Sonic Automotive said Thursday it has indefinitely suspended operations at eight of its EchoPark used-car stores and additional related delivery/buy centers. The move is being made in response to market conditions that have led to lower used-car supply availability and steeper wholesale vehicle prices “with unpredictable volatility.” The retailer said in a release that the […] [Read More]

Auto Remarketing is proud to celebrate our annual Women in Retail awards, a program sponsored by CarGurus. With these awards, we specifically recognize top leaders on the retail side of the auto industry, including honorees from dealerships, dealer groups and third-party providers/vendors. Honorees will be recognized in the upcoming July issue of Auto Remarketing and at Used […] [Read More]

Lithia & Driveway grew its dealership footprint in a significant way again on Tuesday. The group announced the purchase of 13 locations from the Priority Automotive Group in Virginia, expanding its footprint in the strong performing Mid-Atlantic Region. The company said the stores are projected to generate more than $1.2 billion in annualized revenue. Executives […] [Read More]

Dimmit Automotive Group, which includes 13 dealerships throughout Florida’s Gulf Coast, has expanded to the powersports segment. The group has purchased Cycle Springs Powersports in Clearwater, Fla., according to a news release from Performance Brokerage Services, which advised on the transaction. Family-owned Dimmit Automotive Group has been in operations for nearly a century, following Lawrence […] [Read More]

Assurant plans to cover five primary topics in its comprehensive electric vehicle (EV) sales training course. The course titled, “EV Sales Professional’s Blueprint” is designed to address the fundamental differences between EVs and traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and gives sales professionals the tools to grow their sales expertise ahead of the coming wave […] [Read More]

When it comes to making it easy for consumers to schedule service appointments by phone, some dealer groups, apparently, do it better than others. On Monday, Pied Piper released the results of  its 2023 PSI Service Telephone Effectiveness Study, which examined the 17 largest auto dealer groups for how easily consumers can call to set […] [Read More]

Group 1 Automotive has expanded in its hometown. The Houston-based retailer said Thursday it acquired Beck & Masten Kia, a move that broadens Group 1’s footprint in that market to 15 brands and 18 dealerships. The store is Group 1’s first Kia dealership in Houston. Group 1 anticipates Beck & Masten Kia to generate annual […] [Read More]

Don’t let the slower start to the year fool you into thinking dealership buy-sell will grow soft. The number of dealerships acquired in the first quarter (approximately 82) fell 31% year-over-year, according to the latest Haig Report from Haig Partners, but the firm is anticipating an increase in buy-sell activity the rest of the year. […] [Read More]

On Thursday, Parks Automotive Group welcomed Franchise Equity Partners (FEP) as a minority partner following a capital contribution of approximately $55 million in connection with the group’s recent purchase of the Lake Norman and Gastonia Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-RAM dealerships in North Carolina earlier this year. Led by president and CEO Adam Parks, the group now has 21 […] [Read More]

Next up on our series of podcasts from the Auto Intel Summit and NRC Spring Summit is a panel discussion featuring some of the leading auto dealers in North Carolina. The session is moderated by NCADA president Robert Glaser and features leaders from Crossroads Automotive Group, John Hiester Automotive Group and Hubert Vester Auto Group, […] [Read More]