Addressing the automaker’s shareholders for the first time since General Motors’ initial public offering, GM top boss Dan Akerson described the Buick Verano and Chevrolet Sonic Z-spec sharing the stage with him Tuesday at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre as being “just the tip of the iceberg” of the company’s product transformation. That metamorphosis, along with the […] [Read More]

A cluster of General Motors franchise dealers in and near Joplin, Mo., recently weathered quite a storm and are continuing to pick up the pieces and do the best they can to support their local community in healing. They recently broke out their checkbooks and more to help the community recover from the single deadliest […] [Read More]

As dealers continue to respond to a used-vehicle supply shortage, LeaseTrader.com announced Tuesday the launch of a program designed to help. The company’s new Lease Rescue program allows dealers to buy out the remaining contracts of near-end leases from drivers interested in escaping before their lease expires. [Read More]

Chrysler is giving some of its top North American executives additional responsibilities, the company said Tuesday, as well as announcing a few other appointments within its leadership ranks. President and chief executive officer of the Ram Truck brand Fred Diaz will now also serve as president and CEO for Chrysler de Mexico. This includes duties in Latin […] [Read More]

General Motors announced Monday that it hired a new vice president of Global Human Resources and is continuing to roll out its investment of $2 billion allotted for 17 U.S. facilities. In addition to the new hiring, the automaker is turning its focus to investing in the Technical Center campus in Warren, Mich. Tapped for the human resources position is […] [Read More]

Late last week, it was announced that Ford is to be recognized as a recipient of the 2011 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award for exceptional and exemplary support given to employees serving in the National Guard or Reserve. Out of 4,000 nominations submitted this year, Ford is one of 15 companies nationwide to […] [Read More]

Although Canada’s new-vehicle sales dropped almost 4 percent in May — resulting in a rather soft annual sales pace — several automakers enjoyed record months. Import brands bore the brunt of the decline, falling 6.1 percent year-over-year in May, according to a sales chart provided by DesRosiers Automotive Consultants. [Read More]

As a domestic nameplate enjoyed its best May in three years, foreign brands slid down somewhat as overall new-vehicle sales softened a bit. Based on tallies from AutoData Corp. cited in a report from the American International Automobile Dealers Association, May sales actually finished down 3.7 percent from the same month last year. The sales […] [Read More]

AutoNation’s new-vehicle unit sales for May saw a significant decrease year-over-year due in part to a sharp decline in import sales. The automotive retailer announced Thursday that its new-vehicle unit sales totaled 16,347 vehicles during the 24 selling days of May, marking a 15-percent decrease as compared to May 2010. Contributing to the decline in […] [Read More]

Know the rules and document everything. That, in a nutshell, is the advice dispensed by Keith Whann — an Ohio attorney who is the chief executive officer of Columbus Fair Auto Auction, general counsel for the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association and a Buckeye fan, himself — when asked what dealers can do to avoid […] [Read More]