For franchised dealerships, June was a month of swarming trade-ins and solid growth in the used-car department, where sales climbed more than 4 percent year-over-year, according to CNW Research. Firm president Art Spinella said Monday that franchised dealers sold 1.68 million used units in June for a 4.47-percent uptick, noting that these stores were “swamped […] [Read More]

Dealership sales staff are apparently going well beyond a “May I help you?” approach to potential buyers. According to a new industry index by Pied Piper, sales forces are showing extra effort in customer service, especially at luxury brand stores. That improvement in sales effectiveness, the index shows, often accompanies gains in a dealership’s market […] [Read More]

Automotive solutions provider VIN Viper revealed late last week that dealers and customers who use its iPhone, Android and desktop platforms will now have access to vehicle history reports — an offering that may prove particularly useful, following some new California regulation laws on the books. The company announced it has integrated National Motor Vehicle […] [Read More]

Though not climbing at the same clip as earlier months, Canadian new-vehicle sales jumped nearly 3 percent in June, closing a first half that saw a “resurgent” market beat year-ago sales by more than 7 percent. This was the latest take from DesRosiers Automotive Consultants, which released its monthly Market Snapshot and commentary on the […] [Read More]

Mazda Canada has an interim president to replace Don Romano, who “elected to leave the company," effecitve Tuesday. Mazda Motor Corp. announced that appointed as interim president is Shusuke "Kory"  Koreeda, who was most recently executive vice president at Mazda Canada. It is expected that Mazda Motor Corp. will approve his appointment to the presidency later […] [Read More]

For dealers that might use the phrase “up to” in connection with vehicle incentives or performance, the National Automobile Dealers Association pointed managers toward a study just released by the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC-commissioned study indicated that when marketers — which can include dealers — use the phrase “up to” in claims about their […] [Read More]

General Motors had its best month in almost four years, Chrysler had its strongest June in five years and Ford reported record sales for two of its models. What’s more, Toyota was up significantly from tsunami-impacted June 2011 as its U.S. dealers moved close to 178,000 new vehicles. These were just some of the highlights […] [Read More]

As Americans celebrate Independence Day this week, Cars.com and Kelley Blue Book’s Kbb.com both shared some stars-and-stripes-themed perspective on the U.S. auto business that continues to gain momentum. Cars.com released its latest American-Made Index, while Kbb.com has released its rankings of the 10 Cars That Reignite the American Dream.  Both company’s lists were unveiled on […] [Read More]

Experian Automotive revealed on Monday that it will offer National Motor Vehicle Title Information Systems Reports to California dealers, enabling them to stay in compliance with new government regulations. Officials reiterated NMVTIS reports provide basic vehicle information in accordance with California state law. They insisted that when paired with an AutoCheck vehicle history report, dealers […] [Read More]

As the automaker’s top boss extended an agreement with a European OEM, Toyota Motor Sales USA late last week announced it amended its recall from late 2009. The company added two models to address the potential for unsecured or incompatible floor mat entrapment of the accelerator pedal. The models now included are: —2010 RX 350 […] [Read More]