Two more organizations joined the International Automotive Remarketers Alliance Monday. IARA executive director Matt Marks indicated the two new members are Ready Auto Transport and Harley Davidson Financial Services. “The IARA is pleased to welcome Harley Davidson Financial Services and Ready Auto Transport and looks forward to their participation,” Marks stated. Marks added, “HDFSI is […] [Read More]

Tragedy struck this weekend when a part-time employee of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers was killed Sunday during a forklift accident at the company’s Orlando heavy-equipment auction site. Ritchie Bros. released a statement Sunday confirming the accident and fatality, while also offering condolences to the family of the deceased and fellow employees. The accident happened while light […] [Read More]

The wholesale market in his area has rebounded in the first few weeks of the year with the bulk of the surge being found among the later-model and pricier vehicles, according to John Brasher of Brasher’s Sacramento Auto Auction. And while the lower-priced units “seemed to be a little bit softer the past two or […] [Read More]

Manheim wrapped up 2011 with a double-digit gain in traffic to its online portals, according to the auction company’s latest monthly digital update. Officials arrived at a 10-percent website traffic climb thanks to more than 4.9 million visits to the Manheim website as well as dealers using the company’s apps for iPhone, iPad and Android […] [Read More]

The CarMark Certified Pre-Owned program, an industry leader in  comprehensive third-party pre-owned vehicle certification programs, announced recently that three new dealers — two in West Virginia and one in California — have joined its ranks and are gearing up to offer CarMark Certified pre-owned vehicles to their customers in the immediate future. Pioneer Auto Sales, […] [Read More]

Culling in trends from 15 auto sites, as well as the Jumpstart Strategic Insights’ division, a new report from Jumpstart Automotive Group discovered one domestic automaker stood out at the clear winner last year. And taking home this honor is Ford. “Much of Ford’s success can be attributed to an aggressive digital marketing campaign that […] [Read More]

To help put the emphasis on new technology development in the new year, OneCommand has named a new vice president of information technology. Taking on this role is Mary Braunstein, OneCommand’s new vice president of information technology. Braunstein will manage the company’s growing development team and work to accelerate the introduction of new and enhanced […] [Read More]

ResponseLogix and Dominion Dealer Solutions recently announced a technology partnership designed to provide their dealers with more than a dozen synchronized functions designed to simplify the dealer’s user experience. The deep integration between ResponseLogix and Dominion Dealer Solutions’ CRM, formerly Autobase, has produced new integrated functionality. Key features include: comprehensive view of lead history (price […] [Read More]

Along with tabulating its North American production performance for 2011, Toyota also shared upbeat reaction the positive findings from a National Academy of Sciences’ National Research Council study about claims of unintended acceleration. The Japanese OEM recalled the comprehensive 162-page report was commissioned by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to explore the broad issue […] [Read More]

Group 1 Automotive recently announced the acquisition of Rod East Volkswagen in San Antonio. The dealership will be renamed Volkswagen of Alamo Heights and is expected to generate $48.5 million in estimated annual revenues. "The addition of Volkswagen of Alamo Heights will augment our existing Freedom Chevrolet dealership in the San Antonio, Texas, market," explained […] [Read More]