We’ve covered phase two of the new digital decision journey — active evaluation — and have offered some insights on how to come out on top during this phase. In this chapter, we’ll move onto phase three: the trigger phase, in which Gen X and Y car shoppers decide if they’ll visit your lot — […] [Read More]

IHS Inc. has entered a definitive agreement to buy Carfax parent company R.L. Polk & Co., in a $1.4 billion transaction. The deal must first go through customary closing conditions, including expiration or termination of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. “The acquisition of R.L. Polk brings extensive and […] [Read More]

Here’s just one nugget of good news from the Federal Reserve’s latest Beige Book report that dealers might find encouraging for their used-car operations. Among the districts where contacts commented on used-car supply, there were some signs of progress. In the Richmond District, for one, the Fed said dealers indicated there have been more used […] [Read More]

With the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently directing a round of guidance towards the auto industry, discussion about the potential changes within dealer finance and other compliance issues have been on the minds of many. Amid such an environment, the upcoming 48th annual Center for Automotive Research Management and Briefing Seminars will focus on bringing […] [Read More]

Will the free maintenance plan for eligible 2014 Buick, Chevrolet and GMC models have any impact on residual values for those vehicles? That’s the question ALG’s Eric Lyman delved into after General Motors announced the new program on Thursday. In short, buyers or lessees of eligible new 2014 models from Chevrolet, Buick or GMC in […] [Read More]

If the latest data from CNW Research is any indication, it appears dealers are already realizing benefits in their used-vehicle operations from the upswing in supply from off-lease volume and corporate returns. In an analysis released Tuesday, the firm found that May used-vehicle sales increased across every age group in the one- to five-year-old category. […] [Read More]

Ford remains on top of the industry when it comes to brand loyalty rates, but it's two luxury makes that are showing the most improvement in retaining their respective ownership bases. That’s the latest from Polk, which released its first-quarter brand loyalty report on Wednesday, finding that Porsche (up 9.5 percentage points) and Cadillac (up […] [Read More]

After the last chapter of our “How to sell to Gen X and Y” series, we have a good idea of what happens during the active evaluation phase — when car shoppers expand their initial consideration set. The question now is, is your dealership at an advantage when it comes to capturing these shoppers at […] [Read More]

As subprime financing showed more signs of strengthening, too, Experian Automotive determined new-vehicle leasing during the first quarter rose to the highest level since the firm began tracking the data in 2006. According to its State of the Automotive Finance Market report released on Tuesday, Experian indicated leasing accounted for a record 27.5 percent of […] [Read More]

Despite declines by both franchised and independent dealers, industry-wide used-vehicle sales nudged higher in May, climbing just under 2 percent from the year-ago period, according to the latest data released by CNW Research this morning. Year-to-date sales through five months are up 4.3 percent. And within the certified pre-owned slice of the used-car market, several […] [Read More]