He is both a car dealer and the owner of a NASCAR team. And then Rick Hendrick believes that the market for electric cars is not something that people are ready for. So yet.
At home, new electric cars make up just over 33 percent of total car sales. But that does not mean that the electric car is something for everyone.
The petrol car is still the most popular. And motorists cannot be forced to throw money exclusively at electric cars.
At least not if you ask car dealer Rick Hendrick, who also owns a NASCAR team. The 74-year-old American recently made that clear in an interview with Robb Report .
– We have proceeded too aggressively with electric cars. I think the market will be there one day. But right now we are not ready, says Hendrick.
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In the interview, Rick Hendrick points out that even big brands such as Mercedes, Audi and even Lexus have more than a hard time sending electric cars onto the roads. That is, at a price that is only close to what cars with a combustion engine can be sold for.
– In my stores we have waiting lists for Lexus hybrids, while we have to give big discounts on electric cars just to get rid of them.
– In Audi's case, you can offer up to $25,000 off an electric car and people still don't want them (the electric cars, ed.)
– You can't just force drivers to buy something they don't want, says Rick Hendrick.
And he is not the only car dealer who is having a hard time with electric cars. Last year, a number of other Mercedes dealers said that they are having more than a hard time selling electric cars. Read more about it here .
On the other hand, a brand like Tesla is churning out electric cars in droves. And even though the Americans have just built car number 6,000,000, Tesla still seems to be coming out of the first quarter with bad scratches. Read more about it here .