When Sonic Automotive opens its debut stand-alone pre-owned specialty retail sales location later this year, don’t expect it to have the same feel as a CarMax store or a “traditional auto retailer.” Though Sonic is largely keeping its cards close to the vest when discussing the specifics of the program, a few details emerged Wednesday […] [Read More]

Westlake Financial Services announced its 2013 Auction of the Year, an award given for sales effectiveness and service quality.  Earning the title this year is Kansas City Independent Auto Auction. “Kansas City Independent has been a reliable performer throughout the year, topping our rankings for the second, third and fourth quarters,” said Bill Walters, vice […] [Read More]

Overseas markets are proving to be fertile grounds for lease transfers from the U.S., particularly in a few Western European nations, according to data released Tuesday by online lease marketplace Swapalease.com. The site believes it’s becoming more common to see takeovers of U.S. leases occur solely for shipping the cars overseas once the term ends. […] [Read More]

CanadianBlackBook.com today released the results of its annual “Best Retained Value” winners across 19 vehicle categories. Once again, Toyota continued its streak of awards, taking first in the small pickup (Toyota Tacoma) and full-size pickup (Toyota Tundra) segments for the fifth straight year; and for the fourth consecutive time in the mid-size SUV (Toyota FJ […] [Read More]

Canadian dealers now have a new dealer management system to choose from. Reynolds ERA-IGNITE is now widely available to Canadian auto dealers after four years in the American market. "Delivering ERA-IGNITE to dealers in Canada is the first step in helping them capitalize on the changing retail environment of the automotive industry," said Ron Lamb, […] [Read More]

FLD Inc. has chosen an industry veteran with over 20 years of experience as its new senior marketing analyst. Picked for the position is Bill Bishop. Bishop touts over 22 years of experience in the medium, heavy truck and automotive industries, FLD reported. Prior to joining FLD, Bishop worked with the KAR Auction Services Group, […] [Read More]

Snow and ice have cast a big swath across the U.S. this winter. This inclement weather has served in part to keep truck and SUV prices high at auction, along with low prices at the pump. With an average of 1,864 vehicle prices adjusted per day last week in the lanes, Black Book’s Ricky Beggs […] [Read More]

Louisiana’s 1st Choice Auto Auction will celebrate what’s arguably the state’s biggest holiday with its second annual Rockin’ Mardi Gras Party and Sale next week. The two-day event, which will take place Monday and Tuesday, will include all the sights, music and food of Mardi Gras plus a 1,000-unit sale. It’s expected that buyers and […] [Read More]

The U.S. franchised dealership count remained fairly steady last year and throughput, or new-vehicle sales per store, hit a record high — two trends that Urban Science says the market could repeat for 2014. The firm released its 2013 Automotive Franchise Activity Report on Monday and was predicting a fourth straight year of stability in […] [Read More]

For a feature in the latest print edition of Auto Remarketing, Don Luke of Bill Luke Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Fiat was asked how his dealership makes certified pre-owned vehicles and the CPO department stand out. It boils down to strong training, branding and educating the customer properly, he said. “We spend a lot of […] [Read More]