The Henderson Hyundai Superstore announced Monday that it has received a Guinness World Record for orchestrating the largest-ever parade of Hyundai vehicles.
Henderson Hyundai, the No. 1-rated Hyundai dealer in Nevada three years running on DealerRater, hosted the parade event in December to honor National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. The dealership invited local Hyundai owners to participate, pledging a donation to STOP DUI, a local organization dedicated to bringing awareness to the consequences of intoxicated driving, for each participant.
The parade reached a final tally of 218 Hyundai vehicle participants and donated $4,000 to STOP DUI. The world record was previously held by UAB SDG, a Lithuanian business consulting firm.
“Our goal was to give our clients and community members an opportunity to actively participate in bringing awareness to a problem that is devastating families in our area,” said Frank Maione, the superstore’s owner. “We are very proud to be recognized internationally through Guinness World Records for an initiative that underlines our commitment to our community and to our customers.”
Henderson Hyundai will host its official celebration for all participants and the public on Saturday at the dealership, where its official Guinness World Record Certificates of Participation will be presented to all parade participants.
Check out the dealership’s video on the parade at the top of this story.
J.D. Power just released its 2015 Initial Quality Study ratings and results, and it seems Korean brands are continuing to improve while other more well-known brands may be feeling the impact of recent recalls.
With impressive year-over-year improvement, the Korean brands “continue to widen the quality gap with other automakers,” J.D. Power reported, while Japanese nameplates have fallen below industry average for the first time in 29 years.
“This is a clear shift in the quality landscape,” said Renee Stephens, vice president of U.S. automotive quality at J.D. Power. “For so long, Japanese brands have been viewed by many as the gold standard in vehicle quality. While the Japanese automakers continue to make improvements, we’re seeing other brands, most notably Korean makes, really accelerating the rate of improvement. Leading companies are not only stepping up the pace of improvements on existing models, but are also working up front to launch vehicles with higher quality and more intuitive designs.”
The study takes a look at problems experienced by vehicle owners during the first 90 days of ownership, and initial quality is determined by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower score reflecting higher quality.
The industry as a whole enjoyed a 3 percent year-over-year increase in initial quality, bringing the average to 112 PP100, compared to 116 last year.
Porsche once again ranked the highest in initial quality for the third year in a row with a score of 80 PP100, which marks a 20 point improvement from last year.
Kia, one of the Korean brands cited that is improving, came next with a score of 86 PP100. J.D. Power pointed out this is the first time in the study’s history that Kia came out on top for non-premium makes.
Jaguar (93 PP100), Hyundai (95 PP100) and Infiniti (97 PP100) rounded out the top five nameplates.
Infiniti is also one of the most improved brands this year, as it lowered its problem score by 33 points from 2014.
Korean Brands Gaining Steam
There were definitely a few shakeups in the study this year, namely the shift between Korean and Japanese brands.
Korean brands led the industry in quality by the widest margin even, said J.D. Power, with an average of 90 PP100. This is up 11 points from 2014.
Interestingly, as the Japanese brands experience some difficulty due to the recent Takata airbag recalls, for the first time in the study, European brands surpassed Japanese brands in quality with a score or 113 PP100. Japanese brands were given a score of 114 PP100, equal with domestic nameplates.
“Although Japanese brands overall experience a 2 PP100 improvement from 2014, this has proven insufficient to keep pace with the industry, causing Japanese makes overall to fall below industry average for the first time in the 29-year history of the U.S. Initial Quality Study,” J.D. Power reported.
In fact, only four of the 10 Japanese brands included in the study posted an improvement.
Problem Spots for Quality
According to the study, technology continues be a trouble spot for the industry in terms of quality.
For the third year in a row, entertainment and connectivity systems are the most problem-prone areas. And voice recognition and Bluetooth pairing present the most issues.
In fact, for the majority of the models in the study that have voice recognition systems, that tacks another 10 PP100 for those models related to that feature.
“Smartphones have set high consumer expectations of how well technology should work, and automakers are struggling to match that success in their new vehicles,” said Stephens. “However, we are seeing some OEMs make important improvements along the way. What’s clear is that they can’t afford to wait for the next generation of models to launch before making important updates to these systems.”
Following is the full breakdown of model awards from the 2015 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study:
General Motors
• Chevrolet Equinox (tie)
• Chevrolet Malibu
• Chevrolet Silverado 1500
• Chevrolet Spark
Hyundai Motor Co.
• Hyundai Accent
• Hyundai Tucson
• Kia Sorento
• Kia Soul
Nissan Motor Co.
• Infiniti QX70
• Infiniti QX80
• Nissan Sentra
• Nissan Quest
Volkswagen AG
• Audi Q3
• Porsche 911
• Porsche Boxster
• Porsche Macan
BMW
• BMW 2 Series
• BMW 4 Series
• BWM 5 Series
Toyota Motor Corp.
• Lexus LS
• Toyota Tacoma
• Toyota Sequoia
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
• Chrysler 300
• Dodge Challenger
Ford Motor Co.
• Ford Escape (tie)
• Ford F-Series Super Duty
Mazda
• Mazda MX-5 Miata
Greg Penske, chairman and chief executive officer of Penske Motor Group (PMG) has been named as one of the highest-rated CEOs among small and medium companies by Glassdoor, a jobs and careers marketplace, which released its annual report recognizing this year’s top leaders in companies throughout North America and Europe.
Officials explained that CEO approval ratings are gathered through Glassdoor’s online company review survey, which seeks to gain current and former employee sentiment about job and company satisfaction, the work environment and the culture.
Employees are asked to rate a number of workplace factors like compensation and benefits as well as work-life balance, and asked whether they approve or disapprove of the way their CEO is leading the company.
In addition, employees are asked to describe some of the upsides and downsides of working for the company and provide any advice for senior management.
“I am honored to be recognized by our team members. Their endorsement is not just for me, but for our entire team who works hard to make PMG a fun place to work, but also understands our main goal of delivering the best possible guest experience each and every day,” said Penske, who oversees Penske Motor Group, which owns and operates Toyota, Scion, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz dealerships throughout California.
PMG includes flagship store, Longo Toyota, which was Auto Remarketing’s 2012 CPO Dealer of the Year presented by NCM Associates.
Edmunds.com announced Tuesday the startups chosen for this year’s class for its Fastlane accelerator program, which gives companies the opportunity to work with the site to refine their products.
The 2015 class includes fiSpeed.com, ZipFlip.com, MyCarBuyingSecrets.com, MyAutoCloud.com, Credit Concierge and Leasify.
The companies chosen will participate in a three-month program, during which they will work with the technology, design, analytics and business development departments at Edmunds “to refine their products and better understand the value they can bring to the automotive industry,” the site reported.
Through the program, Edmunds aims to foster innovations that will work to improve the car shopping experience.
"Since our inception as a dot com, we have been committed to driving innovation in the automotive space," said Edmunds.com chief executive officer Avi Steinlauf. "The six companies that we have chosen to make up our 2015 Fastlane class represent different, yet crucial, pillars of car shopping. By giving them access to our resources to further develop their solutions, we are confident that we will continue to act as a catalyst for positive change within the automotive industry."
The program will launch at the end of June and run through the end of September, during which each startup will be evaluated on a monthly basis by Fastlane board members, a team consisting of Edmunds.com president Seth Berkowitz and other senior executives and product leaders.
The program will send the companies off with a bang on Fastlane Demo Day. During the event, the companies selected by Edmunds will present their final product offering to the Fastlane board and the entire Edmunds staff.
In choosing the 2015 class, Edmunds tried to consider all elements of the car-buying process:
- fiSpeed.com, a Web-based tool to accelerate the F&I process in the automotive sales industry
- ZipFlip.com, a peer-to-peer marketplace for buying and selling used cars
- MyCarBuyingSecrets.com, an information platform for car shoppers
- Credit Concierge, a Web and mobile solution for expediting pre-approved financing
- MyAutoCloud.com, a fully automated loyalty and retention platform
- Leasify, the first mobile app to enter the car leasing space, according to Edmunds
KAR Auction Services announced the company’s IT Shared Services (KAR ITSS) team earned an honorable mention in the 2015 HP Discover Awards for customer excellence in the performance testing category.
KAR’s chief information officer of IT Shared Services Gary Watkins, who made the award announcement on Monday, explained that KAR ITSS was one of the few companies selected out of more than 70 nominations to be recognized for the innovative, results-driven IT solution they developed and implemented with HP’s software.
Utilizing HP Unified Test Professional 12.0, Performance Center and SiteScope, Watkins highlighted that KAR ITSS developed a suite of automated smoke test scripts to support six lines of business, developed an automated functional regression suite for the company’s eBusiness and AutoVIN teams, and implemented concurrent performance testing capabilities.
Together, these creative solutions increased the team’s capacity and throughput and saved thousands of hours annually.
“Our mission at KAR Auction Services is to invest in and leverage best-in-class technology solutions to provide continuously streamlined, elevated service to our customers,” Watkins said.
“Achieving an honorable mention in the HP Discover Awards is a testament to our commitment, and an inspiration for us to continue dedicating ourselves to moving the technology needle forward.”
KAR ITSS was recognized for its honorable mention at the HP Discover Awards event on June 2 at the HP Discover Zone in Las Vegas.
In the movie “City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly’s Gold,” Billy Crystal’s character is inspired on his 40th birthday to take a trip with his best pal and his brother in search of hidden treasures.
As you may remember, the trio played by Crystal, Daniel Stern and Jon Lovitz then navigate through a rather silly quest out West.
Although this adventure was spurred by a landmark birthday, many in our business were inspired to blaze new paths (albeit more reasonable than the aforementioned comedians) even earlier.
In fact, many jumped into the used-car industry right out of college or even as a teenager.
And that tradition of early-adopters continues with the latest generation to enter the business.
Many young professionals under the age of 40 are taking leadership roles with their respective companies, whether that’s at an auction, dealership, bank, fleet/lease remarketing organization, automaker, OEM captive, third-party service provider, industry association or one of many vendors and partners to these organizations.
That is why Auto Remarketing is launching its inaugural “Remarketing & Used-Car Industry’s 40 Under 40.”
We are looking for nominees across the spectrum of the used-car and remarketing business. That includes all the segments of the industry mentioned above — and beyond!
Obviously, the nominee must be under the age of 40. But think big: do you know any exceptional young dealers or dealership managers? Have you worked with some second-generation auction executives who have demonstrated leadership qualities?
Are there any under-40 entrepreneurs in our business who have caught your attention? Who are the young executives at some of the industry partner/service providers that are making a splash?
Those are just some examples, but you get the idea.
Nominations are officially OPEN and are being accepted here:
http://www.usedcarweek.biz/remarketings-40-under-40.
The deadline for nominations is Friday, June 19.
Here are a few additional ground rules:
- Nominee must be under 40 at the time of nomination.
- The number of nominations a person receives does not necessarily influence whether that person will be selected for the 40 Under 40.
- As a general rule, we will not be sharing the name of the person(s) doing the nominating, unless necessary in the editorial content and with permission of the person nominating.
Honorees will be recognized during a ceremony this fall at Used Car Week, which is being held Nov. 16-20 at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Ariz.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at joverby@autoremarketing.com or (919) 674-6020, ext. 129.
And when you’re done nominating a “40 Under 40” all-star and “City Slickers II” is showing on cable, don’t click past. By no means is it comedy gold, but this one is perhaps worth a re-watch for a laugh or two.
CARPHORIA announced Thursday that it has been selected as a recipient of the 2015 BBB Award for Excellence.
The company received the Winner of Distinction Award at an award ceremony earlier in May.
“Commitment to an exceptional consumer experience is exactly what CARPHORIA is founded on,” said Michael Dodd, CARPHORIA president and chief executive officer. “CARPHORIA offers a truly unique approach and solution for consumers who want to sell their vehicles. Our selection for this award is significant because it reaffirms exactly what we are hearing from our customers and mirrors our goals as a company.”
Having only opened last year, this was the first year the company was eligible to apply for the award. First opening in the Houston-area, the company opened a second location in Friendswood, Texas in February of this year to handle the expansion.
The company offers auto seller services, extended warranties, and pre-purchase inspections. For more information on CARPHORIA’s offerings, visit its website.
Automotive social media and digital engagement company Digital Air Strike recently announced its reception of several honors, including four Stevie Awards from American Business Awards as well as an award for one of the company’s co-founders.
The company has been named as a finalist for the following Stevie Awards for:
- Management Team of the Year
- Marketing Campaign of the Year
- Review Surge 4.0: A Smarter Way to Get Customer Feedback
- 2014 Automotive Social Media Trends Study
All of the remaining finalists for the Stevie Awards will receive an honor, ranging from gold to silver and then bronze, at the Stevie Awards ceremonies in Chicago on June 22 and San Francisco on September 11. For a complete listing of the award finalists, click here.
“The diversity of the categories highlights the spirit of innovation and the value Digital Air Strike brings to thousands of clients in North America,” said Alexi Venneri, the company’s chief executive officer and co-founder. “We are honored to receive these awards and are pleased that our team is being recognized.”
Venneri was also recently recognized as one of the Top Tech Exec’s in Arizona in the category of chief executive officer by the Phoenix Business Journal.
“It’s a true honor to have our entire team be recognized for our commitment to bringing innovative technology solutions to thousands of businesses nationwide,” Venneri said. “It is exciting to see consumers also benefit from our technology as we are able to help them get the information they need through social networks and prospect micro-sites that we build in response to every inbound lead.”
Red Herring recently announced its Top 100 Short-list for North America, highlighting who it believes to be the most-promising private technology companies from the continent for the year.
Several automotive-related companies are represented on the list, including Digital Air Strike, ActivEngage and Netsertive.
Alex Vieux, the publisher and chief executive officer of Red Herring, commented on this year’s selections.
“The short-list confirms the excellent foresight and strong innovations created by entrepreneurs in North America,” Vieux said. “By all measures, the remarkable group of companies comprising the Top 100 Short-list underlines the region’s constant drive to innovate.”
Previous winners include Google, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn, among others. For a complete listing of the finalists, click here.
2015 American Business Awards
In other award-related news, Donlen was recently announced as a finalist in two categories for The 2015 American Business Awards. The award possibilities are in the Most Innovative Company of the Year – Up to 2,500 Employees category as well as the Stevie Award for mobile apps in the Business/Government category.
“We are thrilled to be considered as a candidate for the Most Innovative Company of the Year,” said Brian Wright, the company’s senior vice president of products and services. “Everyone at Donlen has one goal, and that is to empower our customers to do more so they can focus on their core business. Our emphasis on developing quality technology solutions allows our customers to have better insight into their operations and potential cost savings. Our mobile apps allow our customers to manage their fleets from anywhere and these apps have been recognized for their effectiveness and ease of use. We are honored to be a Stevie Award Finalist.”
For more information on the awards and a complete listing of the finalists, click here.
Eureka!
Digital automotive marketing SaaS company Outsell announced recently it has been named by The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal as a 2015 Eureka! Award Winner. In its second year, the award honors companies in the Twin Cities for creating new products and innovative business processes that are “disrupting” industries in business, technology, education, the arts, healthcare, among others.
“We are honored that The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal has recognized our company with a 2015 Eureka! Award,” Mike Wethington, Outsell’s chief executive officer. “I’m proud that our team is bringing in one-of-a-kind big-data analytics solutions such as BuyerScout to the automotive market, and that we are able to create tremendous value for dealers across many of the top automotive brands. I’m happy to see BuyerScout recognized among all the other stand-out innovations in the Twin Cities.”
For a complete listing of the winners, click here.
Russ Darrow Jr., the founder of the Russ Darrow Group, was recently inducted into the Wisconsin Business Hall of Fame.
The ceremony, which took place at The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee on April 16, benefited the Junior Achievement of Wisconsin and marked the 25th anniversary of the Hall of Fame. One hundred past laureates were honored and four business leaders were inducted at the event.
The Hall of Fame aims to honor individuals for their business innovations, effective management and civic involvement in their companies as well as their communities throughout the Badger State.
“We are honored that our founder has been recognized as a distinguished laureate, representing the core of what Junior Achievement is all about – entrepreneurship and business leadership,” said Mike Darrow, the group’s president. “The Hall of Fame ceremony was a noteworthy evening and tribute to our state’s influential leaders. We were inspired to hear my dad share the secrets of his success and stories that contribute to making Wisconsin a great place to live – and work.”
Russ Darrow Jr., the inductee, commented on the source of the fundamental building blocks of his career.
“What a tremendous recognition to be inducted into this elite group,” Darrow Jr. said. “Early in my life, my parents taught me about having an excellent work ethic, the importance of values and community, and the charitable spirit of people who are successful. When one starts and grows a local company from scratch, it takes a lot of well-qualified, loyal and dedicated people. Without them by my side, our company wouldn’t have grown to what it is today.”
More information about the Russ Darrow Group can be found its website.
