Parts and service in a pandemic

Work order
A lift in pickup and delivery

Carlisle and Co. data from select automakers shows dealers are transporting more cars to the shop from customers’ homes. From February to mid-April: 

Automaker with highest use: Pickup and delivery more than doubled, to 40% of repair orders
Automaker with lowest use: Pickup and delivery more than doubled, to 7% of repair orders 

A consolation
Consumers booked more service per visit during the darkest months of the pandemic as essential repairs were prioritized. Average value of customer-pay order:
January $243
February $243
March $263
April $278
May $246*
*Through May 23
Source: Dealer-FX
Diminishing delays
Fewer consumers reported delaying maintenance and service work as April advanced — and those who did were less likely to use dealerships for the work.
  April 1-6 April 17-22
Dealership customers 39% 35%
National average 44% 37%
Source: McKinsey Center for Future Mobility COVID-19 Automotive Consumer Survey
Highs and lows
Dealers in some states have suffered much steeper year-over-year declines in repair orders than those in others. Here are the states with the biggest and smallest declines in the 4 weeks through May 20. Figures for the final week in that period are also listed.
  STEEPEST DROP-OFF
  28-day 7-day
Massachusetts –52% –44%
Michigan –51% –42%
New Jersey –51% –41%
     
  SMALLEST DROP-OFF
Alaska –17% –6%
Oklahoma –17% –10%
Texas –19% –11%
Source: Urban Science data from 10 auto brands that account for about 27% of U.S. sales
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