Momentum Auto Group President Rahim Hassanally Discusses Challenges and Potential in the Automotive Dealership Industry

Though his parents ran successful hotels during his childhood, Rahim Hassanally, leader in the automotive industry, had an early exposure to car sales that altered his career path. In high school, he participated in a work study program with a local dealership where he discovered his talent for managing car sales, which would later influence him to grow a single dealership in Solano to nine county locations. 

“Cars are a necessity today, almost to every citizen, so there’s always a demand for new vehicles,” says Rahim Hassanally. “But it takes a talented team to keep a string of dealerships growing and improving.” 

Nine dealerships strong, Momentum Auto Group has grown into one of the most lucrative dealerships in the Solano county area. The auto group is one of the largest payers of sales tax in the county at an average of $15 million each year. 
“I started off with a single dealership that housed the Infiniti and Volvo of Fairfield, and I focused on a few core principles that really helped us grow,” says Rahim Hassanally. “Our philosophy is to make the customer happy and keep expenses in line. If you do that, business will essentially take care of itself.” 

Rahim Hassanally’s career hasn’t been without its setbacks, though. Many negative factors can diminish the success of a car dealership including slow seasons, buyer deviations, competing auto groups, and natural disasters. 

In the event of misfortune, Rahim Hassanally urges dealership owners and employees to follow his own philosophy. 
“At the end of the day, if the customers are happy then you’ve done the right thing and more than likely earned yourself a sale. The expenses have to stay in line to avoid suffering any major problems, but putting the customer first is the best business model to keep loyal buyers coming back.” 

The automotive industry is under a lot of change with the advent of new searching and purchasing methods, many times cutting out car salesmen altogether that are not making the customers their priority. In the end, there’s no better alternative than a caring and dedicated sales rep, which is exactly what Rahim Hassanally promises from the team at Momentum Auto Group.