Alin Navidi has acquired Covina Volkswagen in Covina, Calif., from SRO Group and Greg Bozzani, according to Performance Brokerage Services, which advised on the transaction. Navidi started his automotive career as a used-car dealer in Portland, Ore., before becoming a partner in Coachella Valley Volkswagen in Palm Springs, Calif. When that business was sold, he […] [Read More]

Fullpath announced it has reached “a significant milestone.” The automotive customer data platform and marketing automation engine has been approved as an official vendor for Jaguar Land Rover’s Digital Certified Program for dealerships. In a news release from one of this year’s Emerging 8 honorees, Fullpath said its integration with JLR’s Digital Certified Program “aims […] [Read More]

AutoComplete has completed a financing round to further its expansion and development of an artificial intelligence-based technology platform for auto insurance, according to The Presidio Group, which advised the company in the deal. Presidio said the SAFE-structured capital raise, led by Bain Ventures and FM Capital, included seven new strategic dealership group investors — AutoNation, […] [Read More]

Before the cyberattack that hit dealership software provider CDK Global, Group 1 Automotive’s used vehicle and aftersales businesses were performing well in the second quarter, said Group 1 president and CEO Daryl Kenningham. But the CDK outage “significantly affected” Group 1’s U.S operations from June 19-26, Kenningham said during Group 1’s second quarter 2024 earnings call on July 24. “We do believe that we could have [Read More]

Group 1 Automotive’s presence in the United Kingdom just got a whole lot larger. The auto retail giant closed on its acquisition of Inchcape Retail’s automotive operations, which include 54 dealership locations in England and Wales. The $439 million cash deal, which was agreed to in April, raises Group 1’s U.K. holdings to 113 dealerships. […] [Read More]

Adam Chamberlain has taken another step up the ladder at Lithia & Driveway, which announced his promotion to executive vice president and chief operating officer as part of the automotive retail and services company’s leadership realignment. Chamberlain joined LAD in 2022 as East regional president and added the role of chief customer officer in January. […] [Read More]

Holman has brought a new brand to South Florida. The dealer group/automotive services company announced the opening of Holman VinFast Fort Lauderdale, the Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer’s first dealership in the area and among its first nationally. Holman executive vice president of retail automotive Frank Carbone said the decision to add a VinFast dealership is […] [Read More]

Taylor Bentley Conner has opened another door for women. The general manager of Howard Bentley Buick GMC in Albertville, Ala., is now the first female dealer principal in the company’s history. Conner had served as the dealership’s GM since 2018 and began pursuing application for dealer principal with General Motors as her role evolved. During […] [Read More]

It’s never too early — or is it late? — for Christmas, especially when a good cause is involved. Huffines Auto Dealerships, which operates 10 locations in North Texas, celebrated “Christmas in July” to benefit Children’s Health, a local pediatric health system. The event concluded this week with a donation of some 600 toys and […] [Read More]

Vietnamese electric vehicle manufacturer VinFast Auto announced it has created a dealer advisory board consisting of representatives from the company’s U.S. dealerships. VinFast, which currently has 25 dealerships in 10 states, said it selected the board’s members based on customer service commitment and industry expertise. The board will serve as a communication channel between the […] [Read More]