Kelley Blue Book’s Consumer Sentiment Survey from the first quarter showed 33 percent of study participants didn’t expect to finance a vehicle purchase, and another 30 percent weren’t sure. Rather than thinking finance companies are going to fight over just 37 percent of those remaining shoppers who expected to secure an installment contract, KBB’s Dan […] [Read More]

It appears unlikely that the federal government will intervene any time soon with Tesla Motors’ desire to adopt a direct-to-consumer sales model on a national scale. In a response to a We the People petition created on June 5, Dan Utech, special assistant to the president for energy and climate change, outlined a few reasons […] [Read More]

Manheim and AutoTrader.com recently presented the first-ever National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers (NAMAD) Innovation Award to a dealer who the companies described as having positively impacted organizations and the industry. The 2014 NAMAD Innovation Award went to Steve Ewing, president and chief executive officer of Wade Ford of Smyrna, Ga. The award was presented […] [Read More]

Owners of eight Garden State franchised dealerships already punished by the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs 15 years ago entered into a consent order this week that included a settlement of $1.8 million, plus consumer restitution. New Jersey officials explained the settlement resolves a state investigation into what they described as alleged deceptive sales […] [Read More]

With increases in the amount of inventory flowing through the auction and other channels, dealers, it seems, are able to get their hands on an ample supply of used cars for their lots. Halfway through 2014, year-to-date auction volume is up nearly 4 percent against comparable weeks of 2013, according to the National Auto Auction […] [Read More]

Ready Auto Transport has announced it will be one of the lead sponsors for the Ride 430 Challenge. The fundraising occasion is a four-day, 430-mile biking event aimed at raising money for injured military personnel and their families. The challenge, which had its first iteration in 2008, has raised more than $1.8 million for military […] [Read More]

Manheim announced today it has chosen a new Canadian vice president. Appointed to the position is Danny Fayad, who will serve as vice president of sales and business development for Canada. In his new position, the VP will lead both the commercial and dealer account teams in Canada, the company said. He will also be […] [Read More]

Brake fluid diagnostic purveyor Phoenix Systems announced a new partnership last week to offer the company’s Project Stop Safe system to members of the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association. The goal of the program, which facilitates Phoenix System’s brake fluid safety inspection, is to give NIADA members the opportunity to equip their dealerships with the […] [Read More]

Do the math on this one: Bourne’s Auto Center is stocking less and selling more. Previously, the number of used retail units that the store kept in its inventory was in the high 300s, said general manager Michael Kelley. This year, the Boston-area independent dealer has reduced that number to around 312. However, its used […] [Read More]

There is the expectation out there that off-lease volume is set to spike in the second half of the year, and Tom Kontos echoes that sentiment. In an interview with Black Book editorial director Ricky Beggs, Kontos — the chief economist at ADESA — talked on key aspects of the wholesale industry such as retail […] [Read More]