Extended service contract provider Preferred Warranties began its 20th anniversary celebration this week by highlighting a 29-percent increase in sales revenues last year, coming on the heels of a 16-percent jump during 2010. PWI national sales manager Wayne Herring Jr. declared, “2010 was strong, 2011 was even stronger. [Read More]

It appears that the used-car market this month is getting a nice bump from 2012 being a leap year. Otherwise, CNW Research suggested February’s used sales would have been rather static this month. Specifically, CNW is forecasting 1.95 million used sales for the month, an 8.1-percent hike from February 2011 on an unadjusted basis. “Adjusted, […] [Read More]

While some automakers kicked off advertising campaigns employing the help of comedians turned TV stars, 1980s rock legends and a cinematic icon known for his cowboy-like grittiness, Mazda has taken a different route. It is turning to Dr. Seuss. Mazda North American Operations has struck a deal with “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax," which is the […] [Read More]

The two newest recalls revealed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration include vehicles from the current model year, one by Nissan and the other by Dodge. The larger of the two recalls is for the 2012 Nissan Versa. Officials explained the 36,608 effected units failed to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle […] [Read More]

Payless Car Sales and Bob Dance Imports will officially debut the first dealers to sign on to the Payless Assurance certified pre-owned program when the newest Payless franchise holds a grand opening Monday just outside of Orlando, Fla. In addition to being the first Payless Assurance participant, the new store in Sanford, Fla., will also […] [Read More]

Pushed by a used-vehicle performance that left the company’s chairman “extremely pleased,” Penske Automotive Group closed its most profitable year ever on a high note. Penske’s fourth-quarter used retail sales climbed 20 percent at 32,183 units, which helped lead to a 10.6-percent retail sales spike (including new and used) for the group during the period. […] [Read More]

Reporting full-year and fourth-quarter results this morning, Asbury Automotive Group enjoyed a 78-percent lift in net income in 2011, a year where the retailer’s used-vehicle operations showed substantial growth. Asbury’s total used-vehicle revenue climbed 16 percent at $1.3 billion, with used retail revenue up 21 percent at $1.1 billion. These revenues stem from 55,805 used […] [Read More]

After reminiscing about his days in Chicago as a graduate student at Northwestern, Toyota’s Yoshi Inaba emphasized why 2012 is such a big year for the Japanese OEM. Toyota Motor North America’s president and chief operating officer recently told an assembly at The Economic Club of Chicago that the automaker will launch 19 new or […] [Read More]

The certified pre-owned segment appears to have begun 2012 on the right foot in January, as sales continued to show year-over-year improvement and continue momentum from 2011, which was the best year in CPO history. Overall, there were 131,229 CPO sales in January, according to Autodata Corp. Despite this being nearly a 17-percent slide from […] [Read More]

With a former presidential candidate coming onto the board of directors and the automaker’s chief financial officer, as well as its top product development executive announcing their retirements, Thursday marked a busy personnel day at Ford. First, the Blue Oval said that executive vice president and chief financial officer Lewis Booth and Derrick Kuzak, group […] [Read More]