As summer heats up and high fuel prices have eased, it seems gas sippers are on the way out and consumers are turning their eyes towards vehicles for “heavy-duty” activities. According to  Kelley Blue Book’s Hot User-Car Report, commercial or utility-oriented vehicles make up the top five segments with the greatest change in traffic share […] [Read More]

Flagship Credit Acceptance, a national indirect automobile finance company, announced the issuance of its first asset-backed securitization. The total amount was $109 million in a transaction that was completed Thursday. Officials highlighted the securitization will increase Flagship’s liquidity position and will allow the company to further grow its auto finance business. As part of the […] [Read More]

As the industry gears up for the 2012 Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars this August, officials revealed some key speakers for the event, as well as hot-button topics. Leaders from automotive manufacturers and suppliers, along with the governors from the states of Michigan and Tennessee, “will discuss strategies to keep the momentum of […] [Read More]

Say a shopper interested in buying a certified pre-owned vehicle walks onto a dealer’s lot and his or her credit isn’t mature yet, or perhaps it has taken some lumps. That’s one area where Scott Penza has found the F&I element of CPO has come in handy for his dealers. [Read More]

Several dealers have asked about the value of using a dealership’s website analytics for managing used-vehicle inventories. [Read More]

As the auto industry hit the half-way mark for the year, Edmunds.com took a look back at the past few months to see who “scored” big and which OEMs and vehicles notched the most sales. And with June car sales performing better than expected, 2012 pushed ahead by double digits from the first-half of last […] [Read More]

May the Force be with you. The Star Wars-themed Course of the Force charity relay on Thursday completed its five-day journey to San Diego, with Hyundai in the lead. The official vehicle of the relay, Hyundai joined Lucasfilm Ltd., Nerdist Industries and Octagon to complete an Olympic-style light saber relay from Santa Monica, Calif.,  to […] [Read More]

For the first time ever, Vincentric this week announced its Vincentric Best Fleet Value in Canada awards, analyzing cost of ownership. Topping the chart with seven vehicles named to the list is Ford. Other brands noted by Vincentric as having a cost-efficient fleet lineup include Chrysler, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota, each winning five awards. […] [Read More]

img.imagefield.imagefield-field_image {float:right;} The winners of the accolades highlighting business excellence in Canada — the Consumer Choice Awards  — were recently revealed. And after conducting third-party market research of both the consumer and business community, the 2012 Top Service Providers in the transportation sector for the greater Toronto area — including local dealers — were chosen.  […] [Read More]

How best to deliver marketing messages to potential customers is almost always on the minds of dealers and brand managers alike. Questions including, “Which demographics should I try to reach?” and “What context should my commercial include?” are bound to come up in the office on a daily basis. With that in mind, brand strategy […] [Read More]