As leasing continues to pick back up, boding well for future used supply, Swapalease.com recently conducted a nationwide survey that showed which brands are top-of-mind for consumers considering a new lease. On the luxury side of things, the highest scoring manufacturer was Porsche, with 39.8 percent of participants — which consisted of more than 3,000 […] [Read More]

Two separate recall campaigns by Chrysler Group and another from American Honda encompass more than 55,000 units. The largest single recall in this latest batch is from Chrysler, which intends to recall approximately 30,000 trucks to restore tail-lamp warning function. The campaign involves approximately 17,400 model-year 2013 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups in the […] [Read More]

New information from Cars.com might be able to help dealers place budget-conscious new-car buyers in vehicles that will satisfy the desire for features, without breaking the bank. The site this week released its editors’ top 10 picks for vehicles that even at base model level still have a lot to offer drivers. “Just because you […] [Read More]

Lithia Motors boosted its dealership presence in its home state on Monday, acquiring the O'Brien Auto Group of Salem in Salem, Ore. Group officials said the stores now will be named BMW of Salem, Honda of Salem and Volkswagen of Salem. Lithia expects these stores will add $110 million in estimated annual revenues. “We are […] [Read More]

For the second time in a week, a recall is coming from Chrysler Group. This time, the automaker said it will recall approximately 14,800 vehicles to recalibrate their powertrain control modules. Officials indicated the recall affects only 2013 Dodge Dart models equipped with a 1.4-liter engine and dual-clutch transmission. Chrysler explained internal testing uncovered a […] [Read More]

Four U.S. dealerships have been sold by Group 1 Automotive, the company announced on Friday. In three separate transactions over the past three weeks, Group 1 Automotive said it has disposed of Miller Honda and Miller Toyota in Culver City, Calif.; World Ford in Stone Mountain, Ga.; and Messer Mazda in Amarillo, Texas.  In addition […] [Read More]

The results of a new partnership announced by CarMax won’t be seen on the lots. Instead, the launch of a $4.1 million national partnership between The CarMax Foundation and national nonprofit KaBOOM will build playgrounds. CarMax late last week said the project will result in 30 playgrounds across the U.S. by the end of 2015, […] [Read More]

Amid the industry’s second-strongest certified pre-owned sales month in history, it appears the CPO segment was once again a strong selling tool for dealers throughout a bevy of OEM programs. Autodata Corp. reported all-time CPO sales records at Ford, Kia, Mini and Subaru, and several others were reporting best-ever May results. [Read More]

AutoPacific announced Thursday its 17th annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards, with luxury brands dominating the list. First up, the Top Premium Brand is Cadillac, and Buick notched the title of Top Popular Brand for satisfaction. The vehicle (car or truck) registering the highest satisfaction rate is the Cadillac SRX luxury crossover SUV. Specifically for cars, the […] [Read More]

Chrysler has announced a recall of certain Jeep models – but the group of vehicles involved might not be what first comes to mind, given this week’s earlier news involving the the automaker and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The automaker said Thursday it is recalling around 435,000 later-model units in the U.S. in […] [Read More]