In addition to announcing the acquisition of a Nissan store in California late last week, Lithia Motors shared a sneak peek Monday of what its third-quarter results might entail, including some projected used-car numbers. According to preliminary results, Lithia increased its used retail same-store sales by 13 percent during Q3. However, there was some pressure […] [Read More]

Tesla’s new certified pre-owned program will definitely serve to make the Model S accessible to more shoppers, but one question remains. Will the certified move bring the automaker more buyers? The first of the Model S vehicles sold are nearing three-years old, and with Tesla’s recently launched consumer lease program as well as the option […] [Read More]

In an expansion to their existing partnership in the certified pre-owned space, Carfax will be including all Ford- and Lincoln-brand CPO vehicles on its Carfax Used Car Listings website. Ford will continue to provide free Carfax Vehicle History Reports on all of its Ford and Lincoln CPO vehicles, requiring that all Ford/Lincoln certified rides have […] [Read More]

A pair of Asian automakers — Nissan North America and Mitsubishi Motors North America — told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration they are conducting separate recall campaigns covering a combined total of more than 380,000 vehicles. Nissan’s recall is for just a single model — the 2013 Altima manufactured between March 6, 2012 and […] [Read More]

On Thursday, Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk revealed his new all-wheel drive version of the Tesla Model S — designated by the letter “D”, which stands for dual motor — as well as a series of impressive driver assistance systems. And though this double-motor technology allows the car to race from 0 to 60 mph […] [Read More]

Auto Remarketing has officially announced its 2014 CPO Dealer of the Year, presented by NCM Associates, and earning this year’s honors is Hyundai of New Port Richey. This dealership, located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, was featured as Hyundai’s top certified pre-owned seller in “The Best CPO Dealers in the USA” issue of Auto […] [Read More]

Less than five months after debuting the Q auto program in Tampa, Fla., another stand-alone used-car store from Asbury Automotive Group has officially opened, the retailer announced this morning. The second store under the Q auto brand is located in Jacksonville, Fla. The company is aiming for Q auto to be a “different approach to car […] [Read More]

I’ve discussed the various issues that are putting gross margins under pressure. Those factors aside, there’s another barrier that dealers have to contend with — the fact that consumers come to the dealership armed with more knowledge than ever. When the amateur knows more than the professionals on your lot, it’s difficult for salespeople to […] [Read More]

So far I’ve discussed two factors that are putting gross profit margins under pressure: market-based pricing and the impending increase in the supply of used cars. There’s a third element to this equation: the fact that dealers have fundamentally changed their pricing strategy without also changing their sales and marketing approach. That has led to a […] [Read More]

A little more than a week after Ford announced a formal recall of more than 850,000 midsize sedans, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration formally launched an investigation into another estimated 938,000 late-model vehicles from the Blue Oval. The investigation is connected with the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ from the 2010 through 2012 model […] [Read More]