In addition to announcing its first EchoPark Automotive retail hub location in Nevada this week, Sonic Automotive said Thursday that starting Sept. 1, it will increase its minimum employee wage to $15 an hour. The retailer has approximately 8,500 teammates working at its franchised dealerships and EchoPark locations across the country. “Our people are our greatest asset, […] [Read More]

When Urban Science released statistics and insights from its 2021 Mid-Year Automotive Franchise Activity Report (FAR), analysts said “an interesting observation is that California has returned to the list of most active states adding the dealerships.” The report indicated a small uptick in dealership rooftops nationwide and an increase in sales throughput. But it’s the […] [Read More]

There’s a strong connection between the auto industry and motorsports — particularly among dealership groups — and one Michigan auto retailer is adding to it this weekend. With its sponsorship of driver Josh Bilicki of Rick Ware Racing, Sunday’s Firekeepers Casino 400 at the Michigan International Speedway will mark the first time that Zeigler Auto Group […] [Read More]

The certified pre-owned vehicle market continues to rocket toward what would be the 10th record year in the past 11. CPO sales through seven months are up more than 4% from 2019, which was the best year ever for certified, and are beating 2020 figures by 15%. That’s according to a Cox Automotive analysis of […] [Read More]

Sonic Automotive said Tuesday it has opened an EchoPark Automotive delivery center in Austin, which marks the seventh Texas location for Sonic’s standalone used-car program. The retailer plans on opening approximately 25 EchoPark locations a year (including 20 delivery centers and five medium or large retail hubs) from 2021 to 2025. The company anticipates covering 25% […] [Read More]

Lithia is tackling Dallas expansion with the help of a former New York Giants linebacker.  In an update Tuesday, Lithia & Driveway said it added two open points in Texas, including one in which it teamed with former NFL star Jesse Armstead. For its new Grapevine Honda store in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, Lithia partnered with […] [Read More]

One of the reasons Cherokee Media Group added the National Auto Venture & Investors Conference (NAVIcon) was because of how much investment activity is happening in automotive nowadays. Another development surfaced on Monday, as Turo announced that it has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating […] [Read More]

Dealership mergers and acquisitions aren’t just involving large groups absorbing multiple rooftops nowadays. Performance Brokerage Services aided in the transaction of a North Carolina franchised store from a single owner to a married couple looking to relocate and run their own store. On Thursday, Performance Brokerage Services announced the sale of Baker Chevrolet in Red […] [Read More]

Quantum5 wants to transform dealership training and bridge the gap between traditional and digital customers. To help the firm accomplish that goal, the company recently welcomed a new vice president of content strategy who has a background with automakers’ operations in both the U.S. and Canada. Taking on the role is Terry Staggs, who will […] [Read More]

As it turns out, EchoPark isn’t the only piece of Sonic Automotive with expansion plans. In addition to the growth in its line of standalone used-car stores, Sonic plans to increase its presence on the franchise new-car dealer side. For the most part, the geographic footprint of Sonic’s 86 franchised dealerships includes the majority of […] [Read More]