Third-party car shopping sites are rolling out new features and technology as competition for consumer eyeballs and dealer and OEM marketing dollars heats up. Edmunds, Cars.com, TrueCar and Cox Automotive’s Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, are among the online marketplaces that are devising sophisticated digital tools to zero in on in-market car shoppers. They are […] [Read More]

A suit involving vehicle repossessions and members of the military came to a close Monday. The Justice Department announced that CitiFinancial Credit Co., as successor to CitiFinancial Auto Corp., has agreed to pay $907,000 to resolve allegations that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by repossessing 164 vehicle owned by SCRA-protected servicemembers without […] [Read More]

DIMONT is deploying DANA to help the auto-finance industry handle the ramifications of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. DANA — which is DIMONT Associates Nationwide Adjusters — now is available with a team ready to provide claims management guidance to finance companies and servicers in the aftermath of these storms and beyond. DIMONT explained DANA is […] [Read More]

After being asked how they would describe the current used-vehicle sales environment, the view is a bit rosier for franchised dealers than for independent dealers, but overall, the view leans toward positive. And sentiment is on the upswing for independents. That’s one finding in the debut edition of the Cox Automotive Sentiment Index, a new […] [Read More]

Gubagoo recently rolled-out Parts Directory, which has been added to its platform to deliver auto parts information to dealers instantly, the company announced Sunday. With Parts Directory, consumers can now request vehicle part details from the company using live chat or text message. In minutes, dealers using the newly integrated auto parts directory can see parts and get a description with […] [Read More]

Auction Academy’s largest class, class group 5, traveled to Spokane, Wash., this summer for training held in conjunction with McConkey Auction Group’s Rock & Roll sale at its DAA Northwest location in July. In addition to enjoying the concert event headlined by the Lynyrd Skynyrd Band, during their two days of training, the Auction Academy […] [Read More]

InterActiveTel announced Monday that Bill Leek has come aboard as the company’s new president and chief operating officer. Leek brings more than 20 years of experience in the automotive industry, and he most recently served as vice president of sales for Dominion Dealer Services, according to InterActiveTel. In addition to leading the entire InterActiveTel organization, in […] [Read More]

The National Automobile Dealers Association cautioned store managers and personnel that they’re likely to see two trends surface with regard to the Equifax security breach as customers arrive in the showroom or service drive. Mark Scarpelli, who is the 2017 NADA chairman, specified the two probable scenarios in a blog post the association shared last […] [Read More]

CoreLane Technologies, a provider of innovative transactional connectivity solutions for automotive dealers and finance companies, on Monday announced the launch of CreditLane, a low-cost, scalable cloud-based platform for delivering data between dealers and finance companies. CoreLane will debut the new platform this week at the defi SOLUTIONS Annual Client Summit in Las Colinas, Texas. CoreLane […] [Read More]

LotLinx announced Monday it has named John Gottschalk senior vice president of client relationships to help manage and develop impactful communications with dealers. Gottschalk most recently served as SVP of dealer relations and business development at FordDirect, which is both a turnkey digital marketing solution for Ford Motor Company and joint venture between Ford and […] [Read More]