Never bashful when making public appearances, Sergio Marchionne recently told a Canadian gathering that Chrysler has been restructured so efficiently that the automaker won’t lose money even if the new-vehicle seasonally adjusted annual sales rate drops below 10 million. While also sharing his 2011 sales projection, the chairman and chief executive officer of Chrysler Group […] [Read More]

As automakers continue to search for ways to reach customers in the digital age and entice these shoppers to action, it appears they are gaining much more traction through customers clicking on advertising apps when reading magazines on their mobile devices than through traditional magazines ads, says media research firm Affinity. The company’s American Magazine […] [Read More]

Though he contends the primary cause of wholesale values dipping sequentially in August was the economic worries of consumers, RVI Group vice president Rene Abdalah said that after the recent run-up in used prices, “an adjustment was due.” The latest RVI Market Update indicates that wholesale values during August dipped 0.7 percent from July but […] [Read More]

Dealer representatives, website executives and other technology experts are expected to turn out for the J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Internet Roundtable, an event that’s set for Oct. 12–13 at the Red Rock Resort and Spa in Las Vegas. J.D. Power, as well as officials from vehicle retailers, OEMs, agencies and automotive websites, are scheduled […] [Read More]

As dealers use the Web more for wholesale purchases, a new site is attempting to push the entire retail buying process online. Cars Out The Door rolled out a solution Tuesday intended to deliver free, unlimited Internet leads to dealerships. The goal of Cars Out The Door 1.0 is to move every aspect of selling […] [Read More]

The wholesale value decline for both trucks and cars accelerated last week, according to Black Book managing editor Ricky Beggs, who spotted the steepest drop-off for truck values in almost a year. What’s more, last week marked the sixth straight time that all 10 car segments declined in price, he noted in the latest “Beggs […] [Read More]

Vehicle rental companies are a vital source of late-model used-vehicle inventory, and the outlook and opportunities in the rental remarketing world are of key importance to dealers and remarketers throughout the industry. The 2011 National Remarketing Conference will focus on this important industry segment during a panel discussion on Nov. 17. Representatives from the nation’s […] [Read More]

What might sound like depressing economic news for consumers actually could be uplifting topics for used-vehicle dealers. Jonathan Banks, executive automotive analyst for NADA Used Car Guide, explained why the recent drumbeat of faltering employment levels and wavering consumer confidence will likely only continue to push potential buyers over to the used department rather than new-retail showrooms. […] [Read More]

Just days after revealing a recall of the CR-V and Fit, Honda Motor Co. announced the extent of a Pilot recall in the U.S. and Canada. Honda will voluntarily recall 310,773 Pilot vehicles from the 2009 through 2011 model years in the U.S. and another 9,954 Pilots in Canada from the same model years. The […] [Read More]

Kelley Blue Book is turning to consumer-generated “diary” blogging for a new study that it hopes can shed some light on what makes car shoppers tick and how technology may need to adapt to their needs. KBB is looking for as many as 16 prospective new- or used-car buyers to keep a virtual diary of their […] [Read More]