Dealer Assist Now recently joined with the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association as its latest National Member Benefit partner, offering handwritten custom vehicle comments to the association’s independent and NIADA Certified Pre-Owned dealers. NIADA members who sign up for Dealer Assist Now can receive discounts on personal writers and self-service library access. Dealer Assist Now […] [Read More]

Calling it a “very competitive market” for car sales and margins, Asbury Automotive Group’s president and chief executive officer explained how the retailer achieved an earnings increase in the third quarter. "Despite a very competitive market for vehicle sales and margins, our strong parts and service customer pay performance combined with capital deployment enabled us […] [Read More]

Several auction sites throughout the U.S. had a tough week last week, according to Black Book’s weekly Market Insights report. A Black Book auction spotter in Texas bemoaned sluggish conditions in that market. “Even trucks were slow today, which is uncommon here,” he said. In Florida, a Black Book rep reported lots of no sales […] [Read More]

With just saying the last names of the presidential candidates often triggering intense reactions, Swapalease.com on Tuesday released results of its 2016 Election & Cars survey, revealing interesting findings that show the differences in how the two parties view aspects of the automotive industry. When it comes to how the election might impact how dealers […] [Read More]

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director Richard Cordray generated attention on Monday, and this time it wasn’t connected with an enforcement action and millions of dollars in restitution and fines. Rather, Cordray shared some insight about an endeavor called Project Catalyst, a 4-year-old effort that contains some components that might pique the interest of the auto finance […] [Read More]

There’s nothing to fear except fear itself. Well, that and the prospect of negotiating one’s next vehicle, apparently. A recent online survey by autoTRADER.ca found that many Canadians are opting to hold on to their existing set of wheels rather than face what they see as the intimidating process of snagging a deal on a […] [Read More]

When Charlie Bass of PureCars presents his discussion on “Embracing Change: Importance of Evolving with Your Shoppers” at next month’s CPO Forum, there’s one central digital marketing theme that will likely be top of mind, says PureCars chief executive Jeremy Anspach. “How to show the right message at the right time.” It’s often the new-car […] [Read More]

Journalism is going virtual, and automotive is along for the ride. Gannett Co. released a virtual reality news show last week as part of its USA TODAY NETWORK titled “VRtuallyThere," and the news show — said to be the first presented in VR — includes a virtual reality “cubemercial” ad from Toyota. Toyota is the show’s premier sponsor […] [Read More]

With some models having as much connectivity as your smartphone, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it is taking a proactive approach to protecting vehicles from malicious cyber-attacks and unauthorized access by releasing proposed guidance for improving vehicle cybersecurity. The agency within the Department of Transportation explained on Monday that the proposed cybersecurity […] [Read More]

Lithia Motors is challenging 68 stores within its dealership group to improve. Otherwise, change will come — if it hasn’t already. During the company’s conference call to discuss its third quarter results — which included a 13-percent gain in used-vehicle retail sales — Lithia president and chief executive officer Bryan DeBoer indicated the company made 19 […] [Read More]