An independent study commissioned by Cars.com confirmed the competition dealership service departments face nowadays. In a growing vehicle service market, dealerships are at risk of losing a substantial portion of their fixed operations revenue to national chains and local repair shops stemming from a wide array of reasons. In the 2014 Service and Repair Report, […] [Read More]

Volkswagen of America informed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration it is recalling four different 2014 models — a total of 26,452 units — to correct a fluid leak. The models included in the recall are the 2014 Jetta, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, and Passat vehicles equipped with a 1.8T engine and torque converter automatic transmission. […] [Read More]

Two Asian automakers ranked highest based on consumer-written dealership reviews, according to the Consumer Rating Index (CRI) for Auto Manufacturers released by DealerRater. Topping the list among luxury brand was Lexus, while Hyundai headlined the list for mass market manufacturers. Along with overall rankings, the CRI ranked automotive manufacturers within the “Luxury” and “Mass Market” […] [Read More]

AutoNation reported its Q1 results late last week, reporting a 7 percent boost in revenue, as well as upticks in the dealer group’s used department. 2014 first quarter revenue totaled $4.4 billion for AutoNation, compared to $4.1 billion in the year-ago period, an increase of 7 percent. The company shared this was driven by stronger […] [Read More]

ALG vice president of editorial Eric Lyman spent the early portion of the New York International Auto Show considering residual values of the new 2015 models nearly a dozen different brands highlighted to open the Big Apple event. Lyman based his analysis on the residual value of the most current model now in store showrooms […] [Read More]

DealersLink revealed late last week it will be launching a Version 4 of its inventory management platform later this month. On April 28, DealersLink V4 will hit the market, featuring a new user interface that the company says is “faster, more intuitive, and has more robust capabilities, with a focus on mobile users.”  “We’re excited […] [Read More]

As the ways to absorb content continues to expand — social media, mobile offerings, new review sites and more — new ways to access information will continue to influence the average consumers’ car buying expectations. In fact, Shawn Vording, director of project management at CarProof, says technology is the top reason why customer expectations have […] [Read More]

This week, Experian Automotive rolled out the newest addition to its suite of portfolio monitoring services the company called Lender Triggers. Experian highlighted this new tool is designed to help lenders better monitor changes in loan status on their portfolio, including whether a vehicle has been refinanced, a title loan has been added or a […] [Read More]

After Black Book reported wholesale prices were returning to normal earlier this week, NADA Used Car Guide reinforced that assertion as it predicts wholesale prices will fall by 0.3 percent or $50, after seeing large price hikes in March. The slight decline will bring the average industry price down to $17,225 by the end of […] [Read More]

In this tight supply environment, the service department becomes an invaluable tool for securing trade-ins to feed dealership’s used and CPO departments. Now, Mazda Canada dealers have a new tool to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty through the service department. Mazda Canada announced it has chosen Xtime for its exclusive provide for service scheduling via […] [Read More]