If the latest data from CNW Research is any indication, it appears dealers are already realizing benefits in their used-vehicle operations from the upswing in supply from off-lease volume and corporate returns. In an analysis released Tuesday, the firm found that May used-vehicle sales increased across every age group in the one- to five-year-old category. […] [Read More]

Ford remains on top of the industry when it comes to brand loyalty rates, but it's two luxury makes that are showing the most improvement in retaining their respective ownership bases. That’s the latest from Polk, which released its first-quarter brand loyalty report on Wednesday, finding that Porsche (up 9.5 percentage points) and Cadillac (up […] [Read More]

From an inventory management dashboard on the remarketing side to a new pricing platform on the retail side, the industry has seen quite a few new tools and products launched this week. First, Auto Auction Services Corp.  revealed a new tool for AutoIMS users, the company’s inventory management platform. The new Dashboard for AutoIMS was […] [Read More]

After the last chapter of our “How to sell to Gen X and Y” series, we have a good idea of what happens during the active evaluation phase — when car shoppers expand their initial consideration set. The question now is, is your dealership at an advantage when it comes to capturing these shoppers at […] [Read More]

Toyota Motor Sales USA announced a recall this week of approximately 87,000 cars from the 2010 model year. Toyota said it will conduct a voluntary safety recall involving the 2010 Toyota Prius and Lexus HS 250h vehicles.   (The worldwide recall involves approximately 242,000 vehicles, a Toyota spokesperson indicated.) The recall is based on a […] [Read More]

As subprime financing showed more signs of strengthening, too, Experian Automotive determined new-vehicle leasing during the first quarter rose to the highest level since the firm began tracking the data in 2006. According to its State of the Automotive Finance Market report released on Tuesday, Experian indicated leasing accounted for a record 27.5 percent of […] [Read More]

The National Auto Auction Association noticed overall wholesale volume declined 0.4 percent during the first quarter, but the organization insisted the lanes showed plenty of life as time passed. During Q1, NAAA economist Ira Silver pointed out an increase in dealer consignment was offset by a decline in commercial consignment, leaving the overall mark slightly […] [Read More]

On Tuesday, Chrysler Group responded to a NHTSA recall letter that involved a total of approximately 2.7 million vehicles. The recall request letter deals with the Jeep Grand Cherokee in model years 1993 to 2004 and the Jeep Liberty in model years 2002 to 2007. The recall request calls into question certain models in regards […] [Read More]

The volume of hybrid and plug-in cars is growing, and Black Book’s Ricky Beggs says hybrid price retention is closing the gap versus sister gas models. According to www.hybridcars.com, the level of hybrid-only penetration has grown from 3.15 percent of the market in 2012 to a current level of 3.34 percent through April; electric versions […] [Read More]

NCM Associates and DrivingSales University revealed Tuesday a dealership training alliance in an effort to address the “need for Web-based training" in the areas of digital sales and marketing best practices. DrivingSales University is an on-demand, Web-based training platform “focused on teaching the latest Web strategies from a variety of top e-commerce experts,” the company […] [Read More]