Evan Perkins, president, Dan Perkins Auto Group, will speak on “The Evolution of the Retail Car Business”
at the Westport Sunrise Rotary breakfast meeting on Friday, May 3. The meeting will be held at Bobby Q’s (42 Main St. in Westport) at 7:30 a.m. Guests are welcome. There is a $12 fee for the meeting, which includes a breakfast buffet.
Perkins will discuss the change of attitudes and business models surrounding the retail car business after the 2008 financial crisis. He will also talk about the increasing importance of the Internet and social media in influencing today's car buying decisions. The Dan Perkins Auto Group currently comprises Dan Perkins Subaru, Honda of Westport, and White Plains Buick GMC.
Perkins was born in South Africa in 1965, where his father, Dan Perkins, was one of the country’s largest Toyota dealers. He finished his schooling at Greenwich High School after the relocation of his family’s automotive interests, first to London in 1979 and then to Milford in 1981. He attended Boston University, where he earned a B.S. in Business in 1987.
Following graduation, Perkins began his automotive retail career in Boston, followed by a stint as an automotive wholesaler in Connecticut. In 1990, he joined Dan Perkins Subaru and Dan Perkins Chevrolet as a sales manager. Upon being awarded a Saturn franchise, Perkins was appointed general manager with full responsibility for its development. Stores were opened in Stamford in 1991, Larchmont in 1992, and White Plains in 1995. In 2004, he took over full responsibility for the Dan Perkins Auto Group, which, at that time, comprised Dan Perkins Chevrolet, Dan Perkins Subaru, Saturn of Stamford, Saturn of Larchmont, and Saturn of White Plains. In 2006, he consolidated the Saturn interests into the White Plains store and was instrumental in the acquisition of the Honda franchise in Westport. After General Motors eliminated their Saturn brand, he re-launched the White Plains store as a Buick GMC dealership in 2010. He sold the Chevrolet franchise in 2011. Perkins is married, has two daughters, and lives in Westport.