When Sonic Automotive held its conference call to discuss second-quarter results on Tuesday, on top of a record used-sales performance, the focus was on a series of initiatives the dealer group is either rolling out or beginning to reap the benefits of this year. During the call, investor interest circled around Sonic’s True Price strategy, […] [Read More]

Asbury Automotive Group announced across-the-board gross profit increases including a 7-percent increase on the used-car side. The company retailed 18,840 used vehicles in the second quarter, which proved to be 1,137 more used vehicles sold than in the second quarter of 2013, a 6-percent increase. Total used retail gross profit came in at $33.7 million, up […] [Read More]

ServNet auctions in Minnesota and South Carolina have enjoyed an eventful summer so far, with one announcing a new era taking hold and another having another successful annual sale. First up, Bob and Rob Thompson and the crew at Mid-State Auto Auction celebrated the auction’s 31st anniversary in July, taking the time to review the […] [Read More]

In recent months, an independent dealer has typically generated an average premium in the neighborhood of $700 when he or she chooses to certify a car with a non-OEM program versus not certifying the vehicle at all.   That’s according to June’s Retail Automotive Summary from CNW Research, which also said that more than four-fifths […] [Read More]

General Motors announced this week it is bringing back closed sales to two Manheim locations. GM closed sales, open only to GM dealerships, will now be offered at Manheim Arena Illinois and Manheim Pennsylvania. “We value our partnership with Manheim,” said Dan Kennedy, national remarketing manager at General Motors. “We are confident that these closed […] [Read More]

MasterFiles executive vice president and skip-tracing expert Alex Price has scheduled his next round of free webinars to help repo agencies and recovery executives at finance companies. Price plans to cover what he explained as three types of tracing: micro-tracing, macro-tracing and skip-tracing. Price combines what he describes as old-school skip-tracing methods with new age […] [Read More]

Organizers of the next North American Repossessors Summit (NARS) hosted by the American Recovery Association selected an industry veteran with more than 40 years of experience to be the event’s emcee. Leading the gathering of recovery and remarketing professionals at the seventh annual event will be Ron Brown. NARS is set for March 12 through […] [Read More]

There were 2.11 million certified pre-owned vehicles sold in 2013, up from 1.83 million in 2012, and 2014 is expected to be an even bigger year for certified sales, with Manheim Consulting putting a target on the 4 million mark. Are you making the most of this growing market? To help dealers answer that question […] [Read More]

In-image advertising is another buzzword to hit the digital marketing world in recent years. But not all in-image ads are created equal. A large portion of in-image advertising, a form of advertising where specific images on a website are overlaid with display advertising, is focused on brand awareness and brand imaging. Ian Cruickshank, vice president […] [Read More]

As the public dealer groups began reporting their second-quarter performances in full force, Sonic Automotive revealed it reached an all-time high for used sales. The company sold a record 28,514 pre-owned units in Q2. Pre-owned units sales per store per month were up, as well, reaching 100 units in May and 93 units for the […] [Read More]