Cars.com projected that new-vehicle incentives dipped noticeably in January compared to sequential and year-over-year levels, but chief analyst Jesse Toprak doesn’t suspect that trend will continue, to the benefit of the used-vehicle industry. Toprak estimated that the average incentives given by automakers to turn new vehicles came in at $2,383 during January, down $151 or […] [Read More]

Cars.com discovered the Ford F-150 is the most popular new vehicle purchased in both Seattle and Denver, home to the football teams that played in Super Bowl XLVIII. While pro football fans in the city of Seattle are rejoicing because of the Seahawks’ victory against the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday night, […] [Read More]

Increased scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau regarding dealer lending practices is top-of-mind for many in the industry.  In response, this Friday as the 2014 NADA Convention got underway, the National Automobile Dealers Association announced an optional program that it contends will strengthen a dealer’s ability to comply with fair […] [Read More]

RVI Group late last week announced its new partnership with NxGen360 LLC, to launch and distribute insurance products into the automotive marketplace. These products, beginning with Trade Value Protection and Market Value Protection, will offer benefits to dealers as they stock, trade and sell vehicle inventory, the company said, and limit risk for consumers in […] [Read More]

Auto dealers have a renewed target market, it seems, as a new J.D. Power report finds that younger consumers are interested in new vehicles, after all. Coming in contrary to popular sentiment that consumers 25 years old and younger aren’t interested in buying a vehicle, the recently-released J.D. Power 2014 U.S. Automotive Media and Marketing […] [Read More]

Forrest McConnell III, as it turns out, follows website analytics rather intently. It’s no wonder, then, that the new chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association has this point of advice for his fellow dealers: “If you’re going to be a successful dealer in the future, you better understand how that customer interacts with your […] [Read More]

There is likely to be about a 20-percent year-over-year increase in lease pull-ahead program options this year, predicts Swapalease.com, which might explain the following sentiment: If 2013 was the “Year of the Lease,” then 2014 could very well end up being the “Year Of The Lease Pull-Ahead,” the company suggested in analysis released this week. […] [Read More]

To gauge which brands will stand out in respect to used sales this year, analysts are taking a look at expected lease maturities as a predictor. In this case, a brand to keep an eye on in 2014 might be Cadillac. Joe Spina, the director of used-car analysis at Edmunds.com, explained that during the first […] [Read More]

The J.D. Power 2014 U.S. Avoider Study showed that new technology offerings in vehicles are more important to new-vehicle buyers who purchase domestic models versus import vehicle buyers. The study determined 38 percent of those buying domestic vehicles cite the latest technology features as a reason for their purchase, compared with 33 percent of import […] [Read More]

As TransUnion projected that new-vehicle leasing volume should continue to strengthen, Swapalease.com reported that lease credit approvals improved slightly as 2013 closed. The site determined December’s approval level came in at 73.3 percent, compared with the November reading of 70 percent. Officials noted the overall approvals rate on the year finished at 72.7 percent, compared […] [Read More]