The past six weeks have represented one of the busiest stretches ever experienced by the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association because of the coronavirus pandemic. NIADA senior vice president of legal and government affairs Shaun Petersen returned to the podcast, updating senior editor Nick Zulovich about an array of initiatives the association launched to help […] [Read More]

April will end up with the largest-ever year-over-year decline in the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index, should current price trends remain on track. Manheim parent company Cox Automotive debuted its first mid-month edition of this index that measures wholesale vehicle price activity on Friday and found that the Manheim index is at 125.2 halfway through April, down 9.6% compared to the […] [Read More]

As the company’s chief executive officer shared his five broad perspectives about the ongoing economic crisis created by the coronavirus pandemic, Ally Financial also offered more details about how it’s worked with dealer clients. During the company’s quarterly conference call with investors on Monday morning, Ally Financial chief financial officer Jennifer LaClair said 72% of […] [Read More]

With Flick Fusion’s new live-streaming video communications application, dealership personnel can connect with vehicle shoppers and current customers, regardless of which operating platform the callers are on. The application is called StreaMe, and Flick Fusion is offering auto dealerships a free, no-obligation 60-day trial for a limited time. The company said it is offering the application […] [Read More]

Autotrader has debuted a new commercial spot highlighting various home services that dealers now offer to bring convenience and comfort to in-market shoppers while also minimizing in-person contact. The ad, titled, “Still Moving,” is meant to alleviate consumers’ car-buying concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Autotrader, sourcing the Cox Automotive COVID-19 Digital Shopping Study, said the […] [Read More]

Stating that the product makes dealership employee and customer safety a top priority during COVID-19, Dealer-FX has launched a contactless check-in application that enables physical distancing. Mobile Check-In is the new application from Dealer-FX, a digital transformation and customer experience management company serving auto retailers and OEMs. The company describes Mobile Check-In as a safer […] [Read More]

Spireon received a reason to be celebratory on a Monday morning amid the coronavirus pandemic. Spireon announced it has been named a winner of the 2020 Excellence in Customer Service Award, presented by Business Intelligence Group. For the second year in a row, Spireon has won under the Organization of the Year category, as the […] [Read More]

Reinforcing an earlier message about the need for teamwork and digitization as COVID-19 disrupts the F&I industry, Portfolio recently announced the launch of a new website for GAP and ancillary claims. Portfolio said its new site features a fully redesigned interface intended to offer easy navigation and a better overall user experience. Executives said users […] [Read More]

On Friday, Toyota Motor North America and Toyota Financial Services  announced executive changes that the companies said further strengthen their leadership in key areas. According to a news release, Holly Walters, president and chief executive officer of Toyota Financial Savings Bank, was promoted to chief information officer and group vice president of information systems for […] [Read More]

Traffic trends from online automotive marketplaces are seeing nice lifts. Autotrader had close to 11 million visitors the week of April 6, up from less than 9 million a year ago, according to a Data Point report from parent company Cox Automotive. While visitor count fell between the weeks of March 2 and March 16 […] [Read More]