Sonic Automotive has taken the old saying that everything’s bigger in Texas to heart. The dealership group announced it has moved its EchoPark Houston Southwest Freeway used-car store to a new, larger “experience center” in suburban Stafford, Texas. Having outgrown its original location, which opened in 2020, the dealership now operates from a new 16,825-square-foot […] [Read More]

If your dealership managers and salespeople are wondering why they cannot attract customers who are Gen Z or millennials, perhaps new data from GoDaddy might explain why. GoDaddy indicated 80% of 1,000 Gen Z and millennial U.S. consumers surveyed in September shared they research small businesses like dealerships online before shopping with them for the […] [Read More]

This week, the Michigan Department of State (MDOS) suspended the license of LaFontaine Hyundai of Livonia for what officials called “imminent harm to public.” After articulating six alleged violations involving used vehicles, MDOS said it is reviewing the case for possible referral to the state attorney general as the dealership was summarily suspended for alleged […] [Read More]

Why is vehicle titling and registration so complicated? While that’s a common question, to Tony Hall and Shane Bigelow the better question is: How can we make it simpler? Hall, Carvana’s head of policy, title and registration modernization, and Bigelow, CEO of CHAMP Titles, are both affiliated with the eSTART Coalition, a consortium of auto […] [Read More]

STELLA Automotive AI received a nice gift from its investors this holiday season. The provider of automotive artificial intelligence technology announced a new round of convertible loan financing that raised $11 million. The Presidio Group, which advised STELLA in the financing, said the raise was led by Reynolds and Reynolds, a previously existing investor and […] [Read More]

Lender Compliance Technologies (LCT) reinforced its executive team on Thursday as the previous Emerging 8 honoree continues to roll out Refund Control, a finance company-managed cloud platform for tracking and managing F&I product cancellations and consumer refunds. Joining LCT as its new executive vice president and chief revenue officer is Brad Rogers, whose 30 years […] [Read More]

Experian Automotive senior director Jim Maguire came to Used Car Week 2024 in Scottsdale, Ariz., with a straightforward premise for his presentation: the connection between vehicle collateral quality and the likelihood of default. After spending time with attendees, Maguire gave a recap of the Experian data and insight that supported this thesis for this episode […] [Read More]

Two days after announcing the acquisition of Strategic Remarketing Solutions, Location Services made another big move. The company said Thursday it has hired former GE and Element Fleet Corp. remarketing executive Paul Seger as its chief remarketing officer. Seger is on the board of directors of the Automotive Remarketing Alliance. He was the group’s president […] [Read More]

DAS Technology had a big day Wednesday. The consumer engagement SaaS artificial intelligence technology company made two big announcements at its eighth annual AUTOVATE conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.: the launch of a new messaging tool and the company’s 10th acquisition. DAS said its new AI Engage combines DAS’ AI-powered messaging technology (including lead response capabilities) […] [Read More]

Perhaps the electric-vehicle market simply is recharging — at least from a financing perspective. According to Experian’s State of the Automotive Finance Market Report: Q3 2024, consumer interest in EVs found additional juice in the third quarter, even following several quarters of incremental growth. Analysts indicated EVs accounted for 10.06% of new vehicle financing during […] [Read More]