A slowdown in depreciation expenses has helped to mitigate the rise in sedan ownership costs this year, according to AAA’s 2012 Your Driving Costs study released Friday. That said, the nearly 5-percent ease in depreciation costs didn’t entirely prevent an ownership cost hike altogether. AAA has found that the average cost per mile to own […] [Read More]

In some markets, it might take two days of driving around to find more than a handful of Ford or Lincoln dealerships, but that’s not the case for John Jestice and Livonia, Mich.’s Bill Brown Ford. Just west of Detroit and in the stronghold of the domestic auto industry’s capital, Bill Brown Ford finds itself […] [Read More]

Variations of the Mini Cooper not only led Kelley Blue Book’s latest Hot Car Report for weekly shopping activity growth but also contributed to the cluster of models that softened in consumer interest on the site this past week. The Mini Cooper Countryman paced the activity gainers with a 35.6 percent week-over-week jump in consumer […] [Read More]

Nine of the automotive industry’s most successful female executives were honored this month by women’s leadership organization Inforum at an event held at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, Mich. Included in the group of the honorees were executives with Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Toyota and a Michigan dealership group, among others. Inforum […] [Read More]

Two top automakers are among those named to the 2012 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list, honoring diversity-management leaders. Coming in at No. 41 was Toyota Motor North America, while Chrysler ranked No. 45 on the 12th annual survey compiled by consultancy firm DiversityInc, for demonstrating consistent strength in the areas of CEO Commitment, […] [Read More]

The president of the Chrysler Group National Dealer Council believes the OEM’s announcement that it will not renew its current auto finance operating agreement with Ally Financial is part of the business process. The automaker’s decision means that Ally will no longer be the preferred lender for consumer loans and leasing, as well as for […] [Read More]

I’m writing this blog post from AIADA’s headquarters, just outside of Washington, D.C. I made the trip out east in order to touch base with the AIADA staff, attend a few meetings and get a sense of what is happening in our capital that could impact dealers. On Tuesday, my first day in town, the […] [Read More]

With the deadline to file personal federal income tax forms having passed more than a week ago, Manheim economist Tom Webb answered dealer questions about activity connected to refunds. In his April Auto Industry Brief, Webb first shared the dealer inquiry he received. “My used-vehicle operation had a better-than-more normal tax refund season,” the dealer […] [Read More]

As panelists emphasized at the recent Auto Remarketing Canada conference presented by CarProof, supply is tight for dealers in Canada. And that’s impacting everything from retail pricing and wholesale costs to sourcing strategies and dealer grosses. “Historically, we know what happened back in ’08 and ’09: there just weren’t any new cars. As a result, […] [Read More]

According to an article written by Credit Union Times’ Michelle Samaad, credit unions seem to be benefiting from used-car loans’ recent strong portfolio performance. And Samaad even went on to write that some credit unions are seeking “nontraditional” methods to keep the lending surge going and returning to residual financing methods as the economy continues […] [Read More]