By Neil Hartnell

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

A Bahamian auto dealer yesterday said the 2025 New Car Show proved “spot on” in terms of industry expectations and seemingly attracted “a higher volume” of visitors interested in purchasing as opposed to just viewing models.

Ben Albury, the Bahamas Motor Dealers Association’s (BMDA) president, told Tribune Business that he and his competitors will “have a better idea in a month” of how successful the annual event has been in generating new business as it provided a platform for the industry to showcase all of what it offers in just one venue.

“I would say we had an excellent turnout,” he said. “One thing I noticed in speaking to some of the other dealers is that it seemed like we had a high volume of buyers. Sometimes when you have an event like this you end up with a high ratio of people that are just looking around.

“I shouldn’t say that’s typical, but when you’ve been in this business a long time as I have, when you go to these things you can kind of gauge the interest. It seemed like a lot of people, when they cam through, were prepared, were pre-approved [for financing], had a good idea of what they were looking for, and got a number of quotes. I’ve already seen one or two of those come through at this point and stage.”

The Bahamas Bus & Truck general manager told this newspaper that “it takes a while” for New Car Show interest to evolve into actual vehicle purchases as potential buyers often have to be approved for financing by banks and other lenders.

“I’ve seen times in the past where people came out and looked and, six months later, they come into the shop and say they were not in the market at the time, circumstances have changed, I remember this and want to look at the options and alternatives,” he added. “I’ve seen shows where you sell 50 cars and I’ve seen shows where you sell 10-20.

“It’s not the instant gratification; it’s the trickle down effect down the road. Sometimes it takes a month to get the financing in place. I believe that, in a month, we’ll have a better idea of what the success was.

“Usually the Friday there is a slow day for us, but there was a stronger turnout than what we expected. On Saturday, people have more time, they are not are work and do not have to get the kids home from school, so it turned out quite well.”

Mr Albury said visitor attendance was overall comparable to 2024 and prior years, and said the New Car Show had fulfilled its role of providing a one-stop shop for the auto industry and allied sectors to showcase their products and services to consumers.

“Can you imagine if you had to get into your car in Nassau and drive around to all the major car dealers, all the banks, all the insurance companies getting quotes and looking at the product?” he asked. “It would take a week for you to do what you need to do.

“You can to the entire thing and the application in a matter of a couple of hours, while having lunch, browsing stores and whatever else you may like. It’s just good exposure for the industry. It’s nice to showcase the product, and people can come and look around and write quotes. It’s just overall a good experience.”