Dealer Marketing Services, makers of ProMax Unlimited, unveiled the second of three soft credit pull solutions powered by Equifax data. On Monday, the company highlighted Instant Screen powered by Equifax is the latest version of its solution that can enable dealers to provide a firm offer of credit at the dealership level. Customers shopping for […] [Read More]

When Debbie Stokes gets time away from the office, one of her hobbies is golf. While certainly a game of precision at any point on the course, each of its different tasks — driving, chipping out of a sand trap, putting, etc. — requires a diverse set of skills (and clubs, for that matter). The […] [Read More]

AutoNation retailed 58,103 used vehicles in the first quarter, down 0.9 percent from Q1 of 2015, according to the company’s earnings report released Friday. Revenue per used unit retailed was $19,274, up 3.3 percent year-over-year. Gross profit per retail used vehicle, however, was down 7.7 percent at $1,613. Looking at overall results, total revenue climbed […] [Read More]

One of the largest recent recall campaigns not associated with Takata air bags nor Volkswagen’s diesel units came to light late on Friday as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is voluntarily recalling an estimated 811,586 midsize SUVs and full-size cars in the U.S. The automaker explained the move is being made to reduce the effect of potential […] [Read More]

You’re a publicly traded company that owns the second-largest auto auction chain in the country. Your portfolio also includes a suite of dealer- and auction-based technology and digital offerings that certainly enhance the brick-and-mortar experience or could be considered an alternative to it. So, what do you do? You make acquisitions and investments in both. […] [Read More]

Katie Rushing was a member of a sorority as a student at Georgia Southern University. Whether it was in athletics or automotive, a mantra she learned during that part of her life still influences her now as she is the national remarketing manager for Southeastern Auto Auction of Savannah. “I am motivated to excel in […] [Read More]

KeyBanc Capital Markets indicated that the majority of principals and managers who participated in its March dealer survey said used-vehicle gross margins “remained under pressure.” By how much are those grosses being pinched? Well, 57 percent of respondents told KeyBanc that grosses stayed flat or dropped by more than $50 per unit in March. When […] [Read More]

As one industry observer put it, Volkswagen dealers might be working within a “fairly sketchy framework” on how to handle about 500,000 diesel vehicles with compromised emissions systems the automaker has agreed to potentially buy back through various means based on negotiations brokered between the OEM and federal regulators. A deadline-mandated preliminary agreement came to […] [Read More]

Lithia Motors appears well on its way to hitting its annual projection of a 9.5-percent jump in used-vehicle sales thanks to the lift, especially in same-store performance, the dealer group posted during the first quarter. Lithia reported this week that its Q1 used-vehicle retail same-store sales increased 12 percent year-over-year during a quarter that saw […] [Read More]

This week, New York’s attorney general reached four separate settlements connected with 22 different rooftops in the New York City area for packaging credit repair and identity theft protection services into the vehicle installment contract; a similar practice that landed other Big Apple stores in legal trouble a year ago to the tune of more […] [Read More]