FordDirect — a joint venture between the Blue Oval and its franchised dealers — announced today the launch of its new social media and reputation management service for Ford and Lincoln dealers. The service, powered by Digital Air Strike, is designed to provide dealers with the “proper guidance, tools and resources to enable them to […] [Read More]

While 50 cents might not fetch much nowadays, that decline in gas prices since April created a ripple effect throughout the industry, especially when it comes to wholesale prices. That’s the word from Kelly Blue Book, which calculated that used values dropped more than 2 percent in June, the second consecutive monthly decline since values […] [Read More]

Black Book editors and survey personnel found that dealers often proposed the same question when watching lane activity; used-car managers wondering, “What’s going on here?” Managing editor Ricky Beggs appeared to have an answer when he compiled the latest edition of his online video blog, “Beggs on the Used Car Market.” After recapping wholesale prices […] [Read More]

Kelley Blue Book’s Eric Ibara says the commonly held notion that gas prices will “inevitably rise” should be reconsidered, citing oil production increases in the U.S. as grounds for this assertion. But a potential drop in gasoline prices could prove detrimental to OEMs and manufacturers if they are not prepared Ibara , director of residual […] [Read More]

Toyota Motor Sales USA has announced that Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota division, has been promoted to senior vice president of automotive operations to replace the retiring Don Esmond. MS revealed that Esmond has been named senior adviser and will aid in the transition leading up to his retirement. […] [Read More]

To better connect the dealer service department with the customer is the goal behind two new tools launched by MPi. On Monday, MPi announced the launch of its EDGE WorldClass PORTAL, an online platform that expands on the company’s Know Your Vehicle Report to automatically generate personalized Web pages for customers. Featuring an interactive three-dimensional […] [Read More]

On the heels of June wrapping up with the new-vehicle SAAR rising over 14 million, AOL Autos and Toyota said Monday they are tapping into the sales surge with the launch of a new online search tool for shoppers. The two companies contend that the new tool helps “consumers find the perfect car for their […] [Read More]

Dealer review website Women-Drivers.com announced this week its launch of a mobile platform for the site that enables women to write real-time dealer reviews directly from the showroom or service lane via smartphone. And according to Women-Driver.com, four in 10 customers are projected to own smartphones by the end of 2012, meaning that dealers can […] [Read More]

They represent a vast array of segments within the used-car and remarketing business, but have one key achievement in common: distinction as one of this year’s 13 Women in Remarketing. And these leading women of the industry will be honored at this fall’s National Remarketing Conference, which is part of the trio of events on […] [Read More]

Here’s a number used-car managers might want to remember as they’re scouring the lanes for inventory: 3.5 percent. That figure seems to be the consensus among analysts from Kelley Blue Book and NADA Used Car Guide on how much used-vehicle values are going to drop during the coming months. Alec Gutierrez, KBB’s senior market analyst […] [Read More]