Annette Sykora said providing assistance is an auto industry hallmark. Sykora, who is chair of the NADA Foundation and dealer principal of Smith South Plains Ford Lincoln in Levelland, Texas, was discussing a recent $25,000 donation from global lifestyle and housing services provider Assurant to the National Automobile Dealers Association Foundation’s Emergency Relief Fund. “The Emergency […] [Read More]

Continuing efforts to help build a strong pipeline of minority talent for the automotive industry, CDK Global and the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers, or NAMAD, have opened the application process for an annual scholarship program. The program is called the Fueling Careers Scholarship Program, and it is the fifth year of the program. […] [Read More]

AutoNation sold fewer retail used vehicles last year, but closed 2020 with a bump in pre-owned sales during the fourth quarter. And the dealer group’s used-vehicle retail sales were more profitable. Here’s a recap of some of the used-car specifics in AutoNation’s full-year and Q4 earnings released Tuesday, including what it has in store for […] [Read More]

AutoNation has finished selling off its stake in online retailer Vroom, an investment that ultimately resulted in a $165 million cash gain for the largest dealership group in the U.S. That wasn’t the only major news announced Tuesday morning by AutoNation, which reported full-year and fourth quarter 2020 earnings. The auto retailer has a new chairman […] [Read More]

The flurry of dealership M&A moves continues in February. We start with a public retailer from the Northwest that has expanded its presence in the Southeast. Lithia Motors & Driveway announced last week that the group has purchased a Land Rover dealership and a Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram store from Fields Auto Group. Both locations […] [Read More]

AutoAp has launched an online service to help auto dealers assess their current safety recall management capabilities. A recalls-as-a-service (RaaS) company, AutoAp said the new online service is called Safety Recall Performance (SRPsm) Assessment. Free to dealers until March 31, it also provides recommendations on how to improve recall repair management. AutoAp, which said its research […] [Read More]

The episode of the Auto Remarketing Podcast found below is an updated version of the episode posted Wednesday with Jay Maxwell of the Costco Auto Program, edited for better sound quality. Maxwell returned to the show to provide an update on the program, including the pre-owned side of the business. The full episode can be found […] [Read More]

In what appears to be a growing pattern among the public retailers reporting earnings results thus far, Penske Automotive Group had lower used-vehicle retail volume, but their pre-owned operations were more profitable. Below is a rundown of some of the used-car specifics in the group’s retail automotive operations results shared in its latest earnings report. Overall […] [Read More]

The auto industry has been very rewarding for Jaime Drabzcak. “So what I would say to anybody considering it: Try it. You probably will fall in love with it,” said Drabzcak, who is general manager of Morrie’s Automotive Group in Minnetonka, Minn. Drabzcak made those comments as part of a video submission from her dealer […] [Read More]

Ford has partnered with its dealers to launch a digital used-vehicle marketplace, powered by Autotrader, that provides an expanded selection of Ford certified pre-owned vehicles and a more streamlined, flexible way for used-car shoppers and the automaker’s dealers to connect. With this Ford Blue Advantage platform, launching Thursday during NADA Show 2021, Ford dealers can […] [Read More]