Such factors as high fuel costs, softer incentives and supply challenges have weighed down new-vehicle retail sales in May, leading to expectations for a rather soft summer and a slightly weaker full-year outlook, J.D. Power and Associates said Thursday. May has begun with “significant pullback” in new-car retail sales thanks to the aforementioned pressures, and […] [Read More]

Marking continued production revival, Nissan Motor Co. chief executive officer Carlos Ghosn visited the quake-hit factory town of Iwaki earlier this week, calling the automaker’s Fukushima plant comeback a “symbol of Japan’s recovery.” The company explained the factory saw broad structural damage in the devastating March 11 earthquake, which prompted other plants to rally to […] [Read More]

To celebrate the launch of the ninth generation Honda Civic and help generate some interest, the automaker is encouraging its Facebook fans to submit and vote for original songs inspired by the new model. Submissions for the 2012 Civic songwriting competition are now being accepted and the pool will be open until June 5. The […] [Read More]

Fiat of Lakeside, the first stand-alone Fiat retail point in Michigan has officially opened its doors as of Wednesday. The new dealership — or "studio" — located in Macomb, Mich., is owned by the Galeana Automotive Group and was previously home to Galeana Automotive Group’s Saturn of Lakeside, which closed in 2010 due to General […] [Read More]

Since used-car managers’ inventory decisions nowadays are so affected by wholesale and new-vehicle supply conditions, the Pre-Owned Automobile Dealers Alliance is bringing a pair of experts together to help dealers navigate the conditions. The next free Webinar in POADA’s ongoing dealer training series, Pre-Owned LIVE, is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST on Tuesday. The event […] [Read More]

CNW Research is projecting April’s softening used-vehicle sales trends are likely spilling into May as asking prices for these used-models rise. “On the heels of a slight decline in April, May is again looking like it will see slightly lower sales than year ago,” president Art Spinella surmised. “All of May’s decline can be attributed […] [Read More]

Audi of America identified its top performing U.S. dealerships throughout 2010, a year that saw the brand and its retail partners post record sales results. In all, 113 Audi dealerships earned the 2010 Magna Society recognition through what officials described Monday as “providing superlative customer service while achieving strong overall business performance.” Audi reiterated that […] [Read More]

An unintended acceleration-related lawsuit against Toyota has been given the OK by a U.S. District judge to continue, plaintiff attorneys said Monday. A statement released Monday said that the ruling from Judge James Selna of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California indicated that there was enough evidence from the plaintiff attorneys […] [Read More]

General Motors has not wasted any time in planning how to use the $2 billion the company recently allotted for U.S assembly and component plants, an investment which aims to create or retain more than 4,000 jobs across the country. On Friday, GM officials announced they would be investing $109 million of the larger sum […] [Read More]

Subaru of America revealed its new senior vice president of sales late last week, appointing Bill Cyphers to the post. The longtime Subaru executive has worked in several roles for the company since joining in 1984, the most recent of which was his position as regional vice president of the Eastern region. Other vice president […] [Read More]