J.D. Power and Associates discovered little changed on the new-vehicle leasing front in April when comparing month-over-month and year-over-year. Senior director Thomas King indicated the fact that leasing stayed flat was consistent with recent levels “and in line with our expectations. “Although there was some movement, the changes were modest, and we consider them within […] [Read More]

We talk a lot about the power of the Internet — and how it ties in strongly with consumer car-shopping behavior. But what about after a consumer drives off your lot — either with one of your cars or without one? These days, many of them are going home, posting reviews on sites like Yelp, […] [Read More]

About two months after federal officials ordered five stores to halt certain advertisements, a family-owned franchised dealership in business for more than four decades agreed to pay $225,000 in restitution, civil penalties and attorney fees to resolve allegations that it utilized “deceptive marketing tactics.” Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced the consent judgment against McGee […] [Read More]

While dealers and automakers are turning more toward online advertising avenues, Phoenix Marketing International completed a study Thursday analyzing which OEMs are most successful with their traditional mediums — television and print campaigns. Of the 35 brands tracked across multiple vehicle segments and ad media types, Phoenix discovered Chevrolet, Volkswagen and Audi generated the “best […] [Read More]

With companies such as Carfax recently touting the importance of fixing recalled vehicles, analysts from Edmunds.com believe the entire recall process could use a tune-up. Edmunds conducted its own investigation and found what the site contends are issues in the vehicle recall process: —There are no laws that require a vehicle’s owner to notify a […] [Read More]

Volkswagen of America revealed Thursday it has a new Vice President of customer experience for the company. Tapped for the position is Robert Martell, a 25-year veteran of Volkswagen in both the U.S. and Canada. During that time, the company noted he has served in a variety of increasingly responsible sales and dealer-interfacing positions in […] [Read More]

With Mother’s Day coming this weekend, TrueCar.com identified the 10 most popular vehicles for the family matriarch based on 2011 data received from women with children about the cars they drive. Half of the list came from a single brand — Honda — while Nissan followed close behind with three models included in the rundown, […] [Read More]

Two of the auto industry’s big players revealed this week they have teamed up to launch an all-new automotive conference set to debut this fall. The National Automobile Dealers Association in partnership with J.D. Power and Associates announced the creation of the Western Automotive Conference, which is set to coincide with the Los Angeles Auto […] [Read More]

It was announced this week that both an import and domestic OEM are preparing to boost production as demand increases. Starting with the Blue Oval, Ford said it will produce nearly 40,000 additional vehicles this summer by reducing its summer shutdown in several North American plants, including six assembly plants, from the traditional two weeks […] [Read More]

USAA, which helps military families secure auto financing, insurance and more, recently unveiled its second annual Best Value vehicles list along with its Top 10 models for teen drivers. Included in the rundown of 2012 models in 16 categories for consumers looking "to get the most bang for their buck" were: —Large Sedan: Dodge Charger […] [Read More]