LGM Financial Services has received a financial boost from the East. The Vancouver-based F&I provider announced a strategic financial investment from Marubeni Corporation, one of Japan’s largest investment business conglomerates. LGM said the partnership “marks a powerful step forward in advancing responsible mobility and innovation in the Canadian automotive industry, providing the stability, expertise and […] [Read More]

Auto theft insurance claims were down slightly in Atlantic Canada last year, but that doesn’t mean the problem is going away, Insurance Bureau of Canada said. IBC’s data on the cost of auto theft in the region shows a 10-year trend of increases that have pushed claims costs up 275% in that span, from $8.4 […] [Read More]

Being a music aficionado and chief economist, Cox Automotive’s Jonathan Smoke could have included some woeful blues tracks when he highlighted six points about the current performance of auto financing in his Auto Market Weekly Summary. While not mentioning songs like “Crying Time Again,” by Son Seals, Smoke acknowledged auto-loan performance deteriorated in June, as […] [Read More]

Vehicle recalls spiked in the second quarter of 2025, according to the latest report from BizzyCar. The dealership recall management platform’s Q2 2025 Recall Report found more than 7.3 million vehicles were recalled between April and June, the most in more than a year and more than double the total of Q1. The report, which […] [Read More]

Carfluent is taking its technology to another level. The provider of artificial intelligence-driven website technology designed to connect dealers with Spanish-speaking customers is expanding its offerings with a complete AI-powered, fully integrated bilingual website platform for dealerships. The company had previously been creating tools to help dealers with various parts of the sales experience, including […] [Read More]

There is no question that, over the last few years, the ranks of the independent auctions in the National Auto Auction Association are shrinking. We have observed the buying sprees by digital platforms like EBlock (three U.S. acquisitions) and ACV (10 U.S. acquisitions, including long-time iconic auctions like Dealers of Oklahoma City, 166 Auto Auction, […] [Read More]

Tariffs have been the headline of the year in the auto industry. But to dealership customers, they’re not worth talking about — at least for now. According to customer review and reputation management platform Widewail’s latest research, released in its Q1 2025 Automotive Voice of the Customer Report, tariffs are just the tiniest blip on […] [Read More]

Charisma! Insights says artificial intelligence is no longer a theoretical promise for the future or even a “nice to have” for dealership service departments — it’s evolved into a “strategic imperative” and “a growing reality reshaping dealership operations from the ground up.” The dealership technology research and strategy firm’s new report, AI in the Service […] [Read More]

The automotive industry is facing unprecedented times. From prolonged elevated interest rates to tariffs, dealers are navigating uncharted territory yet again. This new era demands bold decisions, long-term thinking, and strategic pivots. Here’s how smart dealers and general managers can win amid volatility — and why the commercial department may be the most resilient in […] [Read More]

The California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA) and Subaru of New England (SNE) recently took significant actions to educate future automotive professionals. The CNCDA Foundation is partnering with Automotive Apprenticeship Group (AAG) to provide a path to training and an innovative apprenticeship solution aimed at developing individuals who aspire to become automotive service technicians. Meanwhile, […] [Read More]