Subaru of America recently learned it received a pair of honors from its tongue-in-cheek “Mediocrity” campaign. The automaker won a 2011 Webby Award in the automotive category, plus the Gold 2010 International Automotive Advertising Award (IAAA). Officials explained how they played off of the “abundance of bland midsized sedans in the marketplace” to create its […] [Read More]

DealerTrack Canada has brought in another provider to its Credit Application Network, the company revealed this week. Joining the network is TransUnion. Now, DealerTrack Canada can offer its dealers TransUnion credit report solutions, providing these dealers with another industry credit management resource. “The addition of TransUnion to our network brings tremendous value to our dealers […] [Read More]

As the battle to acquire Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group continues, the rental company took action this week to safeguard the interests of its shareholders. Dollar Thrifty’s board of directors installed a Shareholders Rights Plan that gives shareholders the right to buy a series of preferred stock under special circumstances, which basically helps to prevent a […] [Read More]

Despite gasoline prices above $4 per gallon in many regions, AAA projected the overwhelming majority of Americans will travel somewhere for the Memorial Day holiday by automobile, but traveling will still be down slightly from last year. Officials calculated approximately 30.9 million people plan to drive to their destination, a small decline from the 31 […] [Read More]

Maybe only in 2008 have used-car managers faced so many inventory challenges at the same time — spiking fuel costs and wholesale prices creating major headaches about how to find units that will turn. Some welcomed relief might be ahead soon according to NADA Used Car Guide. Edmunds.com agreed but not before giving a blunt […] [Read More]

Based on the healthy results from new-vehicle dealers during the first quarter, the auto industry appears to be “well into recovery,” according to Paul Taylor, chief economist with the National Automobile Dealers Association. Total sales for new-car dealers in the first quarter climbed 22.5 percent on a year-over-year basis, the association’s latest Dealership Financial Profile […] [Read More]

With energy and food costs rising and the economic outlook remaining murky, auto shopping activity fell sequentially for the first time in six months during April, according to Dataium, which said it hopes this decline is just a blip on the radar. The company’s Auto Shopper Intensity index had tapered somewhat in February before becoming […] [Read More]

In some good news for the auto industry, the Federal Trade Commission said this week that dealers have been doing a good job adhering to a rule that deals with consumer protection in credit contracts. The FTC examined 50 dealerships throughout the U.S. to see how well they complied with the commission’s Rule Concerning Preservation […] [Read More]

It appears that brands known throughout the years for luxury and status are now being equated with fuel efficiency and economic value, according to a report on Forbes.com. In light of this emerging trend, Forbes.com offered a list of luxury rides with fuel economies of 30 miles per gallon or higher. The number of luxury […] [Read More]

The new-vehicle market will likely hit the pre-recession norm of 16 million annual unit sales the year after next, according to a study from  the A.T. Kearney consulting firm, which is projecting 2011 new-vehicle sales will reach 13.2 million units. Furthermore, the firm suggests that the new- and used-vehicle markets are apt to benefit from […] [Read More]