Automakers are making strides in building confidence among American consumers when it comes to hybrid vehicles, according to a new Harris Poll. That interest is strongest among younger drivers and favors imports over domestic vehicles. Interest in hybrid vehicles over traditional combustion engine vehicles is up from last year, with 32 percent of car owners […] [Read More]

It turns out that America’s wealthiest drivers don’t necessarily drive luxury vehicles, according to a new report by TrueCar.com. Instead, half of those who can afford high-end models instead opt for mainstream models from Toyota, Volkswagen and Honda, per the results of TrueCar.com’s Top 10 Vehicles in America’s Wealthiest ZIP Codes study, released on Tuesday. […] [Read More]

An Atlanta automotive group is opening its doors to offer more than new cars this month — visitors to the lot could also find stardom via onsite casting calls for two of television’s hottest shows. The CBS Buzz Tour will make a stop in Atlanta on Aug. 29 from 3 p.m.  to 9 p.m., in […] [Read More]

A new F&I product from GSFS Group is meant to boost long-term profits for dealers by driving direct traffic to their service departments. GSFS Group recently announced the launch of its SecureNet Maintenance Plus, a reinsurable maintenance plan, which the company said is designed to drive traffic to a dealership’s service department, increasing profits and […] [Read More]

Not only did automakers sell certified pre-owned vehicles at a best-ever daily pace in July, a trio of brands achieved all-time records for full-month CPO sales. According to Autodata Corp., Kia, Mazda and Mini each had their best-ever month in the certified segment. [Read More]

From urban garden projects to car donations and facebook contests, OEMs are becoming more and more involved in their communities and with their customers. First up, Mercedes-Benz is looking for Facebook fan participation. In an effort to market its new 2013 models to the brand’s social media followers, Mercedes-Benz is inviting its Facebook fans to […] [Read More]

July’s certified pre-owned sales narrowly edged up from year-ago figures, but the daily selling rate was the strongest of all time (for July or any month), according to Autodata Corp. There were 151,055 CPO sales in July, compared to 150,831 certified units moved in July 2011, Autodata noted. The best-ever daily selling rate of 6,294 […] [Read More]

As a slow job growth rate, failing consumer confidence and a stalling economic recovery perhaps contributed to weaker-than-expected July auto sales, one group of OEMs bucked the trend. The America International Automobile Dealers Alliance reported that international brands “managed to gain ground during the month.” In fact, import brand sales grew by 18.9 percent in […] [Read More]

More than three quarters of a million units are associated with the newest recall by Toyota Motor Sales USA, a campaign mostly for the automaker’s compact SUV, the RAV4. Officials said this week they will conduct a voluntary safety recall involving 2006 to early 2011 model-year RAV4 and 2010 model-year Lexus HS 250h vehicles sold […] [Read More]

Used-car consumer data took a big step this week as U.S. News & World Report announced the expansion of its Best Cars rankings to include some 600 used cars, SUVs and minivans from the 2009–2011 model years. Top-ranked vehicles in the study include the 2010 Nissan Versa as best used small car under $12,000; the […] [Read More]