There is certainly a caveat to the inroads the certified pre-owned world has made with new-car shoppers, but that Catch 22  leaves room for growth. Consider these findings from the AutoTrader.com 2013 Certified Pre-Owned Study. Although CPO consideration has increased among new-car shoppers, their overall familiarity with specific details of CPO program has shown a […] [Read More]

In the latest post on his blog, vAuto founder Dale Pollak shared a reply to a note he received from a Velocity dealer, outlining an aging problem dealers normally see as the year comes to a close. First, here is the letter Pollak received: Dale, While my stores have had your software for over four […] [Read More]

As of press time Tuesday, a few brands were already reporting certified pre-owned sales results from November, and several were quite strong. Here is a rundown: Hyundai moved 6,118 certified vehicles for the month, up 5.7 percent from November 2012.  Year-to-date sales are at 69,907 units, a 9.6-percent hike. Kia sold 3,094 CPO units in […] [Read More]

Children: the one theme that everyone can relate to. We were all once children; some have children. But either way, the concept is something we all take stock in. And as “relatability” is being coined as one of the most important elements of automotive advertising, many brands have begun including a younger set of actors […] [Read More]

On Tuesday, CarMax announced the 10 winners of the CarMax Foundation's fourth annual CarMax Cares Community Service Award that highlights the philanthropic work of its personnel. The company explained associates across the country were nominated for the CarMax Cares Community Service Award for their personal volunteer efforts and leadership in community giving. Winners of the […] [Read More]

Not only did used-car sales go up more than 4 percent last month, significantly more people ventured out of their own markets to buy used vehicles. That’s according to CNW Research, which said Monday that there were 3.10 million used sales in November, a 4.5-percent year-over-year increase. And the number of those buyers who left […] [Read More]

There’s an art and science to crafting compelling descriptions for used vehicles—and plenty of questions among dealers about how to make their descriptions shine online. One common misconception: The descriptions that appear on search results pages (SRPs) and vehicle details pages (VDPs) on classified and dealer websites aren’t really the best home for dealers’ search […] [Read More]

In an effort to enhance performance within its North American operations, Nissan announced last week a series of leadership shifts. Commenting on the news, Jose Munoz, who becomes chairman of Nissan North America effective Jan. 1, said, "These moves will help us achieve the objectives of Nissan's Power 88 mid-term business plan in the newly […] [Read More]

For the fourth time in the past year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Ford is recalling the 2013 Escape through two different campaigns to correct critical fluid leaks. The larger campaign covering 139,917 units equipped with 1.6L engines is because the affected vehicles may experience localized overheating of the engine cylinder head, which […] [Read More]

Some dealers, auctions and other businesses are still playing catch up when it comes to digital marketing, but the early adopters are now reaping the rewards of being ahead of the game. Doug MacIver Jr., is inventory and Internet manager at RideTime, a Winnipeg, Manitoba, dealership. He says that as an early adopter of digital […] [Read More]