Various storms recently impacted multiple states, and Wisconsin was one of them. Among the places damaged was a Kia dealership, which saw several hundred brand-new Sorentos, Tellurides, and Souls with significant problems. Of course, many car showrooms are already struggling, which means paying for repairs is the last thing a dealership owner wants to do. 

Car showrooms often sustain damage amid severe storms 

Wisconsin experienced some pretty intense storms on Thursday, May 15th, with some strong hail. According to WQOQ, Prestige Kia in Eau Claire is one of the car showrooms in the area that the storm impacted. Specifically, this is the case with the vehicles on the lot and not so much the dealership itself. Nick Mattoon, the sales manager, says that 175 brand-new cars experienced severe hail. This includes dents and shattered windows. 

The employees at the dealership say they won’t know the financial burden for a few days. However, they still have many vehicles to inspect for damage, so the repair costs are assumed to be astronomical. The sales manager said, “Our total count now is 246 vehicles with hail damage. Various different moderations with the damage, we have some that aren’t too bad, and then we have some that are a little bit more major. So it was a pretty crazy storm that rolled through.”

Following events like this, car showrooms must wait for an adjuster to inspect the vehicles. Until then, they can’t sell any cars. From there, they must have the damaged vehicles repaired. Sadly, the dealership will have to discount the cars despite fixing them. This is good for the drivers but bad for the dealership’s bottom line.