A Chrysler manufacturing plant slated for closure has reversed course, and is now set to build an all-new model and welcome hundreds of new workers. On Friday, Chrysler Group chairman and chief executive officer Sergio Marchionne announced the addition of 800 jobs at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Michigan, to support production of the […] [Read More]

With trees starting to bud in some places and college basketball fans ready to fill out NCAA Tournament brackets, analysts from NADA Used Car Guide are seeing positive signs of spring for dealers, too. Executive automotive analyst Jonathan Banks articulated several specific points in his market overview video for March. “NADA expects the uptick in […] [Read More]

Consulting and recruiting firm TPC Management Co. has selected a long-term employee as its newest vice president. Company president and chief executive officer Pierre Pons made the promotion announcement, naming 10-year employee Penny Wanna as vice president of administration. “Penny has been instrumental to the growth of our firm in all aspects, and along the […] [Read More]

In its latest Blue Book Market Report, one trend that Kelley Blue Book noted about February wholesale price activity was the movement in the values of full-size SUVs from General Motors. Comparing the four-week period ending Feb. 21 with the one ending Jan. 24,  the average overall change for the segment was a 0.5-percent decrease. […] [Read More]

Will buyers flock to showrooms to buy new vehicles this year? Market optimists seem to think so. And most who attended the North American International Auto Show are utterly ebullient. But those who believe the glass is half empty say trends are heading in the opposite direction. Several key factors are pushing sales up, including: […] [Read More]

Ally Financial announced its succession plan this week since Bill Muir, the president and current head of the dealer financial services business, has elected to retire by year-end. The company tapped Jeffrey Brown, currently senior executive vice president of finance and corporate planning, to the role of president and chief executive officer of the dealer […] [Read More]

The staff at Black Blook Lender Solutions envisions underwriting personnel at finance companies watching two computer screens when evaluating an application that arrives from a dealership in their network. One screen shows the applicant’s complete credit history. The other monitor shows the depreciation history and projections for the vehicle expected to be attached to that […] [Read More]

Hyundai Motor America recently announced its 2013 Auction of the Year and recognized Manheim Riverside with the annual award.   Each year, the award goes to the top-performing auction in terms of sales values, customer service, dealer satisfaction, quality and overall performance.  This marks the first time a West Coast auction has won the award […] [Read More]

The National Auto Auction Association sent out an NAAA Update on Thursday afternoon indicating that the International Automobile Remarketers Alliance has implemented a Standardized Auction Audit Checklist that auctions can use to prepare for audits by their IARA member auction partners. This checklist can be accessed on the IARA website or the NAAA website. “This […] [Read More]

The first day of spring is less than a week away, and auction prices are right in line with usual seasonal trends — that is to say, they are on the way up. The good news? NADA Used Car Guide is predicting auction prices to peak this month, and then continue to slide downward through […] [Read More]