With September car sales data soon to be released, automotive companies are increasingly under pressure to beat the economic downturn and find ways to grow revenues. Many are watching sales forecasts closely after news of global car sales plunging by 7.7 percent in the month of August.

In the US alone, August sales weakened by 15.4 percent, coming in second only to Europe where new car registrations declined by 15.6 percent in the same month. The service and parts operations may hold the key according to a new report by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, "Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Service Engines: Competing on Service Excellence in the Automotive Industry." The Deloitte research shows that the service and parts operations can be resilient in an uncertain economic climate and return profits on average 54 percent greater than other areas of the business.

"More consumers are thinking twice about buying a new car. Instead they are extending the life of their existing vehicle through regular service and maintenance," says Jeff Glueck, a principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP. "This presents a real opportunity for original equipment manufacturers and dealers to work together to buffer the volatile trend in new vehicle sales."