Dealership Sees Changes Over Decades

Teague Chevrolet-Buick in Mabank offers modern, expanded service during the internet age.

By Russell Slaton

Not only have automobiles seen huge upgrades through the years, the way people shop for vehicles has changed dramatically, too, says a Mabank dealer.

Teague Chevrolet-Buick General Manager Robby Teague says his family has owned the dealership since 2002. The internet, specifically social media, has changed the way people search for new or pre-owned vehicles, he says.

“We used to have people that would come and look at cars two or three times or had been to two or three different stores to look at vehicles,” Teague says. “We’ve seen that number greatly decrease strictly from internet presence.”

Text messaging and emails are means customers use to contact dealers, Teague adds. Before buyers even come to the dealership, “a lot of people are getting their information and have their mind made up on what they want,” he states.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are a modern marvel and a new sector of the automobile industry. The Teague dealership is part of the Chevrolet electric vehicle program, according to the general manager. “That’s still very, very new, very, very fresh. We’ve had some hybrids (electric and combustion-powered vehicles) in the past, but as far as just the EV, we’ve had three this calendar year that arrived from factory that are 100% electric, all three of those have already retailed.”

What percentage of Teague’s business will be electric vehicles, Robby Teague is unsure about. He says that means increased infrastructure, for one. “We’ll have to have some new equipment, some new tools, most of those are in place. But that’s still evolving at this point.”

As for Teague’s location, the dealership has increased its shop size since 2002 an estimated 60%, Teague shares. The dealership added a wash bay so that Teague Chevrolet-Buick could enclose the previous wash bay and make it a service bay.

Teague also bought the adjoining tract of land soon after taking over the dealership, which is today the dealer’s truck lot. That allows the Chevrolet and Buick dealer to handle much more inventory than 20 years ago, Teague says.

Teague Chevrolet-Buick in Mabank is located at 815 W. Mason St. (U.S. Business Highway 175) and can be reached at (903) 887-4111.