As the company continues to “invest significantly in automotive retail digital technology,” AutoNation has hired a chief technology officer to head up the retailer’s technology, IT development and digital platforms. Named executive vice president and CTO, effective Oct. 31, is Tom Conophy, whose background includes time with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Intercontinental Hotels Group […] [Read More]

The used-vehicle department at Lithia Motors turned in another sterling performance during the third quarter as the dealer group reported double-digit improvements in both same-store and overall used-retail sales. On a same-store basis, Lithia indicated the rise came in at 11 percent. Altogether, group stores retailed 29,636 units during Q3, representing a 13-percent jump year-over-year. […] [Read More]

Group 1 Automotive saw a 2.2-percent bump in its used vehicle revenues during the third quarter, thanks to higher unit sales. When eliminating for the effects of exchange rate fluctuations, i.e. adjusting for constant currency, that increase was 4.8 percent. Consolidated results (representing the company’s U.S. and international operations) for the three months ended Sept. 30 […] [Read More]

Dent Wizard International, which specializes in automotive reconditioning and SMART (Small to Medium Area Repair Techniques) repairs, has promoted Eric Walker to regional finance director for the south region of the company’s F&I business. The south region includes Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Walker will focus on growing Dent Wizard’s F&I products and […] [Read More]

Experian’s latest State of Auto Finance Market Report made headlines, painting a rosy picture for the used-vehicle market. Overall, pre-owned vehicles accounted for 55.61 percent of all financing in the second quarter of 2016. Consumers across all credit tiers are flocking to pre-owned vehicles, with super-prime and prime consumers accounting for 44.95 percent of all […] [Read More]

BW Dealership Advisors — a Brady Ware-affiliated retail automotive consulting firm dedicated to offering consulting, fraud mitigation, accounting and tax services — announced this week that it has expanded its services to help dealers attract and engage clients online. The new digital capabilities will be led by Nick Brunotte, who joined the firm as senior […] [Read More]

Grab your smartphone, tablet or camera. DealerPeople is inviting all salespeople to shoot a short video showing their best walk-around for a chance to win up to $1,000. Through Dec. 31, salespeople can upload their walk-around videos, and DealerPeople will select the best three winners in early January. First place will receive $1,000, second place […] [Read More]

Over 30 percent of respondents to a recent Total Dealer Compliance survey said they have submitted a complaint to a dealership, and more than half of them were dissatisfied with the resolution provided. TDC said the findings illustrate the importance of a clear complaint resolution process. In fact, 60 percent of consumers admitted that they […] [Read More]

Building a successful certified pre-owned program takes work — and an in-depth understanding of your customer base. If you have a good grasp of your customers’ needs, you can easily identify which ones will be a good fit for a CPO vehicle. And by targeting those customers effectively, you can tap into today’s profitable CPO […] [Read More]

Wheel’s Automotive Dealer Supplies will award $500 gift cards to three lucky dealers during Used Car Week next month. The gift cards are redeemable toward Wheel’s extensive line of custom, print-on-demand signs, banners, window stickers, hang tags, flags, and multi-dimensional merchandising solutions. Visitors may enter the drawing by visiting booth No. 210 at Used Car Week, […] [Read More]