When Chrysler Group notifies approximately 18,700 owners of certain Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango SUVs from the 2012 and 2013 model years about a recall announced last week, the automaker will have to follow a new protocol established by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA explained that all OEMs now must use a […] [Read More]

Vehicle leasing and fleet management solutions provider LeasePlan USA has announced a new addition to its sales team, for an expanded focus on the Pacific Northwest region. Named as vice president sales, national accounts for the Pacific Northwest region is Michelle Eads, who brings 17 years of professional sales experience to the role. Eads has […] [Read More]

With 70- to 80-percent sales conversion rates and more than half the price changes in the lanes being increases last week, it seems warmer weather isn’t the only harbinger of spring. “Spring season is alive and well,” in the lanes, as well, says Black Book's Ricky Beggs. With 53 percent of prices changes made last […] [Read More]

Younger buyers might not be the only age demographic that could use some assistance in explaining how the vehicle financing process works. To help baby boomers as well as consumers of all ages easily research vehicle financing in one place, Americans Well-informed on Automobile Retailing Economics (AWARE) offers multiple, easy-to-use tools on its website. AWARE […] [Read More]

In response to dealer demand, the Association of Finance & Insurance Professionals announced the introduction of AFIP Certification Boot Camps, which include two days of accelerated preparation for the federal and state regulation-based AFIP certification exam. The first boot camps are being offered in Cleveland, Kansas City, Mo., Scottsdale, Ariz., and Trenton, N.J., in April. […] [Read More]

With dealer advertising promoting attractive financing options in the crosshairs of the Federal Trade Commission, the National Automobile Dealers Association is hosting a free webinar aimed at helping stores keep their campaigns compliance. NADA officials highlighted the upcoming “Comply with Federal Advertising Requirements” webinar will provide participants the opportunity to hear directly from a panel […] [Read More]

The same methodology utilized by the federal agency to levy enforcement actions against vehicle financing companies might be what could be used against the regulator, as well. A trio of Republican House members gave the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau until Thursday to provide answers and other details to 14 different questions all stemming from recent […] [Read More]

In what the company has described as “an innovation in online car shopping,” Carfax announced this morning that online car shoppers at Carfax.com can now search for used vehicles with specific history details — meaning shoppers can tailor their searches to include, for example, vehicles that have service records available or cars with no accidents […] [Read More]

In a recent post to the AutoEconomy trends section of Edmunds.com, Lacey Plache — the site’s chief economist — dispels some of the commonly held notions about leasing, and in doing so, illustrates how it has gone “mainstream,” as the title of the post would indicate. And it’s likely to become even more popular in […] [Read More]

It’s all the talk of the auction lanes, wholesale channels and dealership staff meetings nowadays: Tax season. And the situation also pushed February’s Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index reading 1.1 percent higher versus a year ago. Manheim calculated that wholesale used-vehicle prices (on a mix-, mileage-, and seasonally adjusted basis) rose 0.8 percent in February, […] [Read More]