A new voice-first artificial intelligence platform designed help car dealerships with sales and service follow-up has launched in the U.S. The platform, called Lokam.ai, is designed to automate customer communication, giving dealers greater capability to capture, convert and retain more customers. Lokam.ai can integrate existing CRM and DMS systems to facilitate automated high-impact customer follow-up, […] [Read More]

Lithia Motors has sold its Ferrari of Denver store to Woodhouse Auto Family CEO Jason Pittack, according to a news release from Pinnacle Mergers & Acquisitions, which advised Lithia on the transaction. Pinnacle also represented Lithia when it sold Toyota of Gallatin in Nashville, Tenn., earlier this year. The advisory has worked with the dealer […] [Read More]

From south Florida to the Southwest and several states in between, a few of the nation’s largest dealer groups have taken action to help safeguard the well-being of those in their communities, be it providing food and nourishment, medical care or home and family services. Starting with Kunes Auto & RV Group, the Wisconsin-based retailer […] [Read More]

Steve Levine said dealers have been approaching him recently with an idea. Should they start a car-rental businesses to supplement their dealership revenues by providing affordable rentals to customers whose vehicles are out of service for repairs. The owner of Ignite Consulting Partners, which offers guidance on compliance, operations and best practices, replied, “This is […] [Read More]

For decades, the American auto dealer has operated on a predictable, rhythmic cycle. New cars arrived from the factory, leases were signed, and 36 months later, those same vehicles flowed back into the ecosystem like clockwork. This off-lease pipeline was the lifeblood of the used-car department, a reliable stream of inventory that required little effort […] [Read More]

We continue our episodes of the Auto Remarketing Podcast originating from the Live Stage, which was sponsored by SYCN Auto Logistics, during the Used Car Industry Summit in Miami this spring. Amber Gosney of SYCN Auto Logistics recapped how she and her company colleague, Staci Dimi, became the Transport Queens to serve clients who need […] [Read More]

We continue our episodes of the Auto Remarketing Podcast originating from the Live Stage, which was sponsored by SYCN Auto Logistics, during the Used Car Industry Summit in Miami this spring. To get a better understanding of how autonomous technology has the potential to be highly disruptive in the used-car market, Draiver senior vice president […] [Read More]

Potential car buyers at your dealership — especially ones already stretched thin financially — might be more than a little nervous about making a payment commitment that barely covers the vehicle’s retail price, let alone possible products in your F&I office. To give dealers some clarity about this situation as well as some recommendations, Protective […] [Read More]

The National Auto Auction Association introduced “targeted updates” to its NAAA Arbitration Guidelines on Monday, the trade group said in a memo to members. The updates are meant to clarify existing policy language and “formally reflect established auction practices,” while also addressing what NAAA calls evolving issues like higher-value vehicles, announcements on vehicles, ADAS components […] [Read More]

We continue our episodes of the Auto Remarketing Podcast originating from the Live Stage, which was sponsored by SYCN Auto Logistics, during the Used Car Industry Summit in Miami this spring. As vehicle ownership costs now exceed $12,000 per year and repair and maintenance prices have risen roughly 30–40% since 2020, Kathleen Long, who is […] [Read More]