As part of CarMax Auctions Customer Appreciation Months for registered dealers, customers can look forward to upcoming events filled with catered meals and giveaways.
Customer appreciation events are set to take place at each of the company’s 73 auction locations throughout September and October.
CarMax Murrieta, the company’s largest auction facility on the West Coast, in Murrieta, Calif., will host its inaugural customer appreciation event on Oct. 30. CarMax opened the new facility earlier this year.
The auction is anticipating an estimated 400 plus visitors to attend the inaugural event, according to CarMax.
“We look forward to celebrating our customers who have supported us since we opened our auctions facility in February,” CarMax Murrieta auction services location general manager Carlos Raygoza said in an email. “We value these relationships and are excited to hold this event in their honor.”
Additionally, CarMax Auctions are open to dealers only, and sales are held in a live, open bidding format.
Click here for a full schedule of events sorted by auction location.
Morrie’s Automotive Group announced Wednesday plans to expand in the Midwest with the addition of five new locations and six new brands.
The new dealerships, which will be located in Minnesota and Wisconsin, will be opened by the end of 2018.
New locations will include:
- Volkswagen La Crosse and Audi Lacrosse in La Crosse, Wis.(opening September)
- Mercedes of St. Paul in Maplewood, Minn. (opening October)
- Lincoln of West End in St. Louis Park, Minn. (opening January)
- Jaguar Richfield and Land Rover Richfield in Richfield, Minn. (opening late 2018)
- West Bend Honda in West Bend, Wis. (opening late 2018)
“Through this expansion we’re not just adding new dealerships, we’re bringing new jobs to our communities, adding trusted brands to our portfolio and introducing the Morrie’s Buy Happy approach of vehicle ownership to car buyers across Minnesota and Wisconsin,” Karl Schmidt, Morrie’s Automotive Group chief executive officer, said in a news release. “Our goal is to enhance the ownership experience and bring an evolved approach to doing business that today’s car buyers expect.”
Morrie’s growth will bring more than 225 new jobs and various development opportunities for current employees, according to the group.
Solar technology provider SunPower is now working with dealerships across the country to put empty rooftops and parking lots to better use with cost-saving, high-efficiency solar energy systems.
In addition to producing enough energy to significantly curtail dealership's electricity costs, SunPower said systems serve a dual purpose because solar panels can also protect what’s beneath them, such as roofs or a fleet of vehicles.
"It's no surprise that an increasing number of auto customers find solar to be a reliable, effective way to reduce electric bills while freeing up operating capital and improving their environment with emission-free energy," SunPower executive vice president Nam Nguyen said in a news release. "Through relentless innovation, SunPower has created smart, simple, and cost-effective solar systems that allow businesses in any industry maximize their investment, earning more savings over time."
In Minnesota, SunPower dealer Energy Concepts sold, designed and installed 454 kilowatts of solar across 10 locations of Luther Auto Group.
The group’s combined installations are projected to generate more than $2.1 million in electricity cost savings over 25 years, according to SunPower.
"Solar just makes good business sense in today's energy environment, and has become integral to many of our facilities' energy-efficient designs," said Linda McGinty, vice president of real estate at Luther Auto. "Over the last five years, we've worked with Energy Concepts to install over 450 kilowatts of high-efficiency SunPower solar at 10 of our dealerships across Minnesota, and have seen significant energy savings as a result."
Covert Auto of Texas currently has 125.6 kilowatts of solar installed on the roofs of the group’s Ford and Chevy dealerships in Hutto.
SunPower said the systems are expected to yield over $500,000 in energy savings over 25 years and meet 53 percent of Covert Auto’s current electricity needs.
Additionally, in Colorado, SunPower dealer Independent Power Systems installed more than 50 kilowatts of rooftop solar at Boulder Nissan.
When combined with the dealership's recent upgrade to LED lighting, the system currently meets 20 percent of Boulder Nissan’s electricity needs. The system is expected to generate $384,000 in energy savings over 25 years, according to SunPower.
"It's inspiring to help auto dealers see a return on their solar investment in five to seven years, with some becoming cash-flow positive in as little as one month," said Ryan Ferrero, chief executive officer of Ignyte Lab which partnered with Independent Power Systems. "When we can show auto dealership owners the financial benefits of using renewable energy and adopting sustainable business practices, high-quality solar energy solutions end up selling themselves. And with more than 17,000 new car dealers across the U.S., there's a huge opportunity to help more in the industry save on electricity costs with solar."
In addition to car dealers, SunPower also works with automakers like Toyota. At the Toyota Motor North America's new headquarters in Plano, Texas, the company said it is currently working with Toyota to install an 8.79-megawatt system that is expected to be the state’s largest corporate office on-site solar installation of a non-utility company.
Pearl Technology Holdings announced Wednesday it has entered into a new agreement to integrate Kelley Blue Book’s Instant Cash Offer within its ShowroomXpress (SRX) retail platform.
The integration allows consumers shopping through the SRX retail widget to get a real instant cash offer for their current vehicle.
Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer asks car owners to answer questions about their vehicle and returns a real cash offer they can apply to another vehicle or use to sell the vehicle.
“Adding the Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer to our ShowroomXpress experience will enable dealers to change the way they retail cars with a few lines of code. The added functionality of Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer will be transformative to dealers wanting to offer a different online and in-store express retail experience,” Pearl chief executive officer and founder of Bruce Thompson said in a news release.
“While we believe our dynamic widget is the most powerful automotive express retail initiative in the industry, the missing element was a credible and instant offer for a consumer’s vehicle. Instant Cash Offer provides that with the added benefit of the trusted Kelley Blue Book brand. We are very excited to be working with Kelley Blue Book on what we believe is an inevitable shift in the way vehicles are sold in the U.S.,” Thompson continued.
Additionally, ShowroomXpress displays purchase and lease offers, and the consumer can configure their transaction and pick an ideal payment.
Payments are integrated into the dealer’s finance and insurance screens anytime, and Customers or sales personnel can freely alter terms and payment changes based on regional lender programs, according to Pearl.
“Pearl is on the cutting edge with its ShowroomXpress system, and we are very pleased to be working with the Pearl team on this initiative,” added Damon Bennett senior director of syndication at KBB.
With now Tropical Storm Harvey taking at aim at Louisiana and other locations inland after dumping 49 inches of rain near Houston, experts from Cox Automotive and Edmunds are looking to project how much this natural disaster is going to impact vehicle sales.
Meanwhile, the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association is organizing a fundraising effort to help people impacted.
Perhaps Edmunds executive director of industry analysis Jessica Caldwell summed up the entire situation when she stated, “Harvey is an unprecedented storm and it’s going to take time to fully comprehend exactly how much it will impact the automakers.
“Texas is the second largest auto market in the U.S. so an event of this magnitude is going to make a dent in sales,” Caldwell continued. “Edmunds estimates 2 percent fewer vehicles will be sold in August due to Harvey, with declines likely continuing into early September.
“In subsequent months we’ll likely see a slight localized bump in sales as the recovery takes hold and people are able to buy replacement vehicles,” she added.
Edmunds estimated there are approximately 366,000 new vehicles on dealer lots in Texas that could be affected by Harvey. Caldwell pointed out many of these vehicles are high-profit trucks and SUVs, “so the automakers will feel a slight pinch, at least in the immediate term.”
Edmunds projected there are between 150,000 and 200,000 units of new inventory that could be affected in the areas hardest hit by Harvey in the Texas cities of Austin, Beaumont, Port Arthur, Corpus Christi, Houston and San Antonio.
Edmunds added that Texas makes up 9 percent of U.S. retail sales and is the No. 1 truck market, accounting for 14 percent of all full-size truck sales so far this year.
To put that metric into perspective, analysts tabulated one out of every five vehicles sold in Texas so far in 2017 was a full-size truck.
Texas is the top sales market for Ford, RAM, GMC, Cadillac and Mitsubishi, according to Edmunds’ data.
Over at Cox Automotive, chief economist Jonathan Smoke uncovered information throughout the company’s portfolio of service providers, including Autotrader, Dealer.com, Dealertrack, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim, NextGear Capital, vAuto and Xtime. As a result, Smoke indicated Cox Automotive revised its August new-model forecast of 16.6 SAAR to 16.3, based on the hurricane and its aftermath delaying the turns of 20,000 to 40,000 new vehicles.
“However, September will likely get a mild boost from delayed purchases and the beginning of the market’s recovery, driven by the need to replace damaged vehicles,” Smoke said. “That process will likely last months, pushing higher sales in the region in 4Q. We are looking at impact to full-year SAAR. Initial estimates indicate a potential net improvement on full-year sales once replacement sales pick up in earnest.”
Federal officials said on Tuesday that they obtained a reading of 49.32 inches of rain being recorded at a location southeast of Houston. Officials said Harvey is expected to produce additional rainfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches through Friday over parts of the upper Texas coast into southwestern Louisiana as the storm is projected to move further inland into Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia this weekend.
“A Texas-sized storm requires a Texas-sized response, and that is exactly what the state will provide,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said. “While we have suffered a great deal, the resiliency and bravery of Texan’s spirits is something that can never be broken. As communities are coming together in the aftermath of this storm, I will do everything in my power to make sure they have what they need to rebuild.”
And NIADA is looking to help with the rebuilding effort.
The NIADA Foundation has established an emergency relief fund to provide a venue for members of the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association to assist fellow dealers and others in the automotive community devastated by the effects of Hurricane Harvey.
Steve Jordan, CEO of NIADA and president of the NIADA Foundation Board of Trustees, said 100 percent of all contributions received will be donated to provide relief from the effects of flooding, help repair property damage and assist with other disaster-related needs attributable to the catastrophic weather event that struck Houston and other areas along the Texas coast.
Jordan said the foundation's goal is to raise $100,000 for the fund.
Donations will be made in collaboration with the Texas IADA – NIADA’s state affiliate – and will be considered on a case-by-case basis as identified through the collaborative disbursement relationship.
“We are committed to helping our friends and colleagues in the automotive industry get through this trying time,” Jordan said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected or displaced by this massive storm.”
The NIADA Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization that serves as the focal point of NIADA’s charitable efforts and coordinates the association’s charitable giving. Individuals can contribute by going to this page.
While region residents still are dealing with the storm, Smoke uncovered that they aren’t necessarily shopping for or taking delivery of vehicles.
Since the storm came ashore this past weekend, Smoke noticed Dealer.com websites in the market have seen an almost 40-percent drop in vehicle shopping research compared to the previous weekends in August.
“This is a significant number as Dealer.com powers over 60 percent of dealer websites,” Smoke said.
Smoke noticed an even steeper drop in Dealertrack business within where Harvey dumped rain.
“Our Dealertrack credit application system has experienced a roughly 80-percent drop in activity in the affected area. Since most cars are financed, that’s an 80-percent drop in business since the storm came ashore Friday,” said Smoke, who also pointed out that 80 percent of U.S. franchised dealers use Dealertrack to submit credit applications electronically to finance companies.
While foreign-made vehicles continue to have the highest driver satisfaction, customer satisfaction with American vehicles remains strained, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).
“Overall, the gap between international and domestic manufacturers has widened because of the downturn for U.S. cars,” ACSI said in a news release announcing the findings of its ACSI Automobile Report 2017.
Of the 25 automakers the ACSI examined for its latest report, 12 brands have improved from a year ago, and eight have declined. Four of the eight automakers are domestic brands.
U.S. companies have fallen to a score of 80 on the ACSI scale of 0 to 100, while European Japanese and Korean manufacturers each carry an ACSI score of 82.
Among Detroit automakers specifically, GM is the only brand to improve customer satisfaction this year.
GM leads with an ACSI score of 82, then Ford at 81, followed by Fiat Chrysler at 77, according to ACSI.
While Jeep saw an increase of 3 percent this year, with an ACSI score of 80, the brand trails GM.
Additionally, GM’s GMC, with a score of 84, is the only domestic nameplate to make the ACSI’s top five list.
Seventy-seven percent of the above-average nameplates in the ACSI are foreign imports.
With an ACSI score of 86, Toyota is the highest-scoring automaker this year in both mass-market and luxury-vehicle categories.
Interestingly, Honda’s ACSI score dropped 6 percent this year and joins Chevrolet with a score of 81. Chevrolet saw its customer satisfaction fall by 2 percent.
ACSI surveyed 3,934 customers, chosen at random via email between July 1, 2016, and June 20, 2017, for the report, according to the company.
You can also view the entire report.
A day after Kerrigan Advisors shared its latest report about dealership buy/sell activity, Haig Partners released its own analysis on this topic on Tuesday, explaining how action ramped up in the second quarter after getting a bit of a slow start at the beginning of the year.
The Haig Report indicated the number of dealerships sold in the U.S. during the second quarter increased to 66 rooftops from 62 rooftops during the same timeframe last year.
Year to date, Haig Partners calculated the number of dealerships sold in the U.S. has declined 17 percent from the same period in 2016, from 175 to 146, due to a particularly weak period of dealership sales in Q1.
While the total number of rooftops trading hands declined during this period, the firm insisted the amount of money spent by the publicly traded retailers on dealerships in the U.S. has increased sharply in 2017.
Through June 30, the report noted the publicly traded retailers had spent $538 million on U.S. dealerships, an increase of 91 percent from the $282 million spent in the same period in 2016.
Lithia Motors was the most active of the publicly traded companies and continues to target underperforming large platforms in different parts of the U.S.
The report also highlighted profits at privately owned dealerships for the 12-month span that ended June 30 softened by 2.1 percent versus a year earlier to rising costs.
Values of privately owned dealerships also fell 2.1 percent during this period, according to the Haig Report. Haig Partners’ franchise blue sky multiples were unchanged in Q2 from Q1.
Continuing the trend from 2016, the firm mentioned demand for dealerships shifted from luxury brands to mainline import and domestic brands that are heavier in trucks and SUVs. Purchases of luxury dealerships comprised 13.7 percent of transactions in Q2, down from 16.6 percent in Q2 2016.
Other key findings from the latest Haig Report include:
—Macroeconomic indicators such as GDP, interest rates, employment, number of miles driven and consumer sentiment remain highly favorable for dealers.
—Other trends such as used-vehicle pricing, incentive spending by the OEMs and rising inventories are growing less favorable to dealers.
—Total sales, including fleet, fell by 2.9 percent through July, although recent months have been steady. Average retail SAAR is down 1 percent so far this year.
—Declines in new and used gross profits per vehicle are being offset by gains in F&I and fixed operations.
—Sales and gross profits continue to increase at dealerships, but expenses are rising faster.
—The average dealership pre-tax profit over the last 12 months was $1.436 million
—Average estimated blue sky value per dealership dipped 2.1 percent from the end of 2016 to $6.91 million.
—Public auto retailers are spending more of their capital on acquiring auto dealerships in the U.S. than last year.
—Private equity firms and family offices continue to make substantial investments in auto retail.
—Acquisitions of dealerships, even in declining periods, can still provide a better return on investment than other assets classes.
Haig Partners president Alan Haig said, “As we expected, the sharp drop in the first quarter of the year has been offset by a strong Q2 and we are expecting robust conditions for the rest of the year. There are many buyers and sellers in the market and deal financing remains readily available.
“These are good conditions for buy-sells, so long as sellers understand that their leverage is more limited than in the past,” Haig continued. “Buyers have many options and are increasingly concerned about future profits. They are less likely to chase deals or pay big premiums.
“If dealers want to sell their dealerships they will likely need to accept today's offer since tomorrow’s offer could be lower,” he went on to say.
Haig Partners is seeing these conditions in its current engagements that include domestic, import and luxury dealerships that range from Florida to New York to California. The firm has closed dealership transactions with a value of over $3.6B over the past 20 years.
The Haig Report is published each quarter and is based on data gathered from many public sources, as well as interviews with leading dealer groups, and bankers, lawyers and accountants who specialize in auto retail. Included in each edition are Haig Partners’ blue sky multiples that serve as a gauge for franchise values.
You can also download the full report.
Kerrigan Advisors’ newest Blue Sky Report highlighted a notable willingness by dealers to take on minority and majority equity partners along with eight other trends involving buy/sell activity through the first half of 2017, which the firm classified as high.
According the report released on Monday, Kerrigan Advisors also expects activity during the second half of the year to surpass the first half, resulting in the fourth year in a row of more than 200 transactions.
Erin Kerrigan, founder and managing director of Kerrigan Advisors said in a news release, “2017 is on pace to be a record year for equity partner investment structures.
“We think this shift in buy/sell activity is mostly due to the increasing size and complexity of the dealership groups coming to market,” Kerrigan continued. “In addition, dealers are attracted to the opportunity to remain involved in the business post-transaction, while also taking some chips off the table.”
The report noted key data and analysis from the first half of this year included:
• 101 dealership buy/sell transactions completed in the first half of 2017, compared to 106 transactions during the first half of 2016.
• Multi-dealership transactions represented 25 percent of completed transactions in the first half of 2017. Those transactions saw a 23-percent rise in the number of franchises represented per transaction.
• Public retailers increased spending 61 percent in the first half of 2017, compared to the first half of 2016.
• Domestics’ share of the buy/sell market remained at 44 percent, while non-luxury imports saw their share of the buy/sell market increase to 39 percent.
• Toyota, Honda and Subaru dealerships enjoy high buyer interest with consistently high profitability.
• Amongst the publics, Lithia Motors and Penske Automotive Group have acquired 21 U.S. dealerships.
• The private sector acquired 93 percent of the franchises sold.
• Dealership real estate prices and rents rose slightly as compared to 2016
“We see resilience in the buy/sell market,” Kerrigan said. “Even though SAAR is down, it remains within a historically high range. Auto sales in the first half of 2017 were actually 5 percent higher than the trailing five-year average, and dealerships remain highly profitable.”
The report also identified three other key trends moving forward into the third and fourth quarters of this year, including:
• Dealers take on majority and minority capital partners.
• Reinsurance profits increasingly factor into buy/sells.
• Retiring key operators prompt some dealers to sell.
“One of the more interesting trends we see moving into Q3 and Q4 of 2017 is retirement-driven transactions, but not necessarily in the way you think,” said Ryan Kerrigan, managing director of Kerrigan Advisors. “When a key lieutenant retires, that’s prompting some older dealers to sell, versus finding a replacement.
“As a result, the retirement of key management, in combination with the aging of the dealer body, is increasingly prompting older dealers to sell,” Kerrigan went on to say.
Kerrigan Advisors is deeply involved in the buy/sell market having advised on the sale of 59 dealerships, including four of the Top 100 dealership groups in the U.S. Most recently, Kerrigan advised on the sale of Downtown LA Auto Group to Lithia Motors.
The Blue Sky Report, a Kerrigan Quarterly, is published four times a year and includes Kerrigan Advisor’s signature blue sky charts, multiples and analysis for each franchise in the luxury and non-luxury segments. The multiples are based on Kerrigan Advisors’ view of franchise values in the current buy/sell market and can be applied to adjusted pre-tax dealership earnings to estimate blue sky value.
To download the report, go to this website.
As torrential rain from Hurricane Harvey keeps falling, the National Automobile Dealers Association and Cox Automotive are taking actions in an effort to support member dealerships as well as Manheim facilities and personnel in the region.
While dealers like Wyatt Wainwright had to flee rising waters, officials from Manheim are modifying activities near Houston, emphasizing that safety of employees is paramount.
“In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, the entire Manheim Texas team is focused on ensuring the safety and well-being of our team members,” said Nick Boris, regional vice president for Manheim Central, in details obtained by Auto Remarketing on Monday afternoon.
“We have thankfully confirmed that the more than half of our Texas employees are accounted for, and we are continuing to diligently reach out to additional staff,” Boris continued. “Manheim’s corporate human resources team based in Atlanta is leading the effort to share relief resources and information with those affected by the storm, record-breaking flooding and loss of utilities.
“In addition, they are coordinating access for Manheim team members to the Cox Employee Relief Fund (available through Manheim’s parent company Cox Enterprises) which provides immediate financial assistance for unexpected needs resulting from a disaster,” Boris went on to say.
Below is an update from Manheim’s business operations at some of its sites in Texas:
• Converted Tuesday morning physical sale at Manheim Houston to a digital sale
• Converted Thursday physical sale at Manheim Texas Hobby to a digital sale
• Proceeding with Wednesday sale at Manheim San Antonio
• Still assessing operations at Manheim South Houston
• Manheim Dallas, Manheim Dallas-Fort Worth, Manheim El Paso and Manheim West Texas are not impacted at this time.
“We are proactively communicating with clients about the status of our operations and inventory, as well as their assets,” Boris said. “Currently, affected sites are offering digital sales to support our clients’ used-vehicle buying and selling needs, and we will keep them informed about future in-lane sales.”
Undoubtedly dealers like Wainwright would like to get back to inventory acquisition. He is experiencing just how devastating the impacts this hurricane is leaving.
Wainwright is a resident of Sugar Land, Texas, about 20 miles southwest of Houston, as well as president of the Houston Automobile Dealers Association, which represents 175 dealerships. He learned in the middle of the night about orders to evacuate his home.
“We are struggling with the evacuation right now,” Wainwright said in a press release shared by NADA on Monday.
“There are large scale mandatory and voluntary evacuations going on right now. We don’t know where we can go to escape. I don’t know how I could drive three miles right now without getting blocked,” he added.
The NADA Foundation has mobilized its Emergency Relief Fund to assist dealership employees who have been impacted by personal property damage caused by the hurricane and flooding.
“There’s still 20 to 30 inches of rain that still has to pass through. We are not even near to the peak flooding yet,” Wainwright added. “A big issue we haven’t faced yet are rivers and streams that have yet to overflow. There is so much more of this to go which is the problem.”
Dealership employees affected by the flooding can apply for financial assistance. (Lost wages or commissions are not eligible for reimbursement from the fund.)
The NADA Foundation is also calling on dealers and dealer association groups to donate online to its Emergency Relief Fund. Checks can be made payable to Emergency Relief Fund and sent to:
NADA Foundation
8400 Westpark Drive
MS 7
Tysons, Va. 22102.
For more information, call (703) 821-7102.
Cox Automotive is also committed to helping the American Red Cross with disaster relief efforts.
In addition to the company’s corporate partnership, charitable banner ad campaigns are running on Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book and Manheim.com. Red Cross ads click directly to the Cox Automotive partnership donation site at https://www.redcross.org/coxauto-emp.
State and federal officials continue to deploy all resources available to help Texas residents impacted by this storm.
On Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced he has activated the entire Texas National Guard in response to Hurricane Harvey, bringing the total number of deployed guardsman to roughly 12,000. These National Guardsman will assist in the ongoing search and rescue effort for any Texans in immediate danger, and will be heavily involved in the extensive recovery effort in the aftermath of the storm.
“It is imperative that we do everything possible to protect the lives and safety of people across the state of Texas as we continue to face the aftermath of this storm,” Abbott said. “The Texas National Guard is working closely with FEMA and federal troops to respond urgently to the growing needs of Texans who have fallen victim to Hurricane Harvey, and the activation of the entire guard will assist in the efforts already underway. I would like to thank FEMA Administrator Brock Long, as well as all our brave first responders for their hard work in helping those impacted by this terrible storm.”
FEMA Administrator Brock Long added, “While this is still a dangerous situation with a long response effort ahead, the state and people of Texas are resilient. FEMA was here before the storm hit, and we will be here as long as needed, actively coordinating the full resources of the federal government, to support Gov. Abbott and the state.”
CDK Global announced recently that it has partnered with ActivEngage to create Concierge Chat, a messaging tool built directly into CDK Next Gen Websites.
The integration of Concierge Chat with the CDK platform provides customers with a professionally managed chat service fitted with features designed to help to drive qualified sales opportunities, the company said.
“The integration of Concierge Chat into our Next Gen websites further builds upon the fully responsive platform we’ve developed to allow dealers to connect with their customers no matter how they shop,” CDK Global vice president of product management Max Steckler said in a news release.
“As the industry continues to be flooded with standalone product innovation while lacking best-in-class integration, the creation of Concierge Chat is just one example of how CDK is meeting the challenge and enabling end-to-end automotive commerce via an open exchange,” he explained.
Concierge Chat’s notable features include:
• behavioral technology
• inventory sharing
• data mining technology
• seamless integration
ActivEngage joined the CDK Global Partner Program when it launched last year.
Currently, the program includes over 15 partners whose services are optimized and integrated across CDK Website workflows.
“CDK Global recognizes the power of giving consumers the opportunity to interact with dealers in real time via messaging solutions like chat, text or social media,” said Todd Smith, ActivEngage chief executive officer.
“Our partnership with CDK Global will allow our company to share new innovations that will help consumers navigate the purchasing journey more effectively, while creating better results for the dealer,” he added.
