You can count the decision by Roger Penske and his team at Penske Automotive Group to acquire standalone used-car retailer CarSense as a wise one, says Autotrader senior analyst Michelle Krebs. “It’s a really smart move, of course,” Krebs said during a phone interview Friday. “Roger doesn’t make any dumb moves.” Penske Automotive announced Thursday […] [Read More]

After two months of decline, certified pre-owned sales climbed 10 percent year-over-year in November, with dealers selling 202,501 CPO units, according to Autodata Corp. That puts the year-to-date sales total at 2.41 million units through 11 months and less than 144,000 units shy of the record 2.55 million vehicles sold in full-year 2015. With year-to-date […] [Read More]

Auto/Mate Dealership Systems announced on Monday it has welcomed a new head of marketing, Patrick Reilly. Reilly will govern the development of the dealership management system (DMS) company’s corporate marketing strategy. "Patrick brings a wealth of marketing knowledge to this position and I'm excited to have his energy, expertise and guidance for achieving our ambitious […] [Read More]

Part of the dialogue happening at the recent SubPrime Forum during Used Car Week stemmed from whether or not finance companies — especially ones that specialize in subprime paper — were tightening their underwriting. Furthermore, companies such as Consumer Portfolio Services had just discussed why their originations dipped during the third quarter. Well, Experian’s latest […] [Read More]

There was a 3-percent uptick in online new-car shopping in November, while used cars showed a 1-percent drop, according to analysis from Dealer.com director of analytics James Grace. The reason for these numbers? A big new-car push from automakers to make up for lost ground as the year draws to an end. “We did a […] [Read More]

Copart, the global online vehicle remarketer, announced the expansion of its Newburgh, N. Y. location on Thursday. "Our recent expansions and openings of new locations across the country are a reflection of our vision to provide an unmatched experience, every day and everywhere that is driven by our people, process and technology," said Jay Adair, […] [Read More]

On Thursday, DealerSocket announced that after recently partnering with the insurance comparison website, FetchAQuote.com (Fetch), its newly released iDMS platform for independent dealers now allows dealer clients to easily use the site to find auto insurance for customers who have a hard time obtaining coverage. "Our independent dealers often work with customers who have no […] [Read More]

The Republicans control both the legislative and executive branches of government for only the third time since 1929, the previous times being 2001 and 2003 with President George W. Bush. It would seem to be an opportunity for an end to gridlock, assuming the Republicans can manage to unite themselves.While it may arguably also effectively […] [Read More]

As another year closes, buy-here, pay-here operators must focus on how to make next year better. The answers can’t be found in their year-end financial statements or even by reviewing unit sales numbers. This article will discuss what every operator should evaluate in order to improve performance and profitability as follows: 1. Indicators that your […] [Read More]

Boosting its presence in Texas, the XLerate Group on Thursday announced it has added a new member to its auction family with the acquisition of Lone Star Auto Auction (LSAA). Company leadership highlighted the Lubbock-based auction complements XLerate’s existing Texas locations in Dallas and El Paso as well as the two sites in Austin.  XLerate […] [Read More]