Ultra-luxury franchises don’t come on the market often, and valuing one involves special considerations that often don’t apply to other auto franchises, say Willie Beck and Todd Berko, managing partners at Bel Air Partners. That’s because ultra-luxury automotive brands are in a league of their own.

As auto manufacturers announce plans to add ever more electric vehicles to their product portfolios, many also are requiring their dealer bodies to make substantial investments to prepare to sell those vehicles. In some instances, the manufacturer also is attempting to assume some aspects of the sales process previously controlled by the dealer.

Ford dealers are worried that some aspects of the Model e program are a slippery slope leading to the agency model of selling vehicles. In an agency model approach, the manufacturer sets the price and manages the online customer relationship. The dealer serves as the delivery point for the vehicle.

As countries around the world move forward with plans to phase out the internal combustion engine, luxury and high-performance brands are coming to grips with perhaps the most significant change in automotive history: conversion to electric vehicles (“EVs”). The change brings feelings of frustration and grief, but also anticipation and excitement to manufacturers, dealers, and customers alike.

Some dealers are finding that the next generation isn’t interested in staying in the retail auto business. Selling cars still appeals to many who grew up at their family dealership, however.

A detailed succession plan, decided upon long before it is executed, is not only necessary in a family-owned business, it can also prevent a family-destroying fallout. Scali Rasmussen’s partners share tales from the trenches that prove that point.

Succession planning is about much more than who takes over when a dealer owner dies. It is also about creating the conditions for the next owner or owners’ success. Hugh Robert, a partner and succession advisor at family business succession planning experts The Rawls Group, spoke with Getting to Go! about how The Rawls Group assists families in crafting a succession plan which benefits diverse needs. Below is an edited version of that conversation.

In today’s environment of roll ups, acquisitions, financial requirements imposed by manufacturers, changes in driving habits, the types of vehicles being produced, and the ever-changing economy, it is no wonder that dealers are questioning the future of their business. Many options are available, and none are really bad, but one must figure out what is best for you, the owner.

Chris Irwin is a third-generation auto dealer in New Hampshire. He recently acquired a Chevrolet franchise from Tom Cantin. The transaction — and the transition — was smooth partly because the franchise passed from one family-owned group to another.

Buy/sells are exciting, intense, and hopefully rewarding for all parties when completed. They come with ups and downs, surprises, and different opinions. Both sides churn through their checklists, working to validate their opinion of valuation.