Glenn Mercer has long been at the forefront of predicting dealership viability and vitality.
An independent automotive researcher and industry futurist, Mercer authors an annual report forecasting the future of the dealership and assessing risks to the traditional franchised model. He has more than 35 years of automotive experience, participating in hundreds of client studies. In addition to project work for investment firms, he has advised the National Automobile Dealers Association and other industry entities such as the National Auto Auction Association. He has been an expert witness in auto-related legal cases and has lectured on automotive economics at universities.
Prior to beginning his automotive career at McKinsey, Mercer worked at the Central Intelligence Agency and then at BP. He has been president of the Society of Automotive Analysts and director of the International Motor Vehicle Program, a research consortium founded to analyze the global auto industry.
Mercer recently spoke with Jason Stein, Presidio managing director, on Presidio’s Full Throttle podcast about industry disruption, the direct-to-consumer model and the future of auto retailing.
Down the edited excerpts of their conversation below.