ATLANTA and NORCROSS, Ga. — Two additional stores have earned designation as Motor Trend Certified Advantage dealerships, according to EasyCare.  Selected for the program — which Motor Trend created and EasyCare powers — was Sam Linder Cadillac Honda in Salinas, Calif. and Napa Ford Lincoln Mercury in Napa Valley, Calif. Both stores are among the first […] [Read More]

TORRANCE, Calif. — A longtime veteran of Toyota and a pioneer of the automaker's certified pre-owned vehicle program is retiring next month. Norm Olson, who began what ended up being nearly four decades with Toyota in January 1972, is stepping down on June 11. Toyota has not yet appointment a replacement for Olson, who is the sales […] [Read More]

OAK BROOK, Ill. — vAuto's used-vehicle management system can now be utilized as a mobile application for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch products, allowing dealers to tap into market information while they're on the go. "We recognize that our dealers need the ability to access our real-time market information wherever they are," explained Keith Jezek, president […] [Read More]

TORONTO, Ontario — A Mazda store in Orangeville, Ontario, charged last month with conducting unfair business practices has been cut off by the automaker and had its dealer license frozen by the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council. OMVIC levied charges of "engaging in unfair practice by making an unconscionable representation" against Mazda of Orangeville and two of […] [Read More]

TORONTO, Ontario — J.D. Power and Associates rolled out its 2010 Canadian Manufacturer Web Site Evaluation Study today and found that the brand ranking the highest for customer satisfaction when it comes to automaker Web sites is Lexus. However, it appears the industry has a ways to go in terms of improving Web site functionality, which is […] [Read More]

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — The ADESA Canada Used Vehicle Price Index continued to soften during April, as once again, auction prices showed an uncharacteristic slowdown. More specifically, ADESA's data — powered by ALG Canada — indicates that there was a 0.6-percentage-point dip, seasonally adjusted, in the index in April as compared to March.  The index has shown month-over-month declines […] [Read More]

BANDON, Ore. — CNW Research recently discovered that used-vehicle leases climbed in April, marking the first significant upward movement since July of 2009. The firm indicated nearly 80,000 used vehicles were leased last month, calculating that figure to be about 3 percent higher than the April total from a year ago. CNW president Art Spinella shared […] [Read More]

TORRANCE, Calif. —  The troubles continue to mount for Toyota. Responding to reports out of Japan that parent company Toyota Motor Corp. will pull certain Lexus LS models across the world due to steering system issues, Toyota North America released a statement Wednesday saying a U.S. recall of the vehicle has been planned for Friday. This move […] [Read More]

GURNEE, Ill. — A Chicago-area Ford dealership's recent Drive-a-Thon, which let high school students test drive new Ford models, raised "significant" funds for the sports boosters club at a local high school. Last month, Gurnee Ford Lincoln Mercury's three-day event allowed high-school students to take one of nine new models from Ford for 10-minute spin. For […] [Read More]

IRVINE, Calif. — This week, executives from Kelley Blue Book marked the official launch of its free application for the iPhone, an app that's actually been live on the Apple iTunes Store since late April. However, they wanted to highlight the capabilities of the application as well as the automaker that plans to serve as a platform […] [Read More]