More than three-fifths of all used vehicles retailed by franchised dealers last year were acquired via trade-in, up from 57 percent in 2011, according to the NADA Data 2013. Breaking that figure down, the annual report from the National Automobile Dealers Association indicated that franchised dealers got 39 percent of the used cars they sold […] [Read More]

This past February, I raised a cautionary yellow flag about dealers making speculative bets with their used-vehicle inventory decisions. I was concerned that dealers would have trouble resisting the urge to “stock up” in anticipation of a strong spring selling season — especially amid signs that incoming supplies of wholesale vehicles and other market variables […] [Read More]

As the last weekend in June just passed, dealers are busy assessing the  month's performance. Which brands were hot on the lots this past month? Dataium’s Automotive Shopper Index for June indicates  that Japanese brands proved to be particularly popular with consumers, with the Honda Accord coming in as No. 1 in the ASI new-vehicle […] [Read More]

Compliance experts from Reynolds and Reynolds and Dealertrack Technologies explained how the first enforcement action against the vehicle financing industry by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau might give more detail about the agency's regulatory agenda. To begin his assessment of what the CFPB ordered U.S. Bank and Dealers' Financial Services to do, Terry O'Loughlin, the […] [Read More]

The first significant penalty from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in connection with vehicle financing came Thursday — a development associated with approximately $6.5 million in revenue for two companies. The CFPB ordered U.S. Bank and one of its nonbank partner companies, Dealers’ Financial Services, to end what it called deceptive marketing and lending practices […] [Read More]

There’s an interesting dynamic that’s occurring when consumers go about trying to figure out what car to buy. Both used- and new-car shoppers are spending less time conducting research, but are devoting more of that time to the Web, according to a study released today by AutoTrader.com. Interestingly enough, those two trends go hand-in-hand. [Read More]

Nearly simultaneously as the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reportedly responded to a series of policy questions from the House Democrats, lawmakers from the other side of the aisle fired a list of inquiries about how the agency intends to regulate auto lending. [Read More]

Paul Potratz defined process as the series of steps or actions to achieve an end. And what’s the process at most dealerships? Turning vehicles fast for as much gross profit as possible. In order to refine the process to get those results, the chief operating officer and founder of Potratz Partners Advertising shared advice in […] [Read More]

Not only are used-vehicle sales going up, but more of them are being financed, as well. Take this statistical comparison from CNW Research: In each of the first five months of 2013, more than half of the used-vehicle sales for that particular month included financing of some sort (whether loan or lease). Last year, there […] [Read More]

As spring showed price strength in the truck segments while wholesale prices for cars fell by leaps and bounds,  you have to wonder — why are truck prices proving so much stronger in the lanes? On top of increasing construction rates and housing development, Black Book’s Ricky Beggs highlighted another factor that may be playing […] [Read More]