NEW YORK — Fitch Ratings reported this week that losses on both prime and subprime U.S. auto ABS rose in July following lows seen earlier in the spring. Despite the increase, analysts indicated used-vehicle values have stayed strong in the past two months. "Additionally, overall asset performance remains strong heading into the softer fall months […] [Read More]

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — This week, America's Car-Mart opened the 127th dealership in its network of buy-here, pay-here stores. And it's nearly certain the vehicle in inventory will be equipped with a GPS device, a practice the company hesitated in doing until recently. Car-Mart president and chief executive officer William "Hank" Henderson explained the company's methodology […] [Read More]

ATLANTA — According to Equifax's latest National Consumer Credit Trends Report, new credit for auto originations between January and May of this year soared to an eight-year high, producing an increase of more than 15 percent from same time a year ago. Equifax also indicated the total number of new loans during that span came […] [Read More]

CENTREVILLE, Va. and ATLANTA — It's eight years and counting for one automotive partnership, which benefits some 20,000 dealers nationwide in advertising their inventories. AutoTrader.com and Carfax this week announced the renewal of their eight-year partnership that allows dealers to include Carfax Vehicle History Reports on their AutoTrader.com listings. The agreement impacts more than 27,000 […] [Read More]

Year-to-date auction volume through the first seven months of the year is up more than 5 percent from comparable weeks of 2012, according to the latest Economic Dashboard from the National Auto Auction Association, while the average price at auction is down 3 percent (for comparable weeks). The report — prepared by NAAA economist Ira […] [Read More]

Prices in the lanes this week are expected to grow slightly, according to NADA Used Car Guide. NADA UCG is predicting that prices will increase by 0.3 percent, or $50, this week. Breaking it down by segment, compact cars, compact utilities and large pickups are expected to see the most appreciation over the course of […] [Read More]

With so many different makes and models within a single vehicle segment available nowadays, as well as how finance companies are buying contracts lower down the credit spectrum, Black Book Lender Solutions wanted to provide some updated depreciation guidance and recommendations. [Read More]

My previous post explained the importance of converting your vendors to a pay-for-performance ad model. That is, knowing your cost per lead across your various online traffic sources. When it comes to measuring your cost per lead, we see top performers achieve at $70 while typical dealers perform around $100. But once you have those […] [Read More]

Edmunds.com announced that it has reached a settlement agreement with Humankind Design, which stood accused of fraud and breach of the Edmunds.com membership agreement in a lawsuit filed last month in Texas. The site recapped on Wednesday that it filed the suit after it investigated what it said was Humankind’s registration of almost 2,200 fake […] [Read More]

It’s eight years and counting for one automotive partnership, which benefits some 20,000 dealers nationwide in advertising their inventories.  AutoTrader.com and Carfax on Wednesday announced the renewal of their eight-year partnership that allows dealers to include Carfax Vehicle History Reports on their AutoTrader.com listings. The agreement impacts more than 27,000 dealers which currently offer free […] [Read More]