FCA US LLC announced today that it will offer a no-cost, no-debt college degree to its employees via a partnership with Strayer University. Titled the Degrees @ Work program, employees at Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT dealerships in the United States will soon have the option to earn a college degree through Strayer University, […] [Read More]

The same economic drivers helping to lift the new-car market are also benefitting the used-car market, said NADA chief economist Steven Szakaly, whose analysis points out three key metrics pushing demand. “Just like the new-vehicle market, we continue to see healthy demand for used cars,” Szakaly said in an analysis released by the National Automobile Dealers […] [Read More]

Manheim chief economist Tom Webb crunched the first-quarter reports of the seven publicly traded dealership groups — CarMax, AutoNation, Penske Automotive Group, Sonic Automotive, Group 1 Automotive, Asbury Automotive Group and Lithia Motors — and determined these companies enjoyed a same-store increase in retail used-unit deliveries for the 23rd consecutive quarter. Webb also computed that the sales-weighted […] [Read More]

A recent study conducted by DealerSocket suggests that viewing your fixed operations as a percentage of your dealership’s total revenue may be the wrong approach. In fact, the study shows that even though the average dealership’s fixed ops only accounts for 12 percent of the store’s total revenue, when you look at a dealership’s net profits, their […] [Read More]

Thinking back a few years, Fisker Automotive emerged on the scene in 2008 as a competitor to Tesla with the launch of the all-electric Karma — its first and only vehicle. The company went into bankruptcy in 2013, then was bought by Chinese parts manufacturer Wanxiang last year. Now, it looks like the automaker is back […] [Read More]

Despite a slowdown from March, certified pre-owned sales in April beat year-ago figures by more than 11 percent, and two brands posted their best-ever months. According to Autodata Corp., there were 214,967 certified sales last month, an 11.3-percent increase from April 2014 and a 3.4-percent decline from March. Through four months of 2015, the industry […] [Read More]

Subprime auto finance companies might be paying even more attention to individuals who are renters because of new research from Enterprise Community Partners, which found 25 percent of these households spend at least half of their monthly income on dwelling commitments. Furthermore, of the 11 million households that fell into that category, Enterprise Community Partners […] [Read More]

GO Financial and NextGear Capital recently launched their "Gear Up and GO" rebate program. Officials said this new promotion, which began on April 1, provides dealers the opportunity to earn a $100 credit for each eligible vehicle that is floor planned with NextGear Capital and sold to a consumer via GO financing. “It’s important to […] [Read More]

On Monday, Pelican Auto Finance engaged with product compliance and marketing firm FNI Inc. to provide management services and training for its recently announced vehicle service contract program with AUL. Pelican turned to FNI to design a standardized product marketing process for its sales force and dealer base, which currently extends into more than 30 […] [Read More]

The move by Tesla Motors to roll out a certified pre-owned offering online is good one, says Alec Gutierrez, but also a gradual one. And eventually it could open doors to more brand exposure for the automaker. During a conference call with reporters on Friday, the Kelley Blue Book senior analyst estimated that Tesla sells an […] [Read More]