SANTA MONICA, Calif. — New-vehicle sales will likely top 1 million units in March, according to TrueCar.com, which also projects a tightly contested sales race between Ford, General Motors and Toyota for the industry's No. 1 spot not only for March, but also for "much of the rest of the year." Specifically, TrueCar.com forecasts U.S. light-vehicle sales (including […] [Read More]

IRVINE, Calif. — In spite of its recalls, Toyota has still managed to hold its ground quite well in IntelliChoice.com's "Best Deals of the Month" rankings, as it was, again, well represented when the site rolled out its March winners late last week. As most know, the Best Deals list recognizes vehicles across 31 segments that […] [Read More]

CARY, N.C. — Cherokee Automotive Group Analytics released the last results of its initial three-part study today. Of the participants surveyed, 57 percent are in the remarketing industry, while 33 percent are in both the remarketing and repossession industries. About 10 percent are just in the repo industry. When asked what is the most critical part […] [Read More]

RALEIGH, N.C. — Given a choice, every lender would prefer to keep the debtor in the vehicle. Once an asset goes out for repossession, the outcome is usually a loss that must be charged off. Even in today's booming used-car market and with the higher asset valuations lenders are experiencing at auction, the likelihood that a lender will […] [Read More]

LOS ANGELES — Westlake Financial Services announced late last week that it has created a new division to will specialize in portfolio acquisition services. The new division, called Westlake Advanced Lending & Portfolio Services, was created to expand the company's product offerings and provide a new source of liquidity for the automotive financial market, according to […] [Read More]

IRVINE, Calif. — The latest Hot Car Report from Kelley Blue Book's Kbb.com revealed consumer tastes are trending to more practical vehicles rather than SUVs that have enjoyed great success for years. Four of the five vehicles enjoying the most shopping activity growth on the site were sedans. That group included the Chrysler 300, which had […] [Read More]

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — Following a sluggish February dampened by auto recalls and wintry weather, incentive programs have lifted dealership traffic in March, leading to much improved new-vehicle retail sales that are expected to climb 25 percent year-over-year, according to J.D. Power and Associates. More specifically, J.D. Power projects U.S. new-vehicle retail sales will reach […] [Read More]

FRANKLIN, Tenn. — The marketing executive who headed up the widely successful Hyundai Assurance Program last year has moved over to a rival automaker. Nissan North America has hired Joel Ewanick — who previously was vice president of marketing for Hyundai Motor America — to be the vice president of marketing for the Nissan division, a move that […] [Read More]

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — In the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study unveiled on Thursday, Porsche topped the list of all nameplates and Japanese automakers led the individual segment awards, but domestics made impressive showings, as well. In fact, three of the top five spots in the nameplate rankings were held by Big 3 […] [Read More]

COSTA MESA, Calif. — Dealers who specialize in trucks will again see familiar models when reviewing the 2010 Truck Buying Guide recently announced by NADAguides.com. Taking the spot in the highly competitive half-ton category was the 2010 Ford F-150. Site analysts also picked a Ford unit in the one-ton segment, going with the 2010 Ford F-350 […] [Read More]