Just in time for Earth Day, Kelley Blue Book editors picked the 10 Best Green Cars of 2014 to assist eco-friendly drivers in the market for a new vehicle. While Honda was the only brand to have two models included, taking the top spot on this annual list for 2014 was the all-new, all-electric BMW […] [Read More]

Dealers and dealer groups are making moves at a rapid pace, as research shows acquisition rates are on the way up. According to an industry report released Monday, auto dealership buy-sell transactions rose by double-digit rates in 2013, and analysts are predicting this year’s rates will continue to rise. The buy-sell market is reviewed in […] [Read More]

FICO is offering a free webinar this week to showcase how the vast amount of customer data housed by finance companies can be turned into successful strategy to engage with customers. The session titled, “New Approaches for Auto Marketers to Turn Customer Data into Successful Customer Engagement,” is set for 1:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday. […] [Read More]

The National Vehicle Leasing Association presented the Clemens-Pender Lessor of the Year Award during its recent national conference held in Tucson, Ariz. This year’s winner was David Blassingame, who has served as the NVLA president and has been recognized with the President’s Award several times. Blassingame also has been on both the national and state […] [Read More]

Though prices in the lanes seemed to be evening out after tax season spikes, rates started ascending once again last week. Black Book’s Ricky Beggs explained this unusually long spring market is likely due to the tougher winter weather the industry experienced this year. As a result, spring market strength started a bit later and […] [Read More]

As its amount of new contracts purchased climbed, Consumer Portfolio Services generated a 75-percent increase in earnings per share during the first quarter. CPS reported that its Q1 earnings totaled $6.7 million, or $0.21 per diluted share. Those figures are up from the company’s net income of $3.8 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, in […] [Read More]

Though used supply has expanded greatly since post-recession lows, dealer groups were still dealing with tight pre-owned supply as 2014 got underway — perhaps stemming from developments on the new-car side of the business. During AutoNation’s conference call late last week to discuss Q1 results, president and chief operating officer Michael Maroone explained despite positive […] [Read More]

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]