Why did you decide to enter the car business? Why did you go into that first dealership looking for a job? Joe Verde Sales & Management Training Inc. tackled questions such as these and found the majority of car salespeople chose the position because of the income potential. According to an online survey of auto […] [Read More]

Dealer interest in the Auto Remarketing Canada conference, presented by CarProof, continues to build as the conference draws closer, according to conference organizers. “It has been gratifying to see just how many dealers have been drawn back to the event to join us for another year,” said Bill Zadeits, conference chair. “We’re also seeing new […] [Read More]

AutoNation retailed close to 205,000 used vehicles in 2013, which was good for a 13.1-percent improvement during what turned out to be a record year on the earnings side for the nation’s largest dealer group. The company’s adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations for full-year 2013 of $2.98 was an all-time high; likewise, the […] [Read More]

In late January, TrueCar.com was calling for used-vehicle sales north of 4 million units for the month, with a new-to-used ratio under 1:3. This projection comes after CNW Research forecasted a much lower number: 2.32 million used sales for the month. The forecasted sum from CNW would be a 1.6-percent year-over-year decrease. But as CNW […] [Read More]

The new 2015 Chrysler 200, revealed at the 2014 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January, is set to hit the markets in the second quarter. Amid the market buzz about the new model, David Paris, automotive analyst for NADA Used Car Guide, took a look back at the original 200 on NADA […] [Read More]

Almost exactly a year ago, AutoNation’s management was discussing its used-car performance during a conference call with analysts and said to expect stronger results from the retailer on the pre-owned side in the future. It appears they were spot-on. Reviewing annual results from 2012, AutoNation acknowledged at the time that its performance in used (relative […] [Read More]

As the first month of the new year draws to a close analysts are predicting January’s SAAR will be the highest seen for the month since 2007, easily reaching pre-recession levels. The January forecast translates into a SAAR of 15.7 million new-car sales, up 2.1 percent from December 2013 and up 3.3 percent over January […] [Read More]

How important is treating your customer right? According to a pair of recently released studies, it might mean the difference between a sale and a walk-away. AutoTrader.com says in its analysis released today that the “dealership experience” at a store — especially “customer handling” — is integral in shaping where car shoppers ultimately buy. In […] [Read More]

Did that showroom visitor begin his car search on your website? A new sales attribution report aims to let dealers know. Announced late last week is a new agreement between Polk (recently acquired by IHS) and HookLogic that offers full attribution on dealers’ marketing spend. Customers of HookLogic’s AutoHook Suite of Solutions will now receive […] [Read More]

CNW’s Art Spinella says January isn’t the best month to try and decipher how the used-car market will “shake out,” so sales numbers this month might not indicate the environment for the rest of the year. That said, Spinella outlined slight declines across the board in the company’s latest Retail Automotive Summary. Franchised dealers are […] [Read More]