When you buy an upscale vehicle, more and more come with all future maintenance included. The automobile manufacturers want to support more captive work for the dealers, control the customer and the maintenance of the vehicle with the full circle of ownership, and the next sale. Included is all maintenance including tires and some options. This a little different than leasing; this is included in the price of the car either as a full service lease or full service ownership. All the headaches of ownership are gone.
So my prediction is that in the future the price of the vehicle will be all-inclusive: all maintenance and all tires will be included in the initial price of the truck. For example: if today’s truck cost is $140,000, then the price of the all-inclusive vehicle would be $200,000. All of the work for X years would have to go back to the dealer: All warranty work; all normal service maintenance; Any and all tire work; road service; and all “runny nose” damage like radio knobs, mattress replacements annually, even glass replacement.
This would be different that leasing at X cents per mile, then re-bills for all other “non-maintenance repairs, perceived tire damage and en-route flat tires.”
The company would buy the vehicle at one price, trade or turn the truck in without any unreasonable “trade” terms, aggravation, or technicians, all prepaid with replacement vehicles when the vehicle is down for any repairs required. The total cost would be depreciated over a specific life of the vehicle, X years, a single monthly invoice per truck, easy to manage. No repair bills, no fighting for warranty, no negotiating for anything, no maintenance or parts department, no people.
Now this is somewhat like a full-service lease, except the manufacturer has the advantage of controlled pricing for parts, dealership and warranty direction and repairs. The leasing companies have no control, and most of all parts are purchased through the dealers anyways. The only thing missing would be the driver and fuel.
What’s going on in the farm industry is a version of this, with larger expensive combines and tractors sold, repaired and upgraded to the new model all by the manufacturer. Vertical integration at its best.
I think this will be the next wave of vertical integration. Nikola Motor Co. is doing something similar, with the company supplying the fuel. A creative manufacturer could control that as well with this concept through the already established truck stop fuel network and mobile refueling.
The only thing missing from the dealers and manufacturers is the most important, a sense of urgency.
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