Southeast Toyota Distributors announced this week the new hire of a vice president of sales operations. Appointed to the newly created role is Billy Hayes, former vice president of global zero emissions vehicles for Nissan in Japan. As the VP of sales operations, Hayes will oversee the field sales and training departments. Ed Sheehy, the […] [Read More]

So, used-vehicle sales in June were not as strong as they were earlier this spring. But, as ADESA’s Tom Kontos points out, new-car sales were “great.” And that means more trade-ins for dealers, which tends to bode well on the used-car side of their stores. “There was a bit of a respite in year-over-year retail […] [Read More]

In early June, analysts said General Motors’ recalls had not influenced the leasing market much yet, at that point, with incentives staying relatively stable. But the tides may be turning, as GM brands showed the most active lease price movements this past month. According to latest report on lease deals from Wantalease.com, it is GM-brand […] [Read More]

The number of cars sold by Toyota Financial Services on OVE.com in 2013 was the highest annual sales tally any one customer has ever posted on the remarketing website. And TFS was honored accordingly, as it recently received the OVE.com Highest-Volume Seller Award for 2013 from Manheim. Michael Reid, national manager of Toyota Financial Services/Lexus […] [Read More]

Women heading into a Mercedes-Benz or Volvo dealership leave the lots the most satisfied with their experience. That’s according to the Mid-Year Report from Women-Drivers.com highlighting top automotive brands rated by women when purchasing. The site analyzed car dealer reviews written by women when purchasing a vehicle from January through June of this year. On […] [Read More]

Automotive Finance Corp. announced this week that a few of its branch locations located in the Western U.S. have moved to larger offices. The move, aimed at fostering AFC’s growth, will aid in the company’s ability to serve dealers. The offices relocated include AFC’s locations in Denver; Albuquerque, N.M.; San Diego; and San Jose. Joe […] [Read More]

The National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers and Ally Financial introduced a financial literacy initiative today at NAMAD’s 2014 Conference that is designed to help dealers educate consumers and employees about the financing process. The free “Guide to Being Wallet Wise” is a resource dealers can use to not only increase knowledge of car financing […] [Read More]

Ford issued six separate safety recalls this week for various models in their production lineup. The total recall number, based on totals provided by Ford with figures as of June 23, add up to 100,610 vehicles, with a possible overlap with two of the six recalls. The majority of the recalls, 91,162 units, are vehicles […] [Read More]

Used cars are not only more fresh these days, but they're also much more valuable. And this growth in value is showing up in the prices people are willing to pay for these pre-owned vehicles. In fact, the total value of used cars sold in June was up 17.3 percent from a year ago, according […] [Read More]

Even as tax season came to a close, prompting predictions of used-car value drops, Manheim reported Tuesday there was actually an increase in used-vehicle values in the second quarter. The driver? Consumer demand, says Manheim analysts. “Strong consumer demand drove an increase in volume and values for used vehicles in the second quarter as attractive […] [Read More]