Used Car Week 2013, presented by Auto Remarketing, is all-new this year, with new dates, a new event in the lineup, and new speakers. The weeklong series of four events will now take place Nov. 11-15 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego; if you marked your calendars months ago, be sure to update […] [Read More]

IHS president and chief executive officer Scott Key explained why the company viewed Carfax parent company R.L. Polk & Co., as so valuable that he went into an auction-style bidding process to make the acquisition. Key’s strategic moves paid off as IHS gained a definitive agreement to buy Polk in a $1.4 billion transaction. “As […] [Read More]

Despite dipping a bit from April, leasing levels remained at a strong level last month and bested year-ago levels by nearly 10 percent, according to the “Industry Health Report: May 2013 Sales Performance” from J.D. Power and Associates’ Power Information Network. Specifically, lease penetration reached 22.8 percent in May. This was down from 23.7 percent […] [Read More]

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]