As they struggle to fulfill inventory needs on both the new-car and used-car sides this summer, Toyota dealers received some positive news Thursday. The automaker revealed it expects North American production levels will be fully restored in September. So why is this such good news? When a dealer can’t offer a new-vehicle option to a consumer, the […] [Read More]

Group 1 Automotive strengthened its market presence in El Paso, Texas, this week by acquiring two more franchise dealerships. The group secured Shamaley Ford and Shamaley Buick-GMC. The dealerships are expected to generate $190.0 million in total estimated annual revenues, according to Group 1. “The acquisition of Shamaley Ford and Shamaley Buick-GMC will complement the […] [Read More]

Economic development department officials in Fairfield, Calif., believe CarMax is going to open a dealership in their community. Their assertion comes from CarMax purchasing two Auto Mall parcels. The parcels consist of a 7.01-acre former Dodge dealership purchased for $5.175 million and a 6.16-acre parcel that housed a former Chrysler Jeep Ram Kia rooftop purchased […] [Read More]

For Jose Froehlich, it all started with a job shoveling snow at an Albany, N.Y., dealership. From there it has grown into a long career with stops along the way in sales, service, wholesale buying,  finance and now his latest responsibility, heading up Hyundai’s certified pre-owned program. [Read More]

Used sales are expected to lose some traction in June after a slow start to the month for independent dealers’ sales and private-party sales, according to CNW Research. The company is projecting a year-over-year decline of 3.5 percent in the used-vehicle market for June. Specifically, CNW projects 4.46 million used vehicles will be sold in June, […] [Read More]

Not long after reintroducing the certified program, Cadillac dealers are now turning some of their focus to the look of their storefronts. Aiming to strike strong first impressions with shoppers and vault the brand atop the luxury market, scores of Cadillac dealerships throughout the U.S. are investing in makeovers. The makeovers are a part of Cadillac’s “Defining Moments” customer […] [Read More]

Announced Monday, Ally Financial has been named the exclusive sponsor of Time Dealer of the Year. The awards program, which is produced in cooperation with the National Automobile Dealers Association, aims to recognize the nation’s most successful auto dealers who also demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service. "Automobile dealers have a tremendous impact on […] [Read More]

For a service technician at Crossroads Chevrolet-Cadillac in Joplin, Mo., recovering from the horrific tornado that ripped apart the community last month became a little easier thanks to the dealership owner and generosity of volunteers. Normally, Jason Moser spends his days reconditioning trade-ins to boost retail used-vehicle inventory at Crossroads Chevrolet-Cadillac. After the May 22 […] [Read More]

The certified pre-owned market experienced its first year-over-year drop in 15 months, but year-to-date sales remain above the 2010 pace, according to Autodata Corp., which indicated that the industry’s CPO sales came in at 144,523 units during May. This total for the month is down 3 percent from May 2010 and puts the year-to-date total […] [Read More]

CarMark Certified, the new vehicle certification program designed for franchise, former franchise and independent car dealers, has gained significant momentum in its first eight months of operation. CarMark compares favorably and, in many facets, is equivalent to automakers’ factory Certified Pre-Owned  programs. Now being offered by dealers in 20 U.S. states, CarMark Certified provides dealers with […] [Read More]