Phone call monitoring company CallRevu has partnered with customer relationship management system provider VinSolutions to produce a platform that the companies say will help automotive dealers more efficiently connect with potential customers, and log sales calls in a centralized location. The companies say the new platform, called VinSolutions Connect CRM, will help dealers “maximize each […] [Read More]

New-vehicle sales might be softening so far this year, but franchised dealerships themselves are turning at a significant pace. Kerrigan Advisors reported that this year’s dealership buy/sell market rocketed to a strong start in Q1 with 54 completed transactions, representing a 38.5% increase year-over-year. Analysts said in the First Quarter 2019 Blue Sky Report that […] [Read More]

The nation’s largest retailer of used vehicles is a serious contender in the retail race to allow consumers to skip the dealership to buy, finance and arrange home delivery of vehicles. CarMax is supporting the expansion of its omnichannel sales experience — which describes buying a car online, by phone, text or email, in-store or […] [Read More]

Tim Cox, who is one of the founders of CarNow, said his company reached out to the top five dealers using its BuyNow digital retail platform and asked what had enabled their success. The common thread of their responses? "You have to have a champion inside your store. Period,” Cox said in an interview earlier […] [Read More]

Autotrader describes Cadillac’s certified pre-owned program as one of the best in the industry, and in June, Cadillac is offering several incentives on CPO vehicles. Cadillac is making its ATS compact luxury car, the SRX crossover and Escalade SUV available with 2.9% interest for up to 60 months to qualified buyers. Autotrader says that is “an […] [Read More]

Next month’s Automotive Intelligence Summit will have at least three of North Carolina’s most well-known and digitally savvy dealership groups on hand for a panel on “Auto Dealerships & The Digital Revolution: What’s Next?” The session, moderated by North Carolina Automobile Dealers Association president Bob Glaser, will include: Eric Flow, President of Management Services, Flow […] [Read More]

Auto sales have faced slightly downward pressure so far in 2019, especially in April when, according to a May 2 story in Autoweek, U.S. auto sales declined 2.3%, despite having an extra selling day in the month and having the benefit of the spring selling season as an added incentive for car shoppers. With the monthly […] [Read More]

Group 1 Automotive said this week it has launched an online car-buying platform in the U.S. called AcceleRide that will let shoppers buy new or used cars completely online without leaving home — if they so choose. Consumers can utilize the platform to browse more than 38,000 cars; customize options like vehicle configuration, accessories and warranty […] [Read More]

Lithia Motors has bought its first store in West Virginia, the dealer group said Wednesday.  West Virginia is now the 19th state in the expanding Lithia network as the company added Ford Lincoln of Morgantown, which was previously named Freedom Ford. The group said the new addition is an example of how Lithia acquires stores “with […] [Read More]

Before Wednesday, Carvana already had a strong presence in Florida. That presence got even stronger as the company announced it would expand in central Florida, offering as-soon-as-next-day vehicle delivery to Lakeland and North Port. Carvana founder and chief executive officer Ernie Garcia said in a news release that some of the company’s earliest markets were in […] [Read More]