John North III, who is resigning from his chief financial officer post at Lithia Motors effective March 1, is joining Avis Budget Group as its CFO, effective March 18.  Avis Budget noted in a news release that North will oversee all financial aspects of the business, including financial planning and analysis, accounting and financial reporting, tax, internal […] [Read More]

Dealer organizations are becoming even more roiled over what’s unfolding in Washington, D.C., regarding whether imported autos and auto parts represent a national security threat. Even after taking into account the mitigating effects of the new United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), the National Automobile Dealers Association said tariffs on autos and auto parts under Section […] [Read More]

At NADA Show 2019, Joe talks with Jonathan Banks of J.D. Power about the "gaps" that used cars are helping to fill in the automotive market, why the used-car market is so surprisingly healthy and much more. The full discussion can be found below.  Banks also contributed a guest commentary about used-car residual values, which […] [Read More]

Viewers of Saturday’s “TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader,” which took place before Sunday’s National Basketball Association All-Star game, saw an example of Autotrader's charitable work as a studio host presented a brand-new vehicle to a family dealing with muscular dystrophy. In addition to its work as an online destination for people to buy and sell […] [Read More]

iSeeCars.com recently released a study showing which vehicles were more economical to buy new over used. The Honda HR-V crossover vehicle took the top spot in that list.  But iSeeCars.com has now released study which explores the other side of the coin: Which vehicles are best to buy used over new? The new study shows […] [Read More]

Residual values for used cars rose by an average of 3 percent in 2018. The growth in value represents a remarkable turn of events from 2017 when there was significant pessimism about the state of the used-car market. The negative sentiment a year ago was driven by concerns that a glut of used vehicles coming back […] [Read More]

If the months in front of us were an abstract painting, most auto dealers viewing it agree about what they see, with a few exceptions here and there. To discover dealers’ concerns — and optimism — about the used-car business in 2019, I interviewed dealers, used-car consultants and auction executives before and during NADA Show […] [Read More]

When purchasing a vehicle, buyers would be wise to consider typical ownership costs to see the out-of-pocket expenses they will incur beyond the initial purchase price. Kelley Blue Book took that into account in naming its 2019 5-Year Cost to Own Award winners, recognizing new vehicles with the lowest projected ownership costs. Subaru and Lexus […] [Read More]

Coming on the heels of a notable anniversary, Credit Union Leasing of America decided to refresh its look. On Wednesday, the provider of indirect vehicle leasing programs for credit unions, unveiled a new logo, website design and other brand elements all in an effort to reflect a modernized approach that emphasizes the benefits indirect vehicle leasing can […] [Read More]

Vehicles continue to improve in the area of dependability. That’s according to a new J.D. Power study. “But I wouldn’t say that everything is rosy,” Dave Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power, said in a news release. At first glance, some of the study results appear pretty rosy. Overall dependability for 3-year-old […] [Read More]