A veteran of almost 30 years with Ford is the new leader of the company’s joint venture with its dealers. Chris Thornton has been named CEO of FordDirect, which serves as a data hub connecting Ford and Lincoln dealers and provides them with exclusive access to digital marketing and advertising products and services. Thornton succeeds […] [Read More]

RockED has been working with Hendrick Automotive Group dealerships since 2022. Now it’s official: the auto industry training platform is a partner of the company that bills itself as the nation’s largest privately held automotive retail organization. In a news release, RockED said the collaboration illustrates a “shared commitment to transforming dealership learning and performance […] [Read More]

Mary Leigh Phillips is in a nearly constant state of learning. From colleagues. From customers. From family. And as a result, the chief executive officer of Bridgecrest has built a successful career for which she is being honored as Cherokee Media Group’s 2025 Auto Finance Executive of the Year, presented by Black Book. Phillips will […] [Read More]

AutoPayPlus by US Equity Advantage, an automated financial concierge service, announced that it has achieved a series of technology, compliance, and organizational advancements designed to deliver greater efficiency, accuracy and security for its dealer partners. First, the company said it recently completed its certified integration with Reynolds & Reynolds, enabling AutoPayPlus to securely and seamlessly […] [Read More]

Last week, Open Lending Corp. announced the launch of ApexOne Auto, an advanced decisioning platform that expands the company’s capabilities to serve the full spectrum of auto-finance customers. The provider of automotive lending enablement and risk analytics solutions for financial institutions highlighted ApexOne Auto combines automation, data, and explainable intelligence to help lenders make faster, […] [Read More]

Like a roller coaster at a state fair, wholesale vehicle values descended rapidly in October — and the declines were “faster than usual,” according to Black Book. To use another seasonal metaphor to describe the fall, used-car deprecation was “a little spooky” last month, says Cox Automotive. Both firms have released their observations on October’s […] [Read More]

Canada’s zero-emission vehicle rebate is gone. So now what? According to Canadian Black Book’s latest report, The Future of Electric Vehicles in Canada: Market Dynamics After the iZEV Rebate, the market for electric vehicles has taken a step back — but is now more ready to move forward into the future. In the report, CBB […] [Read More]

FAXVIN this week rolled out a significant update to CarRank, its 0–100 vehicle-history metric designed to help shoppers and dealers compare used cars at a glance. The company highlighted the latest release incorporates additional data sources and methodology refinements that are geared to improve how risk signals are weighted across title brands, odometer consistency, accident […] [Read More]

When you hear the name “Carson,” you might think “famed TV host” (Johnny or Daly). Or “football-flinging quarterback” (Palmer, Wentz or Beck). Cars Commerce, the parent company of Cars.com, wants you to think “AI search engine.” On Thursday, the company announced the launch of its own “Carson” — and this one is a multilingual search […] [Read More]

Vitu began the year by successfully closing its acquisition of the Dealertrack registration and titling businesses from Cox Automotive. And the innovator in vehicle-to-government (V2Gov) technology is rounding out the year with another acquisition. Vitu announced on Friday that it has completed the acquisition of Decision Dynamics (DDI Technology) from IAA Holdings, an RB Global […] [Read More]