With fewer weekends to move metal, most used- and new-vehicle sales projections from TrueCar, Edmunds.com and Kelley Blue Book consisted of varying degrees of softening against year-ago results. However, TrueCar’s used-vehicle sales projection for May was a bit upbeat as analysts expect this month’s total sales — including franchised and independent dealership turns as well […] [Read More]

TrueCar has hired former Autotrader executive Paul Edmonds as its senior vice president of dealer marketing and operations. His most recent post was at RiskIQ, an external threat Internet security company where he had been since December 2014. Prior to that, Edmonds had been in various roles with Autotrader and Trader Publishing Co. for 15 years. […] [Read More]

On a Monday in late April 2015, Auction Direct USA announced that it was partnering with the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association to offer NIADA Certified Pre-Owned vehicles at its stores. A few days later, NIADA and Auction Direct leaders gathered at the latter’s Raleigh, N.C., store for a ceremony to celebrate the partnership. Auction […] [Read More]

LotVantage, a provider of digital marketing solutions for automotive, marine, powersports, RV, trailer and outdoor power equipment dealerships, promoted Jim Jabaay to vice president. In an announcement on Friday, the company recapped that Jabaay joined LotVantage in late 2014 to operate the company’s sales and marketing teams. The company highlighted that his experience in the automotive […] [Read More]

The Costco Auto Program has announced an exclusive partnership with BraunAbility that will enable Costco members in some areas to receive low, prearranged pricing on new or pre-owned mobility vehicles, plus discounts on equipment, parts and service. The partnership aims to provide Costco members who face physical challenges with discounted options for easy vehicle entry. […] [Read More]

With the millions of recalls in the pipeline nowadays, compliance expert Randy Henrick contends dealerships find themselves in “a difficult situation,” especially in light of how the Federal Trade Commission settled with General Motors and two large dealership groups about how certified pre-owned vehicles are marketed. Back in January, the FTC indicated GM as well […] [Read More]

The dealership phone is ringing. It’s a potential buyer interested in a vehicle listed on your store’s website. GWC Warranty offered three recommendations so dealers can capitalize on these Internet leads that find their way to the store phone lines. GWC Warranty also touched on three pitfalls that can turn that ringing phone into a […] [Read More]

Of the more than 35,000 vehicles serviced each day by Valvoline Instant Oil Change, nearly 1 in 4 has an open manufacturer recall, according to an analysis by Carfax. Thanks to a partnership between the two companies, Valvoline will now check vehicles serviced at any of its locations for open recalls using myCarfax.com to send […] [Read More]

AutoLoop LLC, a provider of auto industry marketing and customer relationship management solutions, has partnered with Recall Masters Inc. to help streamline the recall lookup process and help bridge the recall-service gap. Recall Masters, which provides automotive recall news, data, training and communication, will be integrated into AutoLoop’s Fixed Ops Suite, resulting in what the […] [Read More]

Even before the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration expanded the Takata airbag inflator recall earlier this month, several of the large publicly traded dealer groups were encountering the rippling impact observers such as Kelley Blue Book described. Leaders from AutoNation, Asbury Automotive Group and Sonic Automotive each touched on how they’re handling the challenges of […] [Read More]