Towards the end of an interview on the sidelines here at the Automotive Remarketing Alliance’s Summer Roundtable in August, John Urness was asked to name a piece of music, movie, TV show, sports moment or book that had stood out to him. After pausing for a second, Urness — who is the head of vehicle remarketing and customer loyalty at Chase Auto — pointed to the recent Summer Olympics in Paris. “It’s amazing to watch the production value of the Olympics and what makes you feel — the emotion,” Urness said. “Because not only do they draw out the realization of what's happening at that point in time, but they bring all the stories behind it.  Seeing folks participate and push themselves and everything it took to get there to do it, I think that's what sticks with me.” [Read More]

Carvana wants you to put your mark on a NASCAR champion’s ride. The online used-car retailer is teaming with Legacy Motor Club to give fans the chance to design the paint scheme for seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson’s No. 84 Toyota in the upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship. In a news release, the […] [Read More]

CarGurus has appointed Jennifer Hanson as its new chief people officer, effective Sept. 30, citing her 20-plus years of experience in human resources, employee benefits and law. In a news release, the company said Hanson will lead its People and Talent team in advancing organizational strategies, talent development and engagement to drive business performance. “CarGurus’ […] [Read More]

For Penny and Jiles Wanna, TPC Management is like family. In fact, it is family. The Wannas recently celebrated their 20-year anniversaries with the auto auction consulting and recruiting firm, which was founded in 1996 by Penny’s brother-in-law and sister, Pierre and Pauline Pons. Penny Wanna currently serves as TPC’s vice president of administration and […] [Read More]

PAVE recently formed another relationship with a company aimed at leveraging its vehicle-inspection technology. Mitchell, a technology and information provider for the property and casualty claims and collision repair industries, recently announced that it is teaming up with PAVE to automate vehicle inspections and conditioning. Using Mitchell’s cloud-based appraisal solution, comprehensive data and open platform […] [Read More]

At a time when many auto finance companies are pulling back on credit availability, Santander Consumer USA rolled out an expanded program on Monday that’s tailored specifically to applicants who can have a great impact on the entire economy. Santander announced the expansion of its small business offering to all automotive dealers on its platform. […] [Read More]

Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) levied some harsh allegations and nearly $28 million in fines and penalties against TD Bank. The regulator said the bank “repeatedly” shared inaccurate, negative information about its customers to consumer reporting companies, including systemic errors about credit card delinquencies and bankruptcies. As a result, the CFPB ordered […] [Read More]

Sticker shock is real. That’s the message of a new report from Edmunds head of insights Jessica Caldwell that examines the disconnect between what car shoppers want to pay for their next vehicle and what the market says they’ll have to pay. The analysis is based on Edmunds’ data on new- and used-vehicle transactions, and […] [Read More]

Carvana has teamed up with the Professional Pickleball Association for the Road to the Finals sweepstakes, a contest that gives PPA fans a chance to win one of two vehicles provided by the online used-car retailer and a trip to the CIBC PPA Finals, coming up Dec. 4-9 in San Clemente, Calif. The sweepstakes will […] [Read More]

Just like some managers want their rows of cars on the dealership blacktop precise and uniform, the Standards for Technology in Automotive Retail (STAR) is continuing to make headway toward interoperability across the industry. On Thursday, the automotive IT standards organization announced the public release of the STAR XML Version 6.2.4 schema repository. Officials said […] [Read More]