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]

After November’s Hurricane Sandy, dealer demand for used cars is up; so why are pre-owned values declining? Kelly Blue Book’s Alec Gutierrez addressed this very issue in this month’s Blue Book Market Report. Granted, used values bumped up during the weeks following the storm, said KBB's  senior market analyst of automotive insights. But after the […] [Read More]

With the holiday season in full swing, it’s not just toy stores and shopping malls reaping the rewards. It also appears two particular segments of the used-car market are seeing some nice gains, as well. According to the latest Hot Used-Car Report from Kelley Blue Book, luxury SUVs and premium luxury cars have seen the […] [Read More]

Group 1 Automotive said Thursday a new partner has joined its existing $1.35 billion revolving credit facility. The latest to sign on is Volkswagen Credit, which will serve as a partner to the facility that expired in June 2016. Commenting on the news, John Rickel, Group 1's senior vice president and chief financial officer, said,  […] [Read More]

If an individual reports a complaint about a dealer or auto finance company to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, data about the grievance likely will end up with state regulatory agencies, too. [Read More]

As November saw average days to turn for used vehicles in Canada sitting at 62 and overall transaction prices coming in around $29,000 — considerably lower than MSRP value — it is becoming more and more important to know just what a customer expects when visiting a dealership, says J.D. Power and Associates. [Read More]

When it comes to the used models getting the most looks from online shoppers, some familiar names were at the top of the list. According to consumer trend data provided in the latest Guidelines report from NADA Used Car Guide, the three most-researched used models last month on NADAguides.com were the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado […] [Read More]

With auto lending increasing to subprime customers, the latest RDN Monthly Analytics Update showed October recovery volumes increased 7 percentage points from September levels, marking the second consecutive month-over-month jump. Furthermore, the October reading came in 5 points above year-ago levels. RDN indicated October recovery orders ticked 1 percentage point from the previous month but  […] [Read More]