You might have read in my prior editorials that I don’t believe the current physical auction is the wave of the future. Counters and their inherent lines should be a thing of the past, with counters creating the “them and us” mentality. My view is that customer service representatives should be floating through all aspects […] [Read More]

DealerPolicy, LLC, a company in the emerging Insurtech sector, appointed former Cox Automotive executive Mike Burgiss as chief product officer, a newly created position. Burgiss brings more than two decades of product, innovation, and management experience across the automotive and technology industries, holding senior positions at Cox Automotive and Accenture. DealerPolicy stated that as vice president of […] [Read More]

Honda came out on top in the 2019 AutoWeb Buyer’s Choice Awards with five wins in the categories of hatchback, van, sedan, compact, and small SUV, with the 2019 Honda Accord winning Best Car of the Year and the 2019 Honda CR-V winning Best Utility Vehicle of the Year.  General Motors won four category awards […] [Read More]

Margin compression is here for the long haul. In 2019 and beyond, dealers will continue to face flattening new-vehicle sales and a growing affordability issue fueled in part by rising interest rates. What’s more, the Q3 2018 Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index identified credit availability for consumers and competition with other dealers as two of […] [Read More]

To cut down on paper usage and streamline operations, Auto/Mate Dealership Systems released a pair of tools on Monday aimed at helping both the finance office as well as the service and parts counter. The first solution is the company’s eDEAL Signature Capture feature, a digital contracting tool that can allow F&I managers to capture […] [Read More]

LAUNCHER.SOLUTIONS (Launcher), a technology provider specializing in subprime auto finance originations, recently announced its successful integration with LexisNexis Risk Solutions. The alliance is designed to give subprime finance companies access to alternative data within Launcher’s appTRAKER loan origination system. The intended results not only could help increase finance company efficiencies, but also enhance understanding of […] [Read More]

Digital Recognition Network (DRN) has new ownership. According to a news release distributed on Monday morning, Motorola Solutions announced it has acquired VaaS International Holdings, a data and image analytics company that includes DRN and is based in Livermore, Calif., and Fort Worth, Texas. Motorola Solutions paid a purchase price of $445 million in a […] [Read More]

With apologies to Shakespeare, the road to retail automotive — like the road to true love — has never run smoothly, nor is it expected to anytime soon. That’s why key players in the auto industry are lining up to help straighten curves and fill in  potholes, so dealers can operate more efficiently and profitably, […] [Read More]

AutoWeb has created a new role titled vice president of strategy and development, and announced Wednesday that hired for the position is Mark Ugar. Ugar was most recently the senior vice president of business development and strategic partnerships at YP Holdings. His background also includes time with media and tech companies like Hearst Corp. and […] [Read More]

Make that 23 locations in the ServNet family. The auction group closed its 30th year by bringing in FastLane Auto Exchange, in the Michigan town of Mount Morris, which is north of Flint. This gives ServNet a presence in the Upper Midwest. “The ServNet auction owners welcome yet another new facility to our ranks,” ServNet […] [Read More]