Upfront price is the most important priority for U.S. and European consumers when buying a new vehicle. For Chinese consumers, however, ride and handling are most important. That is according to a new report from market intelligence and consulting company, Strategy Analytics. For younger age groups, however, safety and infotainment features have been rising in […] [Read More]

Friday is the most popular day for buyers to visit a dealership, while 59 percent of car buyers spend time doing online research. And six out of 10 shoppers are undecided on a specific vehicle when they enter a dealership. If dealers want statistics like those on understanding their market and their core target audience, they […] [Read More]

For decades, Japanese-brand automakers have made investments in the U.S. economy and U.S. workforce. That commitment has paid off for U.S. workers. According to an employment study that Rutgers University economics professor Thomas Prusa prepared for the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association’s U.S. office, those Japanese automakers generate 1.52 million jobs throughout the United States. The […] [Read More]

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]