Columbus Day Weekend car shopping activity was down this year, according to new data from Cox Automotive brands Dealer.com and Dealertrack. “Normally we see an increase in shopping behavior on holiday weekends, but on Columbus Day we saw a decrease,” Cox Automotive product analytics senior director James Grace said in a phone interview with Auto […] [Read More]

Online car leasing marketplace Honcker closed a seed financing round of $3.6 million on Thursday, and said it will now provide delivery to customers in eight states. Honcker plans to use the round, which was led by Evolution Corporate Advisors, to grow its dealership network, geographic footprint and customer base. Additionally, Honcker will use the […] [Read More]

While the alternative fuel segment has remained the leading category in shopper interest growth since January, consumers are also showing increased interest in full-size luxury sedans, according to the latest monthly share of shopper interest data from Jumpstart Automotive Media. The report reveals that shopper interest in full-size luxury sedans grew a notable 15 percent […] [Read More]

Triggered in part by online vehicle retail sales activity gaining steady momentum, Assurant made a $2.5 billion acquisition of The Warranty Group, which works with more than 5,600 dealerships selling F&I products such as vehicle service contracts and GAP insurance. Assurant highlighted in a news release announcing the move on Wednesday that The Warranty Group’s […] [Read More]

When it comes to social influence among automotive brands in the U.S, Tesla Motors and Toyota are a step ahead of many of their respective luxury and mass market competitors. This is according to Engagement Labs' latest TotalSocial ranking that measures brand performance among automotive brands in both face-to-face and social media conversations. The recent analysis follows the […] [Read More]

AutoGravity has expanded its dealer network development program with the appointment of Chuck Schofield as new vice president of dealer sales, the company announced Tuesday. Schofield most recently served as western region senior manager for Mercedes-Benz Financial Services where he managed the U.S. finance products and services sales unit and cultivated relationships with Mercedes-Benz and […] [Read More]

LeasePlan USA recently named Anthony Fina the new vice president of business development in the Northeast region to replace Gerry Tellier, who was promoted to senior vice president of business development – east. “Gerry has been successful in his territory over the years, rising to the top as a true leader,” said Ricardo Fonzaghi, chief commercial […] [Read More]

Coinciding with its 20th anniversary, Autotrader on Monday compiled a list of the 10 most-searched vehicles on its website since it was established in 1997. Moving past the days of fliers and circulars to reaching shoppers now, attached to their smartphones, Autotrader has hosted more than 2 billion car shoppers during the past 20 years […] [Read More]

JM&A Group announced Thursday that it has promoted Gavin Tennant to vice president of customer services and Mark Barovich to assistant vice president of portfolio risk management and actuarial services. Tennant most recently lead the company's redesigned dealer portal initiative called Dealer Source. In his new role, he will oversee all claims and customer service […] [Read More]

Jeremiah Wheeler, vice president of financial services at DRN, returns to the Auto Remarketing Podcast, as Nick hosts a discussion about the impact technology is having on vehicle repossessions. We also touch on the special segments at Used Car Week that include Jeremiah and DRN, which is the presenting sponsor of Auto Fin Con. Check out the conversation below. […] [Read More]