DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford Motor Co. announced this week that Mike Bannister, executive vice president and chairman and chief executive officer of the OEM's financial arm, Ford Motor Credit Co., has elected to retire effective Jan. 1. After 39 years of service, Bannister will be succeeded by Bernard Silverstone, who will be named group vice […] [Read More]

A new study by J.D Power and Associates is the latest to show that smartphones have become a major source of information among in-market car shoppers, making mobile websites more important than ever across the industry. According to J.D. Power and Associates’ 2012 Automotive Mobile Site Study, the results of which were released today, 31 […] [Read More]

America's Car-Mart recently broadened its network of buy-here, pay-here dealerships in Mississippi. Car-Mart's newest location is in Oxford, Miss., bringing the company's total to 117 stores throughout the Southeast. "Oxford is our fourth location to open in Mississippi. It is the type of community that we consider to be ideal for our expansion plans," said […] [Read More]

Asbury Automotive Group increased its used retail sales by 4 percent and pushed used-vehicle revenue up 5 percent during a period that saw that company achieve its best-ever quarterly earnings per share from continuing operations. Releasing its third-quarter results this morning, Asbury sold 14,585 used retail units during the period, compared to 14,053 used sales […] [Read More]

Reporting its third quarter results this morning, Sonic Automotive said it saw increases in sales, earnings and revenue. Highlighting its pre-owned results, Sonic’s used-vehicle retail unit sales were up 6.6 percent year-over-year. New-vehicle retail unit sales were up a significant 25.2 percent over the same quarter last year. Combined, total retail unit sales increased by […] [Read More]

Though wholesale prices, overall, are still seeing declines, the drops may be slowing down, according to  the latest “Beggs on the Used Car Market” report. Guest presenter Tim West — the vice president and North American auction director at Black Book — explained, “As we take a look at the various segments of vehicles, the […] [Read More]

When you want to know what’s happening in the retail used-vehicle industry, it’s best to go directly to the dealer on the lot, and that’s exactly what a key session at the National Remarketing Conference will offer. [Read More]

Fifty-seven dealers from across the U.S. have been announced as nominees for the 2013TIME Dealer of the Year award, Ally Financial said Monday. Considered among the nation’s most successful dealers, these nominees also demonstrate a longstanding commitment to community service. In fact, a recent survey of U.S. dealers by Ally Financial found that more than […] [Read More]

When it comes to the under-35 age bracket of auto service customers, it seems the preference for communications is multi-platform, with dealer and provider advantage going to those who offer mobile apps.    DMEautomotive, in its second report on how customers prefer to be contacted by car dealers and service providers, released results on Monday […] [Read More]

Nissan is recalling just under 14,000 Altimas built this spring and summer to correct a potential issue with transverse link bolts and power steering rack bolts. According to a notice on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website, there are potentially 13,919 units from the 2012 and 2013 model-years that could be affected. The recalled […] [Read More]