Looking for converts
JEAN SPENNER
THE SAGINAW NEWS
Conversion vans -- typically equipped with four captains chairs and a sofa seat in the back -- range from moderate to luxurious. Leather, high-definition televisions and sound systems are included among luxury items. Conversion companies typically buy vans from GM, upfit them with premium paint, interiors and audio-visual equipment and sell them to GM dealers.
"Once the public realizes how far (the industry) has come in the last 10 years, (a van) is something they would consider," said Brian Bivens, vice president of Majestic. Leather.
Twenty-four van conversion companies from across the country -- including two in Thomas Township -- have joined with General Motors Corp. to promote their vehicles in the battle for sales with popular SUVs.
The two entities last month launched the Conversion Van Marketing Association, a group formed to raise consumer awareness and increase sales of Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana conversion vans.
Jim Hollingsworth, new car sales manager at Draper Chevrolet, Dodge, Dodge Truck and Toyota, 4200 Bay, said the Saginaw Township dealership rarely has the conversion vans on the lot.
"When we do have customers, we take them out to Debut (Coach Co., 8175 Gratiot in Thomas Township) and take them on a tour of the whole manufacturing plant," Hollingsworth said.
"They help us to actually sell them. They know everything about them, and there's no guess work."
While there, the customer also has the opportunity to select exactly how they want their van equipped, Hollingsworth said.
Debut and neighbor Majestic Van Corp., 8297 Gratiot, are members of the association, whose goal is to increase GM conversion van sales by 25 percent in the next two years.
As a group "we can tell the story" of conversion vans better, said Rod McSweeney, association president and owner of Southern Comfort Conversion Inc. in Trussville, Ala.
In 1988, conversion van sales topped 200,000. Consumers bought about 38,800 conversion vans last year, the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association says.
"Sales have flatlined," McSweeney said.
Dodge stopped producing its full-size van a year ago, and Ford has not changed its product in 10 years, said Craig Bye Sr., owner and president of Debut. To increase its sales, GM hopes to win customers from Dodge who are left without a vehicle and lure over Ford owners with GM's newest van features, a left-side door behind the driver and all-wheel drive.
"The consumer that we're trying to reach has an active lifestyle, the baby boomers who have enough money to travel. They have the capability of towing, and they're roomier and fit more people comfortably," McSweeney said. "They're less expensive than an SUV."
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