As the National Automobile Dealers Association issued two new bulletins geared to help store staff respond to consumer questions on safety and fuel economy, it also shared news of the Federal Trade Commission’s announcement of an enforcement action against and a proposed settlement agreement with a Georgia franchised dealer. According to FTC officials, Franklin’s Budget […] [Read More]

Kelley Blue Book has rolled out what it is calling a revamped “app-like mobile website” for Kbb.com that not only provides smartphone users with KBB Values, but several new features for car-shopping research, as well. The goal for the revamped site is to give mobile shoppers “an intuitive path to seamlessly help them through the […] [Read More]

Total Car Score on Tuesday announced its Top Scoring Manufacturers of 2012 and the numbers are close, with less than three points separating the first and tenth-ranked OEMs. The listing of the top manufacturer brands focuses on the strength of their overall product range. Topping the list is Infiniti, with seven models averaging a Total […] [Read More]

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — With the industry recovery fueled in part by loosening credit for subprime buyers, Edmunds.com want to find out which vehicles are being purchased most often by consumers with less than perfect credit. Three models from one domestic automaker and two others from a Japanese OEM made up half of the list […] [Read More]

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — J.D. Power and Associates discovered the level of new-vehicle contracts lasting 72 months or longer softened a bit last month, but the penetration still landed higher than May of last year. According to J.D. Power's May Industry Health Review, the penetration of 72-month financing terms came in at 27.9 percent, which […] [Read More]

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Buy-here, pay-here dealership chain America's Car-Mart opened its 115th dealership and its fifth location in Tennessee earlier this week. The company's newest store is in Madison, Tenn. "We continue to grow our company and are very proud to be expanding into great towns like Madison," said William "Hank" Henderson, Car-Mart's president and […] [Read More]

The National Independent Automobile Dealers Association’s Convention & Expo has officially kicked off, and today’s action brings a host of sessions hitting everything from the regulatory arena to the buy-here, pay-here market to F&I. The day was set to begin with the convention’s opening session — “Feel Unstoppable in 60 minutes” — followed by a […] [Read More]

The Top 125 Used-Car Dealer Groups Ranked by 2011 used-vehicle sales Rank Dealership group name Address Total used units Total wholesale units Total units Total number of dealerships 1 CarMax Inc. † 12800 Tuckahoe Creek Pkwy. 396,181 263,061 659,242 103 (804) 747-0422; carmax.com Richmond, VA 23238 2 AutoNation Inc.† 110 S.E. Sixth St. 171,094 111,096 […] [Read More]

The average franchised dealer pulled in total revenue last year that was more than 12 percent stronger than 2010, with pre-tax net profits soaring nearly 24 percent. That’s according to the NADA Data 2012 report issued Monday, which the National Automobile Dealers Association put out as its annual state-of-the-industry look at dealer financial trends. [Read More]

Sirius XM Radio and Penske Automotive Group Inc. announced Tuesday that they have expanded their partnership to include pre-owned vehicles. The deal will be available to Penske Automotive customers who purchase any pre-owned vehicle with a factory-equipped satellite radio, through 154 franchises at 119 dealerships located across the United States. Rob Kurnick, president of Penske […] [Read More]