“It never made sense why there was a need to close successful dealerships.”
My sweetie believes this is because big dealers get a better discount from the automaker then a small dealership that doesn’t move as much product. Consequently, the bigger dealerships cost the automaker more (or return less profit) per vehicle. I’m not sure if this is accurate, but it still seems you would keep successfull dealerships going & cut the marginal ones!
If that were true, they could renegotiate the terms of their franchises. But since the whole reason they give bigger discounts to bigger dealers is that they make more money that way, I sort of doubt that is the reason...except that "making money" appears to no longer be in vogue, at least publicly making money, under the New Order.