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]

AutoNation reported its Q1 results late last week, reporting a 7 percent boost in revenue, as well as upticks in the dealer group’s used department. 2014 first quarter revenue totaled $4.4 billion for AutoNation, compared to $4.1 billion in the year-ago period, an increase of 7 percent. The company shared this was driven by stronger […] [Read More]

ALG vice president of editorial Eric Lyman spent the early portion of the New York International Auto Show considering residual values of the new 2015 models nearly a dozen different brands highlighted to open the Big Apple event. Lyman based his analysis on the residual value of the most current model now in store showrooms […] [Read More]

DealersLink revealed late last week it will be launching a Version 4 of its inventory management platform later this month. On April 28, DealersLink V4 will hit the market, featuring a new user interface that the company says is “faster, more intuitive, and has more robust capabilities, with a focus on mobile users.”  “We’re excited […] [Read More]