Dealership news

As auto technology becomes more sophisticated, the convenience and safety features along with entertainment components and mobile communication connectivity from inside the vehicle can be a lot for a driver to keep track of and use to its fullest potential.

Now, at least one luxury auto dealership is offering some much-needed help to drivers whose cars come with a wide array of technological marvels.

Park Place Infiniti is now offering monthly workshops for clients who want to better understand the capabilities of all the new technology inside their vehicle and how best to use it safely.

Mark Polites, Park Place Infiniti’s new car sales manager who leads the sessions, says clients come in with a variety of questions and often are surprised by how easy to use the technology can be once they become more familiar with it. A common feature they often need help setting up is the Bluetooth system so they can make phone calls safely using their car’s speaker system instead of having to touch a cellphone.

“Sometimes they just need help getting everything set up, such as streaming audio so they can play their own music from their phone or mobile device,” Polites said. “Other times they’ll have questions about how to control features, such as the lighting inside the vehicle or how to fix other settings for driver comfort or ease.”

Polites said Park Place Infiniti experts are on hand to help drivers individually with any specific questions or difficulties they might have in using their new car technology.

“After the discussion, we have our technology experts go to each client’s car and assure all their technology is working properly and that the driver is familiar and comfortable with all the features they want to use,” he said.

The next session for Infiniti owners will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday at Park Place Infiniti, 5555 W. Sahara Ave.

Findlay pair among top 20 sales consultants of Cadillac Crest Club

Findlay Cadillac sales consultants Deb Topham and Jason Clouse were recently named to the prestigious Cadillac Crest Club’s Top 20 of the automaker’s Western Region for 2015.

Topham was ranked No. 3 in the region while Clouse was seventh. Utilized in the overall outcome was the Customer Service Index, better known as the CSI.

A native of Wichita, Kansas, Topham has been in the car business for 16 years, while Clouse has 22 years of experience.

Topham and Clouse said the award is a prestigious honor that requires dedicated efforts in various categories including product knowledge, customer follow-up and customer satisfaction, to name a few.

“This is a very prestigious award because you must be familiar with many different areas of the business to receive the honor,” Topham said. “To be recognized among the best, a sales consultant must be on his or her toes all of the time studying everything, including product lines, finance, customer service and the rest.”

Topham said that especially with today’s availability of information on the Internet, customers are continually studying industry data long before entering a showroom.

“No question about it,” said Topham, who along with Clouse was honored by the Crest Club for the fifth consecutive year. “The car business keeps us on our toes and when you’re named to the Crest Club, you know you had a very good year.”

Clouse said the buyer profile of Findlay Cadillac customers includes everyone from buyers in their 20s to seniors.

“Now you have everything from an ATS with a lease for about $299 a month all the way up to the high-performance 6.2-liter CTSV with 640 horsepower and 0-60 in 3.7 seconds illustrating Cadillac’s wide range of sedan offerings.

“Then, too, the SUV lineup includes the SRX, Escalade and Escalade ESV.”

Findlay Cadillac is located at 993 Auto Show Drive in the Valley Automall. The dealership is part of Findlay Automotive Group, which was founded more than 50 years ago by the late Pete Findlay, whose son, Cliff, now spearheads 28 new and used car dealerships in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Oregon and Idaho.

Further information can be found by calling 702-558-2600 or by visiting www.findlaycadillac.com

NAIC offers information for parents of teen drivers

As a parent of a teenager, you have so many concerns; foremost is your child’s safety and well-being. The Nevada Division of Insurance would like to help provide you information on one important teen milestone — driving.

Your kid has just obtained a driver’s license. Before you hand the keys to your teen to drive themselves to school, the Division of Insurance encourages parents to review the tips and tools found on the National Association of Insurance Commissioners website, www.insureonline.org. Click on Teen Driving 101.

“If you are about to have a teen driver in your household you should discuss your changing insurance needs with your insurance agent,” said Insurance Commissioner Barbara Richardson.

“While statistics show that due to higher accident rates and increased claim payments associated with teen driving, there are corresponding increases in premiums,” she continued. “However, there are steps parents can take to protect their children while also controlling the premium costs.”

“Most auto insurance companies offer discounts such as the ‘good student’ discount, which could save from 10 percent to 20 percent if your student maintains a B grade or better average.”

Consumers may also qualify for a discount if the student completes a driver education course most often offered through their school. Some insurers also offer driver training courses for teenage drivers.

It is the parent’s responsibility as a policyholder to notify the insurance carrier once his or her child is a licensed driver even if the newly licensed teen is not expected to drive or is a student at a college away from home. Failing to disclose this information may result in the denial of a claim if an accident occurs and/or your insurance policy may get canceled.

An auto insurance policy typically provides coverage for the named policyholder and all household members or resident relatives with a driver’s license. All household members must be disclosed to the insurance company who may track the names and ages of all household members.

The policyholders need to disclose any changes in their household so that the underwriter can properly assess the risk and accurately rate their premiums and to ensure that all household members receive proper coverage.

There are many free resources available to parents to help teen drivers get smart about insurance. On its website, the NAIC is providing a new interactive classroom presentation aimed to help parents and educators show teen drivers how being careless behind the wheel can hurt financially as well as physically.

The 55-minute presentation has three parts which include: defining basic insurance terms, a demonstration of how to request an insurance quote, and an interactive “It’s Your Choice” insurance-smart decision-making game. To download this information, visit http://teendrivers.insureuonline.org.