TrueCar has purchased Boston-based DealerScience in a move that gives the company’s dealer customers a path to digital retail. DealerScience, a digital retail software tool provider, will be a subsidiary of TrueCar and maintain its leadership team and Boston headquarters. Dealer customers can look forward to “improvements that enable them to expedite vehicle desking, calculate accurate […] [Read More]

A new company called DealerStrip has added its twist to online used-car sourcing. Similar to Chicago-based Swap Motors and others, DealerStrip is a consumer-to-dealer auction channel. Aaron Fruge, DealerStrip executive vice president, said the company is a listing service where consumers can post vehicles for sale for no charge, inventory for which only subscribing dealers can […] [Read More]

TrueCar had plans to launch a national marketing campaign for its TrueCar Trade product in early 2019. That all changed. After receiving positive feedback in the test markets for the campaign (Seattle, Phoenix and Chicago), TrueCar decided to launch the national campaign in November. Last month, Auto Remarketing caught up with TrueCar chief executive Chip […] [Read More]

OpenRoad Auto Group is now in the vehicle subscription game. Late last month, the British Columbia dealer group launched PORTFOLIO by OpenRoad, an all-inclusive luxury car subscription program that includes multiple brands. OpenRoad partnered with Clutch Technologies, a U.S. software platform owned by Cox Automotive that facilitates vehicles subscriptions. Launching initially with high-end luxury cars, the […] [Read More]

Not since the credit pinch triggered by the Great Recession have subprime originations been this low, giving finance companies a clear indication where in the cycle the industry currently sits. With the uptick in average credit scores for vehicle financing across the board, Experian indicated the percentage of subprime contract originations reached its lowest level […] [Read More]

While certain commercial filings spiked, the American Bankruptcy Institute reported that consumer cases ticked lower in November. According to data provided by Epiq Systems, total U.S. bankruptcy filings in November generated a 2-percent decrease year-over-year with the figure coming in at 58,887 cases. The November 2017 total was 60,327. Consumer bankruptcies also decreased in November […] [Read More]

BMO Harris Bank announced this week that it is partnering with AutoGravity in an effort to streamline and simplify the vehicle-buying and financing process for consumers nationwide. AutoGravity can connect potential buyers with finance companies and dealerships to provide consumers with pre-qualified finance offers for their vehicle of choice. Using the AutoGravity app available on […] [Read More]

Sagent Lending Technologies recently announced the appointment of Robert Johnson to the executive leadership team as VP and chief sales officer with the responsibility to lead sales and account management for the full suite of Sagent auto finance solutions. Johnson brings more than 25 years of automotive finance and financial technology expertise to this role […] [Read More]

Zanchin Automotive Group is looking for its customized app to be used by customers as much as those individuals might hit their smartphone button to access Amazon or Instagram. Mobile Einstein, a provider of geo-mobile sales solutions for dealer groups, recently announced that it has partnered with Zanchin Automotive Group, one of the largest dealer […] [Read More]

Black Book’s representative watching a sale in California as November closed shared this observation: “The most common complaint from the dealers was the continued high prices paid to secure inventory.” Reinforcing that dealer claim is the fact that Black Book’s Used Vehicle Retention Index climbed for the seventh month in a row. The November reading […] [Read More]