Mercedes-Benz USA revealed Wednesday it has promoted one of its own to the newly created position of senior vice president of sales.  Tapped for the position is Michael Slagter, former vice president of sales for MBUSA. The promotion is effective immediately, and Slagter will report to MBUSA president and chief executive officer Steve Cannon.   [Read More]

Polk discovered on Wednesday that 2011 used commercial vehicle registrations reached a record level for a calendar year, ending up at 791,288 units. The total surpassed the previous record of 671,887 units registered in 2010, and the rise represented a 17.8-percent increase in year-over-year registrations. Polk’s analysis of new and used commercial vehicle registrations (GVW […] [Read More]

In a report from CBS affiliate WBZ-TV from Boston, online car shoppers have reason to be wary.  What WBZ reported as “thousands of used-car buyers,” may be walking right into a scam, which the FBI told the station could be the work of an international organized crime ring. And the scammers might be working their […] [Read More]

College basketball teams like Kentucky, Michigan State, North Carolina and Syracuse might be among the favorites to celebrate a national championship, but the NCAA Tournament winner won’t be the only one “cutting down the nets,” so to speak, on April 2. As the most celebrated three weeks in college hoops is set to get underway, […] [Read More]

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Richard Cordray recently reiterated a head-turning fact: currently 30 million Americans are subject to some form of third-party debt collectors. And how these collectors, as well as repo agents and recovery departments, attempt to get some of that collateral and money back is about to be even more regulated. Cordray […] [Read More]

Renovo Services recently released its agency scorecards for the forwarding company’s repossession partners.  The company highlighted its Get Best Agent (GBA) program identifies the agents in a defined ZIP code range and uses several weighted metrics to automatically select the best agents. Officials indicated the primary metrics used to evaluate the best agent are recovery […] [Read More]

As gas prices are expected to rise this spring, Kelley Blue Book released a list that covers the most fuel-efficient vehicles available with five-year Total Cost of Ownership less than $30,000. To help consumers offset the rising price of fuel, these gas sippers include foreign and domestic models, ranging from Nissan’s Versa to the Chevrolet […] [Read More]

When the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan a year ago, it steamrolled into a global vehicle and electronics production crisis that touched almost every aspect of the car business. And the aftermath was not just limited to the new-vehicle market. Even though these effects may not have been as widely talked-out or as obvious, […] [Read More]

Numerous luxury nameplates are gaining traction with Web-surfing car shoppers as these dealers hone in on Internet leads and improve response time, according to the 2012 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI). Per the results of the  Internet Lead Effectiveness study which measures auto dealerships responsiveness to customer inquiries received over the internet, Lexus Infiniti […] [Read More]

Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. and Saatchi & Saatchi LA just revealed their new marketing campaign for the Prius c. And it hones in and targets first-time car buyers. With the title “The Game of Life with Prius c”, the campaign was created to demonstrate key vehicle attributes in "a fun and approachable way that aims […] [Read More]