Tasca Automotive Group has purchased Kingston, N.Y.-based L.T. Begnal Motor Company, according to a news release from Performance Brokerage Services, which advised on the sale. Tasca is based in the Northeast and includes 20 dealerships. The Begnal group includes the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and FIAT brands. Larry Begnal, dealer president, said in a release: […] [Read More]

I remember when I was on the sales floor around the last week of the month, there was always three sets of people. First there were the victims – these individuals would spend the final week of the month trying to figure out next month’s “rain dance” that would deliver them some success. This never […] [Read More]

EchoPark, Sonic Automotive’s stand-alone used vehicle operation, strives to acquire vehicles at prices that allow it to keep its customers’ used vehicle monthly payments under $500. “That’s going to be in the $24,000 price range,” said Sonic Automotive president Jeff Dyke, during the company’s earnings call covering its quarter that ended March 31. But that goal was challenged when wholesale vehicles prices suddenly ... [Read More]

Group 1 Automotive has expanded in its home state. The retailer said Monday it has acquired three Beck & Masten Buick-GMC dealerships in Texas, two of which are in the Houston market and one of which is in the Corpus Christi area. Group 1 anticipates the three stores will generate annual revenues of $760 million. […] [Read More]

One way your dealership could see customers beyond when they take delivery is by guiding them toward a vehicle that’s more affordable to insure and maintain. That vehicle could be one of the 2023 model-year brand and category winners of the 5-Year Cost to Own Awards recently given by Kelley Blue Book. Examining ongoing costs […] [Read More]

Michael Manley said AutoNation decided to “realign, reposition and reduce” its used-car inventory in the first quarter of 2022. That appeared to be a wise move as the year went on, said Manley, who is AutoNation’s CEO. “It did, however, set us up for a tough comp per unit volume in Q1,” Manley said during AutoNation’s first quarter 2023 earnings call on April 20. Manley said during the call that the company will “remain nimble” in its approach to used vehicles. “And expansion of our AutoNation USA footprint remains ... [Read More]

This week, PureCars announced new data and insights regarding dealers’ knowledge of third-party cookie deprecation, customer database health and using first-party data for targeted marketing, as well as familiarity with customer data platform (CDP) technology. Key survey insights from respondents representing franchised dealerships across the U.S. included: Google’s cookie deprecation: —58% of dealers were unaware […] [Read More]

In a deal involving two Texas groups, Doggett Automotive Group has purchased Kinsel Toyota and Kinsel, Ford Lincoln and Mazda from Kinsel Motors, according to a news release from Kerrigan Advisors, which represented Kinsel in the transaction. Kinsel is based in Beaumont and Doggett is based in Houston. “We were honored to work with the […] [Read More]

Todd Caputo, president of Todd Caputo Consulting, joins the show from last month’s Auto Intel Summit in Raleigh, N.C. Caputo talks with Cherokee Media Group senior editor Joe Overby about how dealers can correct bad habits, keys to standalone used-car store success and much more. The full conversation can be found in the window below. […] [Read More]

AutoNation will have a new chief marketing officer on May 15. Hired for the role is former Macy’s executive Richard Lennox, who will report to AutoNation CEO Mike Manley in the new post. Current chief marketer Marc Cannon will retire at the end of 2023, but will serve in a new role focused on corporate […] [Read More]