COSTA MESA, Calif. — Automakers have rolled out unprecedented incentives and rebates this month, according to NADAguides.com, which recently released what it considers to be the top deals for May. The site said the "standouts" for the month are Chevrolet, Ford, Honda and Toyota. Chevrolet, for example, is providing customers with $6,500 cash back when they […] [Read More]

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — LeasePlan USA appointed a new vice president of sales for the West region on Monday. Named to the position is Kathy Fairbanks, who has 22 years of experience in sales and management. In her new position, Fairbanks will head up new business development in the mid- and large-fleet market segments for her territory, which […] [Read More]

ESCONDIDO, Calif. — Premier Recovery Service received a repossession assignment earlier this year and immediately went to work on tracking down the collateral near where the contract originated in San Diego. Searching for the debtor through Facebook revealed the vehicle wasn't anywhere near the agent's home base or even in southern California. Premier Recovery Service owner […] [Read More]

ATLANTA — The Ram Truck Brand joined up with country music act Zac Brown Band late last week to kick off a national letter-writing campaign targeted to U.S. soldiers. The campaign, "Letters for Lyrics," has the goal of sending 1 million letters to troops deployed around the world. In exchange for writing a letter to a […] [Read More]

IRVINE, Calif. — Toyota has apparently been knocked off the top of Kelley Blue Book's Automotive Brand Indicator, which gauges brand strength based on a number of consumer perception- and behavior-related factors. Coming in at No. 1 for the first quarter of 2010 is Ford, the "darling of the industry," as a KBB executive put it.  Toyota has […] [Read More]

CARY, N.C. — Whether or not they were from a franchise store for that domestic automaker, readers went to AutoRemarketing.com to learn the latest about Chrysler dealer arbitration. News about dealer litigation in Canada also drew plenty of interest this past week. The top five stories from AutoRemarketing.com this week are: 1. Chrysler Says It's Successful in […] [Read More]

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Experian Automotive attempted to look beyond the major industry headlines of 2009 such as automaker bankruptcies and Cash for Clunkers and share other intriguing trends coming to the forefront. A topic that kept returning by Webinar presenter Jeffrey Anderson was how much CUVs have taken hold in the market. Anderson indicated that the […] [Read More]

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — The cost to own a vehicle can vary greatly from state to state, sometimes by more than $10,000 over five years for the exact same vehicle, according to Edmunds.com, which recently investigated how expensive it is to own vehicles in specific states. Edmunds.com research indicated that the state with the highest average five-year […] [Read More]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently reiterated his praise for the success of last year's Cash for Clunkers program. This time, LaHood's comments came as a reaction to positive reports from the DOT Office of Inspector General and the General Accounting Office. Federal officials believe Cash for Clunkers successfully completed its top objectives set […] [Read More]

ATLANTA — In a round of lending announced Tuesday, AutoTrader.com can tap into a new set of funds thanks to a financing arrangement it made with Goldman Sachs Lending Partners LLC and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association that provides the company with senior secured revolving credit and term loan facilities in an aggregate principal amount of […] [Read More]