As the automaker revealed its sales and marketing team for the smart brand, Mercedes-Benz dealerships earned the top ranking for the third year in a row based on feedback from “mystery shoppers.” The results came Monday when the 2011 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index U.S. Auto Industry Benchmarking Study was released. Officials recounted the independent […] [Read More]

In the latest development in negotiations that have lasted more than a year, Hertz Global Holdings announced Monday that it has extended the expiration date of its exchange offer for all outstanding shares of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group. Officials reiterated the offer is for $57.60 in cash and 0.8546 shares of Hertz common stock. They […] [Read More]

Sonic Automotive revealed revamped and extended syndicated credit facilities on Monday that allows it to tap into a pool of significantly greater funds to acquire cars, including a lift in used-vehicle inventory floor plan financing of $30 million. Breaking it down, the maturity date of the existing facilities was pushed back from August 2012 to […] [Read More]

A former president of ACA International, the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals, is one of the main presenters for a series of four training programs meant to create “collection superstars.” Officials from insideARM.com have rolled out ARM Summer School — a program that is broken up into a four-course learning experience for supervisors and […] [Read More]

A problem the executive director of Time Finance Adjusters believes many hard-working, reputable repossession agencies are facing nowadays is becoming more evident as the economy slowly struggles to right itself. During a gathering of veteran agents, Ron Brown shared that he “was very surprised that many guys did not know what they’re daily expenses were […] [Read More]

Big pickup inventories have apparently been piling up on dealer lots, and analysts are beginning to fear that automakers, domestics in particular, will be forced to ramp up incentives if demand doesn’t return, according to a recent report. Apparently, General Motors is gaining attention because its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size trucks stood at […] [Read More]

With gas prices slowing down a bit, there isn’t the same rush to snatch up small cars like there was earlier in 2011, but shoppers are still gas-price-conscious when considering larger vehicles, according to recent analysis from TrueCar. The firm indicated that based on June’s new-vehicle sales, the month’s TrueMPG — the company’s measure of […] [Read More]

Thanks to efforts made to trim costs and interest expense, Calgary, Alberta-based Quorum Information Technologies saw a significant lift in its pre-tax net income during the first quarter of fiscal 2011 after recording a loss in the same period a year ago. Specifically, Quorum pulled in $102,000 in net income before taxes during the period, […] [Read More]

With fuel costs dropping and prices for fuel-efficient models softening, Kelley Blue Book outlined what dealers need to do now if their inventory is stocked heavily with compacts. KBB’s manager of vehicle valuation Alec Gutierrez recommends dealers purge extra fuel-efficient models and replenish them with stable crossovers. “With fuel prices falling and values of fuel-efficient vehicles on […] [Read More]

In recent times, many consumers have gravitated toward the used-car market as an alternative to buying new. And while the current supply shortage may limit what a dealership can carry on its lot, there are certain used models that stand out from their peers when it comes to dependability and other aspects that shoppers find […] [Read More]