SAN ANTONIO and BANDON, Ore. — While CNW Research found the used-vehicle industry produced its best March sales performance since 2002, a USAA survey showed the majority of younger potential car buyers might not be spending their tax refund at dealerships right away. According to USAA's 2013 Tax Season Survey, American taxpayers are less optimistic […] [Read More]

BENTONVILLE, Ark., and EDINA, Minn. — With tax season in full swing, buy-here, pay-here dealership chains America's Car-Mart and CarHop added more locations. In fact, Car-Mart opened two lots — one in Florence, Ala., and the other in Kirksville, Mo. The chain now has a total of 123 dealerships in its pipeline. The moves boosted […] [Read More]

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — A New Jersey dealership is the first store to start the nationwide launch of eContracting by Mini Financial Services, a division of BMW Group Financial Services. The captive is launching the solution at Prestige Mini in Ramsey, N.J.  Intended to deliver greater efficiencies and a seamless contracting approach, Mini Financial Services […] [Read More]

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Bankruptcy Institute said total bankruptcy filings in the United States decreased 16 percent year-over-year during the first quarter. According to data provided by Epiq Systems, bankruptcy filings totaled 263,516 in the first quarter, down from the 314,832 filings registered in the first quarter of 2012. Total commercial filings for the […] [Read More]

As digital marketing options continue to expand, it is becoming more and more important for dealers to focus on online reputation management and store promotion across the Web. Google, in cooperation with Boost Media Solutions, will be offerings an upcoming webinar that will provide dealers with an introduction to search engine marketing. [Read More]

April has arrived with high prices in the lanes, but the increases may be slowing down.  NADA Used Car Guide expects that wholesale prices peaked in March, and moving forward through April, there is likely to be a slight decline in the industry average. As for this week, NADA UCG analysts expect wholesale prices to […] [Read More]

As more automakers report results from March, the certified pre-owned market is looking stronger and stronger. The combined certified sales in March for the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac brands at General Motors, for example, jumped nearly 12 percent year-over-year. Specifically, they combined to move 33,047 CPO units, which was their best March sales total […] [Read More]

Auction Edge said Wednesday it has launched new pricing and discount opportunities for its auction clients, providing them with more options when it comes to management systems and pricing structure. The two new offerings are: EDGE ASI Premier, a new pricing structure for Auction Edge’s ASI auction management system; and EDGE Complete, a monthly discount […] [Read More]

Stone Point Capital, a global private equity firm based in Connecticut, recently announced a purchase of GWC Warranty Corp. and certain affiliated entities from CIVC Partners. Trident IV L.P. — a private equity fund managed by Stone Point Capital — and GWC’s management team came together to buy GWC. GWC is headquartered in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., […] [Read More]

Hyundai and Kia are recalling close to 2 million vehicles in three separate campaigns, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than half of that figure — 1,059,824 vehicles to be exact — are connected with Hyundai’s recall of seven different models because the stop lamp switch in the affected vehicles may malfunction. […] [Read More]