The Daily Times of Deleware, Pa., reported this past weekend that one local used-car dealer charged with rolling back the odometer on a 1998 Jeep Cherokee has a different story to tell. The dealer and his attorney are claiming that a mechanical defect was the cause of the erroneous mileage reading. The report stated that […] [Read More]

Continuing the hot start to 2012, the certified pre-owned market accelerated to the best February on record and extended the year-to-date increase in sales to nearly 9 percent. Many of the top brands reported double-digit-percentage gains in February, and two — Kia and Mazda — had their best CPO months ever, according to Autodata Corp. [Read More]

Women-drivers.com revealed today who made the cut for the Top 10 Certified Women-Drivers Friendly rooftops. The awards acknowledge dealerships that have gone above and beyond to ensure that women enjoy “positive, positive, consistent and respectful experiences" while searching for a new vehicle, officials noted. The company presented the following dealerships and personnel with the Certified […] [Read More]

Dealership group LAcarGUY, in conjunction with Audi of America, revealed it has broken ground on a new Audi terminal in its Torrance, Calif., dealership. The South Bay rooftop will expand capacity from its current nearby location of 14,000 square feet, becoming one of the largest Audi Terminal showrooms in the U.S. at 45,000 sq. ft., […] [Read More]

BMW North America honored 31 of its dealers Wednesday in revealing the winners of its annual Center of Excellence awards. These dealerships — out of the 339 BMW dealers nationwide — achieved this status based on their 2011 “performance in customer satisfaction, outstanding brand representation, operational excellence and profitability,” officials explained. [Read More]

The beginning of next month will mark the first time that an American has helmed the chief executive role for Toyota Motor Sales USA, as it was announced Wednesday that stepping into that position on April 1 will be Jim Lentz, who is currently the president and chief operating officer at TMS. Lentz’s move was […] [Read More]

In a series of recalls released Wednesday that include both foreign and domestic nameplates, Chrysler announced it will conduct a voluntary safety recall of some 2004–2005 Jeep Liberty models. Officials noted some of the models may experience excessive corrosion on the rear lower control arms. “This could lead to a weakening of the component and […] [Read More]

After stepping down from his post as automotive department chairman at Northwood University last month, Joe Lescota has secured a new role with the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association. NIADA announced Monday that Lescota has been appointed to be the association’s director of dealer development. His new position with NIADA starts June 1, following the […] [Read More]

AutoNation posted a 17-percent year-over-year jump in February new-vehicle sales as the group’s franchised stores turned 19,994 units. Breaking down that sales total for AutoNation’s operating segments, the figures were: —6,179 vehicles for domestic, up 18 percent versus February 2011. —10,601 for import, up 16 percent versus February 2011. —3,214 for premium luxury, up 20 […] [Read More]

O’Brien Auto Group, one of the largest dealers in the Pacific Northwest, announced late last week it purchased Bob Bridge Toyota Scion of Renton — a nine-time winner of Toyota Motor Sales USA’s President Award for outstanding sales and service in the Seattle market. While financial details were not made public, O’Brien confirmed the deal […] [Read More]