As millennials continue to turn from the way previous generations have shopped in this digital age, their growing desire for luxury vehicles has surpassed older generations as well, according to the Harris Poll's 29th annual EquiTrend Study. The report on consumer’s preferences reveals what Harris found to be the strongest brands across the automotive industry as […] [Read More]

What's it like being a leading edge subprime auction in a huge metropolitan market surrounded by the ongoing tempest of chain auction leaders?  It's like being a teapot that needs to continually brew innovation, creativity and, basically, a solid consistent blend to keep the tempest at bay. Someone asked me recently how we survive and, […] [Read More]

Machine learning and fraud solutions provider PointPredictive recently orchestrated a gathering of six of the nation’s Top 10 and nine of the nation’s Top 20 aimed at tackling the problem of auto finance fraud through collaboration. As a part of launching what PointPredictive is calling its Automotive Lending Fraud Consortium, officials highlighted a total of […] [Read More]

It’s been a little while since I’ve made an entry into my diary about navigating through the rigors of the National Automotive Finance Association’s Consumer Credit Compliance Certification Program. I’m happy to report I can see the certification summit. While I didn’t get here with climbing boots and a backpack, it’s been just as rewarding […] [Read More]

Consumers' heightened interest in compact SUVs and midsize utility vehicles over sedans is driven by cargo and a high vantage point, rather than the recent drop in gas prices nationally, says Michelle Krebs, executive analyst for Autotrader. “KBB did a quick poll, not scientific necessarily,” she said during a conference call with the media on […] [Read More]

Asbury Automotive Group chief executive Craig Monaghan doesn’t downplay the impact that swelling supply and off-lease volume has on pricing in the used-car market. That said, he’s not hitting the panic button, instead treating the pre-owned sector as a “trading business” and leaning on fast turns. “We think that’s going to create some pressure on […] [Read More]

Jim Ellis Automotive Group announced recently that Jimmy Ellis, president of the family-owned and operated dealership network, has decided to launch a giving campaign that will benefit local first responders in Atlanta. Each of the group's 14 locations will participate in the first responder campaign. A portion of the profit from every new or pre-owned […] [Read More]

For well over a decade, I have worked with, led and trained some of the best sales professionals in the world. They all, without exception, share a single common trait.  Somehow they know more about their customers’ business and what their customers are trying to accomplish than customers do.  The reason for this is simple: Most successful […] [Read More]

Union Pacific has earned the 2016 Toyota Logistics Excellence Award in customer service for the ninth consecutive year, along with the automaker's Kaizen Excellence Award in recognition of excellence in continuous improvement, the company announced on Monday. "We’re honored to receive the inaugural Kaizen award, demonstrating our dedication to continuous improvement, efficiency and shipment quality," […] [Read More]

The T.J. Martell Foundation for Leukemia, Cancer and AIDS Research has announced that it will honor Facebook's U.S. Automotive director Stephanie Latham at the Women of Influence Awards and Luncheon next week. Latham, a breast cancer survivor and passionate supporter of the cause, will join five other women in accepting their awards during the foundation's […] [Read More]