In talking with dealers, Autotrader general manager Jessica Stafford sometimes gets this question: does digital retailing put dealers in danger of losing control of the car-buying process? “And the answer is, no. It’s actually not this battle for control any more. It’s just enablement and access to information,” Stafford said in a phone interview last […] [Read More]

With activity ramping up for trucks and SUVs, Wantalease.com noticed a different compact sedan supplanted the Ford Focus as having the lowest monthly lease price of any new vehicle. According to July metrics shared by the site this week, now available for a monthly lease commitment of just $129 is the Nissan Sentra. That’s $21 […] [Read More]

After taking a look at data from recent shoppers who use their smartphones to visit Cars.com while browsing dealerships lots, the site found that not only are mobile-device shopper visits to dealership lots up, but the data also revealed two other interesting findings: midweek visits are taking traffic from weekend visits from these mobile shoppers, and these car buyers […] [Read More]

Approvals for vehicle-lease transfers continue to remain on a steady track. On Wednesday, Swapalease.com reported that vehicle lease credit applicants registered a 68.4-percent approval rate in June, up slightly from the 67.9-percent mark registered in May. Even though lease origination activity at dealerships has been down slightly in 2018, site officials have noticed lease takeover activity […] [Read More]

Once again proving their popularity among car buyers across the country are SUVs, which dominate the latest iSeeCars list of top 10 vehicles with the highest average annual mileage after 10 years on the road. While the average 10-year-old-vehicle is driven 11,518 miles per year, iSeeCars found that nine out of the top 10 models […] [Read More]

The Audi brand dealerships rank highest in the latest Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI) study that measures the treatment of 3,466 “mystery” car-shoppers at dealerships across the U.S. This is the first year that the Audi brand has lead the Pied Piper PSI study ranking. Not only did car shoppers tell Pied Piper management company they consider Audi dealerships “most helpful", […] [Read More]

As nine automotive industry associations representing vehicle and parts manufacturers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico urged a renewed focus on trade negotiations with the U.S., Canada and Mexico to modernize NAFTA, Fitch Ratings took a deeper dive into the potential financial ramifications of President Donald Trump's actions.  Fitch explained that U.S. tariffs of up […] [Read More]

Research from Edmunds shared in a 2014 Autoblog article suggests that one in three people surveyed said they'd rather do taxes, go to the DMV or sit in an airplane's middle seat than go through the purchasing hassle of buying a car.  Twenty-nine percent of consumers would readily give up their cell phones for a weekend rather than shop […] [Read More]

By this time of year, used-vehicle demand (unlike the weather) typically cools down a bit. Not the case in 2018. The “steady and strong” retail used-car market keeps chugging along and is likely to reach 39.5 million sales this year, then level out, according to Cox Automotive. That figure would be an increase from 39 […] [Read More]

Greg Cole can’t give his customers credit, but he can find a lender that will. And he can do it more quickly and efficiently when customers go to one of his dealerships’ websites and complete a credit application prior to visiting the dealership to buy a vehicle. That gives the finance and insurance staffs at […] [Read More]