Rob Berger, executive vice president at Wise F&I, was recently elected to serve as president of the Guaranteed Asset Protection Alliance, an organization established in 2006 comprised of companies that offer guaranteed asset protection (GAP) products. The purpose of GAPA is to monitor and lobby legislative, regulatory and administrative activity impacting the GAP industry. Wise […] [Read More]

TrueCar announced Monday morning that Chip Perry — who started what it is now known as Autotrader — will be its next president and chief executive officer. That move becomes effective Dec. 15, when TrueCar founder Scott Painter formally steps down from his CEO, chairman and board of directors posts. In 1997, Perry became the […] [Read More]

Kevala Analytics has developed a digital tool that displays the registration location of every non-compliant Volkswagen diesel vehicle in the state of California, juxtaposing the location of these vehicles with the areas of California with the highest levels of pollution and poverty in the state. Danny Kennedy, the managing director of the California Clean Energy […] [Read More]

Mazda North American Operations is collaborating with four nonprofit organizations for its Mazda Drive for Good event that runs throughout the 2015 holiday season. Running from November 23 to January 4, MNAO is partnering with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, American Red Cross, American Heart Association and Mazda Foundation (USA) Inc. Customers who purchase or […] [Read More]

CDK Global, in partnership with Zipwhip, a cloud-based texting provider, has created the former’s Text Connect solution, allowing dealer employees to send and receive texts from customers. Employees with the system can text their customers via any Internet-enabled device, using existing landlines and toll-free phone numbers. "Nearly half of consumers say they prefer SMS communication with […] [Read More]

Autotrader will be hosting its final Interactive Dealer Summit of 2015 at the beginning of December in Atlanta – if you cannot make it, a free simulcast will be available. The event will be streaming from Atlanta on Tuesday, Dec. 15 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST. Register here. What can you expect to […] [Read More]

FCA US announced Friday it appointed a new head of vehicle safety and regulatory compliance. Chosen for the position is Michael Dahl. The move is effective Dec. 1, and Dahl will be replacing Scott Kunselman, who previously announced his decision to retire. Prior to his new position, Dahl was the director of gasoline/diesel engine programs […] [Read More]

What are shoppers paying the most attention to when in the market for a new vehicle? Color and brand apparently pale in comparison to the importance new-car shoppers are putting on vehicle technology. That’s according to Autotrader's "2015 In-Vehicle Technology Shopper Influence Study," which provides insight into how vehicle technology impacts consumer vehicle purchase behavior. […] [Read More]

In light of the closing of its acquisition of Dealertrack last month, Cox Automotive announced it is making Dealer.com — which joined the Cox family through the recent purchase — its primary website solution for Cox Automotive customers. The company explained current customers of the VinSolutions website product will migrate over to the Dealer.com website solution […] [Read More]

The week after Thanksgiving, PaymentVision will hold a free webinar on the importance and benefits of tokenization, or when applied to data security, the process of substituting a sensitive data element with a non-sensitive equivalent. The webinar covering the currently very relevant topic is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 2 from 2:30 to 3:30 EST. During […] [Read More]