A shopper walks into a dealership and begins talking with a salesperson.  The dealership employee asks how the shopper heard of the store, and he or she jots down some notes. Though that may help break the ice with the shopper, it’s not exactly a scientific approach to figuring out where their traffic comes from. […] [Read More]

The recent move by Ally Financial to commit $600 million in financing to online retailer Carvana didn’t surprise Autotrader senior analyst Michelle Krebs when asked about the demand for more online capabilities to complete as much of the vehicle delivery as possible online. “I will say that study after study we do with Autotrader and […] [Read More]

Buyers of certified pre-owned cars are fairly loyal customers, but some brands are off the charts when it comes to repeat business.  That's according to a recent automotive loyalty study from Experian. To determine which consumers were most loyal, Experian analyzed close to 12.6 million return-to-market events involving owners of new, certified pre-owned and non-CPO […] [Read More]

Beyond a slew of uncertainties at play, another reason analysts are “hedging our bets” when forecasting the 2017 new-car market and opting instead for a range: off-lease volume, says Autotrader senior analyst Michelle Krebs. According to forecasts from Cox Automotive chief economist Tom Webb, off-lease volume could reach 3.6 million units in 2017 and then approach 4 […] [Read More]

In light of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau indicating an interest in looking at how repossession agencies charge consumers for items such as vehicle storage and personal property, Vendor Transparency Solutions (VTS) contends mistakes can lead to investigations, financial penalties or worse actions. So to help agents get going on the right foot this year, […] [Read More]

In December, Carvana partnered with two credit unions, Georgia’s Associated Credit Union and LGE Community Credit Union, to offer their several thousand members a streamlined car buying process which allows them to receive pre-approval for financing a Carvana vehicle. "We're always looking for new and innovative services for our members that provide value and convenience. […] [Read More]

I’ve been in this journalism racket for 11 years now, nine of which has been spent covering the auto industry. But I’m not sure I have seen a year quite like this past one.  There is a certain routine to my job (and for most any journalist in the car business): sales/earnings calls happen every […] [Read More]

Spurred by spiking demand, used pickup truck prices have risen far more rapidly than what the overall industry is experiencing, says CarGurus. The price of a used pickup truck has climbed 22 percent since January 2013, according to the car-shopping site. The 1-percent hike in the overall CarGurus Used Car Price index in the same […] [Read More]

New-vehicle transaction prices are expected to reach a record level this year and only go higher in 2017, says Edmunds.com. And the trends driving this pricing peak are likely to have some impact for older vehicles. In analysis released Thursday, Edmunds said the transaction price on a new-car will hit $34,077 for the year. This […] [Read More]

The fact that the top 10 list of vehicles owners keep for at least 10 years is made up entirely of models from Japanese automakers — many of which of known for strong reliability — doesn’t necessarily surprise Phong Ly. No, the surprise to the iSeeCars.com chief executive: nine of the top 10 are either […] [Read More]