In response to customer requests, Warranty Direct, a provider of extended service contracts for vehicles, rolled out expanded coverage this week for its major policies at no additional cost. Warranty Direct executive vice president Tara Williams elaborated about why the company made this decision. “We are increasing the coverage for our most popular contracts by […] [Read More]

The National Highway Traffic Administration revealed four separate recalls for a total of more than 520,000 vehicles, campaigns that include models from Volkswagen, Subaru and Saab. The single largest recall covers specific Saab and Subaru models originally sold or currently registered in Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, […] [Read More]

Inventory management solutions company Dealer Specialties today revealed it will be interating Kelley Blue Book Values into its appraisal tool — MarketControl Analytics — aiming to help dealers maintain a “competitive edge.” Glen Garvin, group general manager of Dealer Specialities, noted, “Partnering with Kelley Blue Book is a key integration for MarketControl Analytics. [Read More]

On Wednesday, EasyCare tapped the former publisher of Motor Trend as a new vice president and executive director for Motor Trend Certified Vehicles. Picked for the position is Ira Gabriel, who will focus on the growth and continued success of Motor Trend Certified Vehicles, a program that includes units that have been thoroughly inspected and upgraded […] [Read More]

Though gas prices continue to fall and are estimated to drop even more in the next few months through year-end, Edmunds.com data released Tuesday reflects that consumers are still more likely to purchase smaller gas sippers than take on an SUV or truck. According to the company’s analysis, shoppers are still leaning towards compact or […] [Read More]

Never bashful when making public appearances, Sergio Marchionne recently told a Canadian gathering that Chrysler has been restructured so efficiently that the automaker won’t lose money even if the new-vehicle seasonally adjusted annual sales rate drops below 10 million. While also sharing his 2011 sales projection, the chairman and chief executive officer of Chrysler Group […] [Read More]

Just days after revealing a recall of the CR-V and Fit, Honda Motor Co. announced the extent of a Pilot recall in the U.S. and Canada. Honda will voluntarily recall 310,773 Pilot vehicles from the 2009 through 2011 model years in the U.S. and another 9,954 Pilots in Canada from the same model years. The […] [Read More]

On Monday, Honda revealed a new advertising campaign titled “Good Reasons,” that aims to highlight the automaker’s strengths, including its reputation for “safety, reliability, high quality and exceptional resale value,” noted officials. The extensive brand campaign, developed by advertising agency RPA, will feature a plethora of Honda vehicles, such as the Accord, Civic and Fit, […] [Read More]

As Japanese inventories in the U.S. get back to full steam, some experts are predicting that an incentive war could heat up between these automakers and domestics. Japanese OEMs and dealers have their sights set on making up lost sales, while their domestic counterparts are looking to continue their sales momentum, meaning the market could […] [Read More]

In the midst of a challenging used-supply climate that may only grow more cumbersome, automakers still managed to beat year-ago certified pre-owned sales in August and continue to outpace the results from 2010. Three brands — Hyundai, Kia and Nissan — even set all-time records for CPO sales in August, according to Autodata Corp., which […] [Read More]