experience Award.

This coveted award distinguishes Honda dealers througout the country for their commitment to go beyond “the call of duty” to make sure that their customers´ needs are met and often exceeded.

The Customer Service Experience Award is conferred annually to Honda dealerships with a CSE Overall score of at least 92%, which is computed from reviews and survey feedback by our customers.

This achievement reflects Herb Chambers Honda of Seekonk`s dedication to guarantee the highest standards of customer service and performance in the industry.

Herb Chambers Honda of Seekonk GM is Scott Birtles and the Service Manager is Peter Slota both instrumental in Herb Chamber Seekonk being awarded this prestigious honor by Honda! Congratulations to the entire Staff of Herb Chambers Seekonk!

In addition to being a multi-year recipient of this award, our store experienced record growth in sales in 2010 and this surely could not have happened without the total customer commitment our knowledgeable staff has made.

“Congratulations again for your dealership`s achievement and thank you for taking great care of our Honda customers” said Barry Zoll, Senior District Parts and Service Manager of American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

About Herb Chambers Honda of Seekonk:

At Herb Chambers Honda of Seekonk, our mission is simple. Provide you with the most engaging, enjoyable and rewarding automotive buying experiences ever.

Our skilled team is eager to serve you. You will discover that our commitment to customer and technical service is unparalleled. Our selection of new and used Honda vehicles is second to none.

At Herb Chambers Honda of Seekonk, the leading Providence area Honda dealership, you will certainly find the Honda you have been looking for. Feel free to visit us in person or call us at (866) 258-8352 for further information.

Contact:

Herb Chambers Honda of Seekonk

185 Taunton Avenue, Route 44

Seekonk, MA 02771

Phone: (866) 258-8352

http://www.hondaseekonk.com/

Car dealers are hopeful for brisk business this Presidents Day weekend – traditionally this one of the biggest weekends of the year for car sales.

“The company’s up 90 percent,” said Daniel Bortolussi, general manager of the Herb Chambers dealership, comparing this year’s Presidents Day weekend to last year’s. “There’s a lot of exciting cars out there right now.”

Sales managers said pent-up demand, combined with a break in bad weather, led to the high weekend sales.

Tom Van Fechtmann, general manager of Herb Chambers Honda in Westboro called this weekend phenomenal.

His dealership sold a record-high 34 cars on Saturday, compared to 19 on the same day last year.

“The best part about it was we sold a little bit of everything: pre-owned, new cars, different types of new cars,” he said.

While the snow was a challenge, sales at the Honda dealership were up 24 percent in January, compared to January 2010, Mr. Van Fechtmann added.

Though car sales are still well below pre-recession levels, the National Automobile Dealers Association reported that nationwide, sales were up 17 percent this January, and the industry is on pace to sell 12.6 million vehicles this year.

Still, Herb Chambers could have done without all the snowstorms that brought the region to a halt many times last month.

“Since the first of January, it’s been terrible,” said Mr. Chambers, who owns nearly 50 car dealerships in New England. “We’ve had atrocious weather. People weren’t in the frame of mind that they wanted to buy a new car when they had a foot of snow out the front door.”

While winter weather kept some consumers away from the dealerships, new cars kept arriving in dealers’ lots. Heading into the weekend, Mr. Chambers said, his dealerships were buried in inventory.

Herb Chambers SAAB of Boston is honored to be recognized by DealerRater.com as the “2011 SAAB Dealer of the Year”. We are proud to be selected as a winner for this prestigious award. Our team’s dedication and professionalism allowed Herb Chambers SAAB of Boston, to be one of the best dealerships nationwide that guarantees the highest standards of customer service and performance.

According to DealerRater.com the 2011 award winners demonstrated consistently high PowerScore ratings for customer satisfaction, placing them in the top of their class. The PowerScore is determined using a Bayesian algorithm that factors the dealership’s average DealerRater user rating and the total number of reviews written about the dealership during the 2010 calendar year. The dealership must also have at least twenty-five (25) new reviews written on DealerRater’s web site during the previous calendar year and an average rating greater than 4.0, with 5.0 as the highest possible score.

“We are delighted to distinguish all of our award recipients for their outstanding customer service ratings,” said Chip Grueter, president of DealerRater.

The following are a few notable customer reviews taken from the DealerRater.com website that confirms our outstanding customer service:

“I searched for my 2010 Saab 9.3 Sedan fo 3 months. I visited Herb Chambers Saab because I heard they treat their customers with respect and dignity. I was not surprised at all at the level of service I received from Jonathan. He stay in touch with me during my decision making process insuring that I had all the information I needed to make an educated decision.I will be back and I am hoping their service department is just as responsive”.

“My husband and I have been servicing our older saab 9.5 at this dealership for a few years with outstanding service. Now we where looking to replace the 9l5 with a new year. We found an 2008 Saab 9.5 Sedan that we thought was a steal at the price they were asking. Both Jonathan and Alex we nothing short of upfront and assistive during this entire process. I will continue to go here and recommend this dealership to anyone who owns a saab that needs servicing or if in the market looking to make a purchase”.

“Friendly atmosphere from service and sales staff to management. Reasonable pricing. I’ve purchased 3 cars from them. If you like Saab, new or used, definitely check them out. They can also help in locating a vehicle at other locations if they don’t have exactly what you’re looking for”.

Our goal at Herb Chambers SAAB of Boston is simple. Provide you with the most enjoyable, engaging and rewarding automotive buying experiences ever. It all happens by design, outstanding values and commitment to the ‘Total Ownership Experience’. When you arrive you will be welcomed by a professional, friendly, knowledgeable sales and service team who have your best interest in mind, we firmly believe this will lead us to be considered the top Boston Saab dealership.

Herb Chambers SAAB Boston is a featured dealer on Boston Car Dealers.com

Contact:

Herb Chambers SAAB of Boston
1172 Commonwealth Ave
Boston,MA 02134
Phone:888-917-8911
http://www.herbchambers.com/ou/boston-saab/

Chambers Continues to Storm Forward With Expansion Plans

Herb Chambers “BMW of Sudbury – NOW OPEN!”

SUDBURY – Less than a year ago, Herb Chambers gathered with community and industry leaders as well as employees and friends to officially break ground on a new BMW dealership in Sudbury.

At the time, the economy had started its downward spiral, and many people questioned Chambers’ reasoning. Since then, there have been lots of happenings in the industry with General Motors entering and reemerging from bankruptcy, Chrysler closing thousands of dealerships, and even the government stepping in to help boost sales with the Cash for Clunkers program. But that groundbreaking in Sudbury was Chambers’ fifth of the year, and he hasn’t looked back since.

“We took a long term view when moving forward with our development plans, because our company is here for the long haul and expect to continue to grow our business,” said Herb Chambers. “We want to make sure that we differentiate ourselves from the competition by offering customers the most convenient and comfortable experience in our dealerships.”

On Thursday Sept. 17, Herb Chambers, New England’s largest automotive dealer, is opening the doors to the just completed Herb Chambers BMW of Sudbury. The 70,000 plus square-foot dealership is the third largest dealership of Chambers’ 45 locations, and features the latest in amenities designed to pamper customers.

The six-acre property, conveniently located off Route 20 at 68 Old County Road, offers customers a three lane drive in service reception area with valet attendants, a television lounge featuring plasma TV’s and a fireplace, children’s play area, sales lounges, a coffee bar and café, a seasonal outdoor patio, business center, and plenty of parking.

In June of 2007 Chambers purchased Foreign Motors West. The acquisition included Rolls Royce, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Bentley, and Land Rover brands. At the time of the purchase, Chambers pledged to invest in growing the dealerships and committed to building a larger BMW facility at a new home in Sudbury. The dealership will replace Foreign Motors West BMW located on Route 27 in Natick, which will remain the home of Mercedes Benz of Natick where Chambers has plans for future renovations.

“This is very important for us, and we are very excited about expanding our presence in Sudbury with the addition of this luxury brand,” said Herb Chambers. Chambers also has a Land Rover Sudbury dealership located on Boston Post Road (Route 20).

The new dealership also features a 15-car two story showroom, a 6-car exterior display area featuring a sun-shaded canopy, 40 service bays, 6 reconditioning bays, and an automatic car wash. Because of the vast array of luxury brands, Chambers welcomes trade-ins. Creative financing is available and a huge selection of fine pre-owned vehicles.

The dealership was designed by Regent Associates Inc. of Westborough and constructed by Advantage Construction of Quincy.

In February Chambers opened brand new Porsche and Audi dealerships in Burlington, in March he opened a new truck service and collision center in Braintree, in April he opened a new Infiniti dealership on Route 9 in Westborough, and next month he will complete an expansion of his Mercedes Benz and Smart Center dealerships at Flagship Motorcars of Lynnfield.

“Our continued growth has been a result of the support of our expanding customer base, the dedication of our employees, and the cooperation by town officials in the communities that we operate in,” said Herb Chambers. “We are excited to continue to grow both our company and our customer base moving forward.”

About Herb Chambers Companies

Herb Chambers purchased his first car dealership in 1985 and has grown his company into the largest automobile dealership group in New England. Today, the Herb Chambers Companies are comprised of 45 automotive dealerships throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island. For a complete list of dealership locations visit www.herbchambers.com.