Dataium’s latest Automotive Shopper Intensity Index showed potential buyers flocked to websites operated by Toyota dealers in March. Analysts found the brand secured the highest ASI ranking of all nameplates as vehicle searches on dealership websites rose 10 percent above the previous month. Coming in behind Toyota in Dataium’s breakdown was Ford, followed by Chevrolet. […] [Read More]

Financial services technology solutions provider Fiserv revealed its new executive vice president and chief information officer is a former Ally Financial executive. Taking on the role is Cliff Skelton replacing Maryann Goebel, who will serve as an adviser to the company until her retirement on July 1.  In this role, Fiserv indicated Skelton will be […] [Read More]

While pinpointing the states with the most vehicles with open recalls for sale, Carfax declared in a study released Monday that choosing to ignore recalls “threatens the safety of consumers everywhere.” Carfax counted more than 2.7 million used vehicles for sale online in 2011 with safety recalls that were never fixed.  The company contends both […] [Read More]

A new California bill signed this past summer — Assembly Bill 1215 — which created changes for salvage vehicles that eventually make it onto a dealer’s retail lot may soon be altered, that is, if the proposed Senate Bill 990 goes through. This legislation would allow the use of reports from commercial data providers, such […] [Read More]

The National Automobile Dealers Association released a study late last week suggesting that higher vehicle prices resulting from proposed fuel economy rules will cut millions of potential new-car buyers out of the market in 2025.  Don Chalmers, president of Don Chalmers Ford in Rio Rancho, N.M., and chairman of NADA’s government affairs committee, declared, “To […] [Read More]

Prompted by a tough economy, consideration for certified pre-owned vehicles among new-car shoppers has widened, according to AutoTrader.com, which said this growth has helped drive record sales in the CPO market. Specifically, 60 percent of new-vehicle shoppers claim their willingness to consider CPO vehicles has gone up because of the economy, according to  end-of-2011 research […] [Read More]

Jumpstart Automotive Group unveiled a marketing insights book on Wednesday that it contends can help in automakers’ campaigns to better reach and influence car shoppers. The Jumpstart Automotive Insights Book 2010-2011 aims to accomplish this through the comprehensive two-year analysis in the publication that examines car-shopper trends and auto marketing data. [Read More]

Registration for the 2012 Auto Remarketing Canada conference presented by CarProof has reached an all-time high, conference organizers announced today. As of this morning, there are nearly 450 registered attendees for this year’s conference, which is being held Monday through Wednesday at The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. But it’s not too late for those […] [Read More]

Several brands posted all-time records for certified pre-owned sales in Canada last month, as March proved to be rather fruitful for most automakers reporting CPO sales to Auto Remarketing Canada. Over at Honda Canada, for instance, both its Acura and Honda brands enjoyed their best months of all time for certified sales. The flagship brand […] [Read More]

With more lower-credit buyers in the market, greater access to 72-month financing terms and a decrease in the market share commanded by luxury buyers, the industry’s lease penetration rate slowed down slightly in March, according to J.D. Power and Associates senior director Thomas King. That said, the leasing rate (which came in at 19.7 percent) […] [Read More]