The American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) is seeking nominations for one of the highest honors the organization gives. AIADA asked for nominees to be considered for the David F. Mungenast Sr. Lifetime Achievement Award, which is presented each year during AIADA’s annual meeting and luncheon to a member of the international nameplate auto retail […] [Read More]

For Mazda dealerships in need of qualified technicians for their service drive or reconditioning center, help appears to be on the way. On Wednesday, Lincoln Educational Services Corp. introduced Mazda Automotive Student Training (MAST) at its Union, N.J., campus. School officials said through a news release that students who are enrolled in automotive technology training […] [Read More]

CarMax and Sheehy Auto Stores are both expanding, but in different ways. While CarMax outlined its aggressive hiring strategy for the remainder of the year, Sheehy added two more rooftops to its portfolio of dealerships located near Washington D.C., Baltimore, Hagerstown, Md., and Richmond, Va. According to a news release from Performance Brokerage Services, the […] [Read More]

The Feldman Automotive Group has expanded its presence in Michigan with the purchase of Detroit’s Jorgensen Ford from seller Merlton Brandenburg. The store is now Feldman Ford of Detroit. The acquisition, announced Friday, means Feldman has 17 stores throughout Michigan and Ohio. That tally includes five Buckeye State stores in which the group has partnered […] [Read More]

Hello Auto Group has grown its Southern California presence with two new dealerships: John Hine Mazda Temecula and John Hine Subaru Temecula. The acquisition was finalized on Oct. 4. The John Hine franchise has been a respected name in California for more than 60 years, while Hello Auto Group is a relative newcomer to the comunity. However, the dealer […] [Read More]

General Motors chose  a former Nordstrom and Walt Disney executive as its chief digital officer, a move that will be effective on Oct. 16. Edward Kummer, in his new role at GM, will be responsible for building and delivering a holistic digital business guided by GM's growth strategy, leading a newly formed Digital Business team, and accelerating […] [Read More]

And now your dealership M&A coverage continues with a Texas two-step.  The Dallas-Fort Worth area, to be specific. First up, Houston-based Group 1 Automotive announced Monday it has purchased two dealerships in the DFW market: Classic Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Denton and Classic Mazda of Denton.  The retailer anticipates these dealerships will generate annualized […] [Read More]

Charlotte, N.C.-based Sonic Automotive is pushing growth of its pre-owned only branch — EchoPark Automotive — with the opening of a new delivery center, this time in New Orleans. This delivery center opening — the first in the state of Louisiana and the 31st for EchoPark — is a reflection of the dealer group's continued effort to […] [Read More]

The wave of M&A activity has been one of the biggest storylines in the auto industry this year, particularly among dealers and dealer groups, and that continues as October gets underway. Starting with some news involving CarMax, the retailer has finished divesting its new-car dealership franchises with the sale of CarMax Kenosha Toyota to the Rydell […] [Read More]

Sonic Automotive announced on Monday it has named a chief marketing officer and a chief revenue officer for its EchoPark Automotive standalone used-car store program. Dino Bernacchi is EchoPark's first CMO and will lead the Sonic pre-owned stores'  marketing as nationwide expansion continues. Most recently, Bernacchi served as the senior vice president of marketing for the Cleveland Browns NFL franchise. And […] [Read More]