Abhishek Agarwal
Published: December 4, 2008

DUBUQUE - The Dubuque Auto industry has seen a dip in the market after major automobile companies, like General Motors and Ford, asked for a federal bailout.

Mike Ogelsby, Sales Associate at Richardson Motors says, “It effects us because people are scared to do anything with the money that they have saved or the money that they just don’t want to spend more or less”.

General Motors’ bailout has been viewed as a major issue in this declining Economy.

“I think generally we have such a strong presence here in Dubuque anyway that it’s not really going to be a huge factor for us. We lasted through the last economic downturn so I think we’ll weather through this one just fine,” explains Bird Chevrolet Internet Sales Manager Teresa Fairchild.

However, the local Auto dealers view the dip as a temporary phase which will soon fade out.

Dodge Turpin General Manager, Patrick Turpin assures consumers, “it’s fairly stable right now, we’ve seen a little bit of a dip, however, it’s not nearly as drastic as you would foresee it being if you turned on the TV or looked at the computer.”

Many do not seem worried, and are even moving forward with remodeling plans.

“We just repainted our Honda show room and kind of cleaned it up a little bit,” said Ogelsby.

“We’ve had this remodel plan for a while,” adds Fairchild.

In addition, local dealerships are also trying to boost sales through national promotions like the red tag event.

Companies like Richardson Motors and Bird Chevrolet have been here in the business for the last eighty years and they hope that this is going to be a temporary phase and everything works out for the best.

Abhishek Agarwal can be reached at Abhishek.Agarwal@loras.edu