Just a few years ago, store closures permeated the entire car business throughout the U.S. amid slumping sales and the bankruptcy of two Big 3 automakers. Now — in sharp contrast to those troubling times — one of those OEMs that went through bankruptcy is adding stores left and right in the country’s most populous […] [Read More]

Subaru launched a campaign late last week that pulls on consumers’ nostalgia for their first vehicle, searching for stories of 16-year-olds working for their first car and happy shoppers gaining their first set of wheels.  In launching its First Car Story campaign, the OEM aims to advertise the all-new 2012 Subaru Impreza. [Read More]

WASHINGTON D.C. — Several American Financial Service Association board members and staff met recently with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray and other senior officials to discuss some issues that directly affect the automotive industry, as well as familiarize themselves with the new association’s membership. And the discussion broached several topics that have […] [Read More]

NEW YORK — Despite rising delinquencies and annualized net losses for auto loan ABS in January, Fitch Ratings expects seasonal factors driven by tax refunds to benefit household finances in coming months and support lower loss rates through spring. According to the latest Fitch Auto ABS Index results, prime delinquencies that are 60 days or […] [Read More]

CARMEL, Ind. — Last week, Dealer Services Corp. of Indiana promoted one of its executives to the newly created position of vice president of customer service.  Taking on the role is Randy Dohse, who previously held the position of regional director. The company indicated Dohse will be responsible for all customer service functions including dealer […] [Read More]

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. — DealerTrack Holdings recently reported financial results for the fourth quarter and the whole of 2011, showing close to a 50-percent revenue rise this past year. And the company expects this growth to continue into 2012. For this past year, revenue came in at $353.3 million, as compared to $243.8 million for […] [Read More]

With conditions ripe, February has appeared fairly rosy for the new-vehicle market and sales are likely to notch a strong improvement – albeit a single-digit increas — over the year-ago period, according to industry analysts. That said, it’s not quite clear yet how the rest of the 2012 — or the coming years, for that […] [Read More]

KAR Auction Services subsidiary AuctionTrac recently enhanced the capabilities of the GPS monitoring system it uses to track vehicles.   Officials highlighted this same satellite-based technology now can also help users minimize labor costs and increase efficiency — without using a single sheet of paper.   AuctionTrac insisted its “green technology could help users save […] [Read More]

Though social media sites like Facebook have sparked quite a buzz in the industry, with dealership business pages popping up all over the Web, this particular digital tool may not be helping rooftop’s as much as they think, according to a recent study by AutoTrader.com. The site explained that it conducted the survey that studied […] [Read More]

Along with revealing regional winners, General Motors Financial named its 2011 Auction of the Year as part of the company’s nationwide Auction of Excellence program. Taking the top honor was ADESA San Diego. Every year, GM Financial explained representatives review the performance of participating auctions in a variety of categories, including customer service, marketing promotions, […] [Read More]