Recently, someone asked me why our seller revenue streams seem to be going down on a RPU (revenue per unit) to RPU basis, year-to-year, not even factoring in normal inflationary factors. My knee-jerk reaction was to say that we had benefited from hardware and software enhancements, which have increased productivity and thus lowered costs; as opposed […] [Read More]

To put the crossover vehicle boom in perspective, consider new-car registration data shared recently shared by Black Book’s Anil Goyal in an April interview with Auto Remarketing. Over the past decade, there has been a 400-percent increase in the number of new crossovers registered, compared to a 25-percent decrease in midsize cars and a 33-percent […] [Read More]

AutoStar Solutions chief legal officer Steve Levine pointed out most dealers and finance companies are well aware of what he described as “big-picture” compliance safeguards they should implement into their collections efforts. But Levine also stressed that actually putting these policies and procedures into practice is another story. With that scenario as a backdrop, Levine […] [Read More]

Fitch Ratings is projecting that “normalization” is ahead for many major U.S. captive finance companies. Analysts arrived at that position because they see strong asset quality and profitability measures among several captive finance companies are expected to continue to revert slowly to what Fitch called “normal” levels, driven by higher competitive pressures, moderately eased underwriting […] [Read More]

Driving down the road. Watching television commercials. Reading the newspaper. Checking the mail. Surfing the Web. Consumers are inundated by advertisements and marketing campaigns from every imaginable angle by a seemingly innumerable and constantly growing number of companies.  While it may seem simpler to take a “carpet bombing” or blanket approach for your advertisement efforts, […] [Read More]

Evidently, dealerships and finance companies aren’t just giving cars away to just any consumer who arrives on the lot and completes a vehicle installment contract application, inflating that “bubble” some observers continue to mention. On Monday, Experian Automotive reported that the percentage of automotive loans that fell within the subprime and deep subprime risk categories […] [Read More]

The Southeastern Auto Auction of Savannah hosted its annual “Masters Sale” and golf tournament earlier this month, feeding on the hype for The Masters Tournament and raising funds for the Shriners Hospital for Children. On May 6, the sale featured a free breakfast, free golf visors and over 900 vehicles; the sale concluded with over a […] [Read More]

The 2014 model-year crop of vehicles still dominates the volume at auction, according to NADA Used Car Guide, but here’s the catch. Volume for this class actually decreased month-over-month in April, and future declines could be in store, the latest Guidelines report indicated. “If last year's auction results for the 2013 model-year are any indication, […] [Read More]

As tax season came to an end, prices in the lanes began falling in April. According to NADA data, auction prices declined by 1.4 percent last month, causing its Used Vehicle Price Index to fall to 124.3, down from March’s level of 124.5 And per seasonal norms, that pace of decline is expected to pick […] [Read More]

Edmunds.com announced an update to its mobile application that gives customers the ability to send text messages to dealers.                    The texting solution uses the phone’s native texting platform, as opposed to a third-party application, allowing customers to text their dealer in much the same way they would friends or family. “More and […] [Read More]