On the same day Ally Financial said it repaid debt to the FDIC, General Motors announced on Wednesday that the automaker will purchase 200 million shares of GM common stock held by the U.S. Department of the Treasury for $5.5 billion, or $27.50 per share. The share buyback is part of the Treasury’s plan, also […] [Read More]

The Used Car Dealers Association of Ontario is alerting Ontario’s used-car dealers to the changes in the Drive Clean Program set to go into effect in the new year. In the latest UCDA Front Line newsletter, the association highlights the changes which deal mostly with the On-Board Diagnostics test procedures, among other areas. And the […] [Read More]

Reports have surfaced indicating that General Motors has temporarily idled its Chevrolet Malibu plant in Fairfax, Kan.   And this is good news for the automaker when it comes to residual values, says ALG’s Eric Lyman. It won’t just be the Malibu’s values that benefit, either, said the firm’s vice president of partner development and […] [Read More]

Activity at Swapalease.com and findings from a recent GfK Automotive study showed that the appeal of luxury models isn’t carrying the same weight as it did in the past. Where are consumers migrating if they’re not leasing a luxury model? At Swaplease this month, they’re moving toward assumptions of smaller and eco-friendly vehicles. These website […] [Read More]

Third-quarter delinquencies and repossession rates moved in directions Experian Automotive didn’t expect. They all moved lower year-over-year. According to Experian Automotive’s Q3 State of the Automotive Finance Market Analysis, 30-day delinquencies fell to 2.67 percent from 2.78 percent in the year-ago quarter. The development marked the second consecutive year that third quarter 30-day delinquencies stayed […] [Read More]

If findings shared by NADA University on Monday are any indication, the outlook on workforce stability at the nation’s dealerships is a relatively solid one. The education and training arm of the National Automobile Dealer Associated has released the 2012 Dealership Workforce Study Industry Report, which was put together in partnership with Northwood University and […] [Read More]

These days, it seems consumers want to begin discussing a potential purchase with dealership staff far before they make it into the physical store, according to recent analysis from automotive data company Polk. In a recent study commissioned by website chat company Contact At Once, one in three users of auto website chat bought a […] [Read More]

Safe-Guard Products International has rolled out a suite of products specifically tailored to the needs of independent dealers, the company announced Monday. Featured in the RideSafe product suite are a vehicle service contract program, a tire/wheel and roadside assistance program and GAP protection. RideSafe is immediately available in most states, officials noted. [Read More]

Buyers are paying more for many popular mid-size models, according to NADA Used Car Guide’s latest Guidelines report. In fact, some prices for models have undergone “major revisions,” including the Chevy Malibu, Ford Fusion and Mazda6, whose prices “improved significantly over the years and are at, or very near to, the overall (sales weighted) segment […] [Read More]

Comerica Bank's newest Auto Affordability Index showed the purchase and financing of an average-priced new vehicle took 23.1 weeks of median family income in the third quarter of this year. Analysts found consumers on average spent $75 less on new models in the third quarter than they did in the second quarter. The historical series […] [Read More]