Add yet another public dealer group to the growing standalone used-car store movement. Penske Automotive Group announced Thursday morning that it has signed a deal to buy CarSense, a Northeast-based standalone used-car retailer. CarSense — whose no-haggle model focuses on late-model units — has five stores throughout the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia metro areas, including southern […] [Read More]

CarMax announced the opening of two new San Francisco Bay Area stores on Monday. A store in Santa Rosa and one in Fremont now join CarMax’s Pleasanton store, the company’s first store in the region that opened in May. The three stores have brought more than 200 jobs to the area this year. Both the […] [Read More]

On Tuesday, AutoNation announced that the country music group Eli Young Band is scheduled to perform at its AutoNation Cure Bowl Tailgate Party and Concert, a benefit for breast cancer research. "We are pleased to join AutoNation in the fight against cancer,” said the Eli Young Band in a statement. “This disease hits close to […] [Read More]

In a forecast released Tuesday, TrueCar projects close to 2.86 million used-vehicle sales this month, which would be a 6.1-percent year-over-year slide. Last week, Edmunds.com called for roughly 2.8 million used-car sales in November, which would be down from 3.1 million in October. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate for used-car sales, however, is likely to […] [Read More]

Certified pre-owned is taking thicker slices of that franchised dealer used-car sales pie. In fact, CPO share has reached a new landmark. In the third quarter, 23.2 percent of used-vehicle sales at franchised dealers were certified, according to the latest Used Vehicle Market Report from Edmunds.com. Certified pre-owned’s Q3 share has never before reached this […] [Read More]

On Tuesday, Lithia Motors announced the acquisition of Honolulu Ford in Honolulu, Hawaii. "We are pleased to welcome the newest members of the Lithia family with the addition of Honolulu Ford, our fifth store in the state of Hawaii,” said Bryan DeBoer, Lithia president and chief executive officer. “Clustering locations in a condensed geographic area […] [Read More]

On Monday, Dealer.com announced that General Motors certified its Digital Advertising Solution as an in-Market Retail (iMR) Turnkey Product. The approval gives GM Dealers access to purchase Dealer.com's advertising product and receive co-op reimbursement from GM for their investment. "GM's approval of Dealer.com Advertising will create more lucrative advertising and sales opportunities for their entire […] [Read More]

Costco Auto Program has announced that the Chevrolet Corvette is now available during its General Motors Holiday Sales Event. “We are excited to be able to offer an additional value with General Motors on the distinctive Corvette,” said John Conlon, services director at Costco. “This opportunity for Corvette enthusiasts to be able to purchase their dream […] [Read More]

Swapalease.com’s inaugural quarterly leasing report paints a mostly rosy picture of the lease market. Most brands saw search activity fall during the third quarter as compared to the second quarter,  with a few domestics brands, such as Chevrolet and Ram, seeing gains. Swapalease expects that to reverse in the fourth quarter as holiday shopping accelerates. When […] [Read More]

Swapalease.com reported that lease credit approval rates of registered applicants are noticeably down in comparison to last year. October's rate was 61.5 percent, a decrease from 75 percent a year prior. And October's rate was down 4.9 percent from September. Swapalease.com said lease credit approval rates have shifted from month to month throughout the year. "We expect […] [Read More]