The emphasis on advertising in December focused around performance and innovation, according to Phoenix Automotive’s latest “Auto Insights” report. And it seems to be attracting consumers, as the percentage of shoppers in the market for a new car and planning to purchase a in the next three months grew in December. That number increased slightly […] [Read More]

More than a couple handfuls of import brands posted all-time bests for certified pre-owned sales last year, according to Autodata Corp., which said that the collective full-year sales totals for both Asian- and European-brand sales were up by double-digit percentages. Joining Ford/Mercury/Lincoln as best-ever full-year CPO achievers were Audi, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, […] [Read More]

Many dealers are suffering from the “big squeeze” in used vehicles. The effects of the “big squeeze” are easy to identify. Dealers are paying higher costs to acquire and recondition used vehicles, and seeing a greater degree of pressure on retail prices and front-end gross profits. We can thank increased competition among dealers to find […] [Read More]

Though the overwhelming majority of brands across the spectrum showed certified pre-owned growth, 2013 was an especially promising year in the CPO business for domestic automakers. The Big 3 grabbed an additional 2.3 points of CPO market share in 2013 and lifted their full-year certified sales by nearly 24 percent, according to preliminary industry results […] [Read More]

AutoNation’s chief financial officer Mike Short is leaving the company. The move was effective Tuesday, and the company has appointed Cheryl Scully, vice president and treasurer, as interim CFO, as the company searches for a new exec to fill the position. Mike Short said, "I've enjoyed my seven years at AutoNation, and I am proud […] [Read More]

Recent battles in the courtroom regarding Tesla’s direct sales model doesn’t seem to have slowed the automaker’s development efforts much, if recent news is any indicator. Tesla revealed Tuesday it has entered into an exclusive agreement with AT&T to enable current and future Tesla vehicles in North America with high speed wireless connectivity. The automaker […] [Read More]

According to a preliminary report from Autodata Corp., full-year certified pre-owned sales figures for 2013 came to a total of 2.11 million units. The best annual results in CPO history, this marked the first time the industry has ever sold 2 million or more certified vehicles in a year, Autodata said. Fittingly, the year closed […] [Read More]

Sun Tzu said, “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” As I look ahead to the coming year, I see a trifecta of potential trouble for dealers. First, dealers will want to continue the pace of renewed new/used sales volumes and profitability they’ve enjoyed this year (2013). Second, consumers will […] [Read More]

ADP Dealer Services Inc.  announced it has reached an integration agreement with CenPOS Inc., as part of an effort to simplify and improve dealership billing and payment processes. CenPOS will be providing ADP Dealer Management System clients with a end-to-end payments solution called ADP ePayments. “CenPOS will provide ADP dealers with a multi-channel payment solution […] [Read More]

AutoNation had its strongest December for total retail new-vehicle sales in 12 years and posted its best annual sum in six years, the retailer said Monday. It retailed 29,596 new cars last month, which was up 6-percent year-over-year and the best December since 2001. Meanwhile, full-year new-vehicle retail sales were up 11 percent at 296,419 […] [Read More]