In the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake that halted vehicle production and pushed down the amount of trade-ins coming into dealerships, Rod Emmons — like many dealers selling certified pre-owned Japanese-brand cars — “had to get creative” when it came to sourcing CPO-worthy inventory. “It’s getting harder to obtain pre-owned Acuras,” said Emmons, who is […] [Read More]

Brian Benstock, a Honda and Acura dealer in Queens, N.Y., responded with shock. What inspired this top Honda dealer to such emotion? On Monday, Consumer Reports announced it simply cannot recommend the redesigned Honda Civic, going so far as to call the vehicle "mediocre." In its report issued Monday, Consumer Reports called the redesigned 2012 […] [Read More]

Similar to another Japanese automaker, Toyota Motor Corp., shared Tuesday that it suffered significant financial setbacks during the first quarter of the 2011 fiscal year. But Toyota leadership is so confident in its future that it raised sales and revenue expectations. By how much did the OEM boost its forecast? Toyota believes it will move […] [Read More]

The economy remained sluggish and the debt ceiling crisis was on the worried minds of many. But neither of those things apparently stopped consumers from buying what TrueCar said was the priciest assortment of vehicles it has ever observed. Thanks to a pricier product mix, limited inventories and the dearth in dealer discounts/OEM incentives, average […] [Read More]

Ford told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration it will recall more than 1 million trucks to replace fuel tank straps. The recall includes these units: —Ford F-150 from 1997 through 2004 model years. —Ford F-250 with a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 8,500 pounds from 1997 through 1999 model years. —Lincoln Blackwood […] [Read More]

Not to be confused with the Hot Wheels found at a toy store, the National Insurance Crime Bureau on Tuesday released its own Hot Wheels — the list of the 10 most stolen vehicles in the United States. And for the first time since 2002, NICB discovered thieves preferred domestic nameplates over foreign brands. Among […] [Read More]

FordDirect, a joint venture between Ford and its franchise dealers, revealed Monday its choice for chief operating officer. Appointed to the position is Valerie Fuller, who previously served as executive vice president of operations and has been a member of the company’s management team for the past six years. "Valerie has been a key driver in […] [Read More]

Sharing the findings of a semi-annual study, J.D. Power and Associates recently examined how car brands stack up against one another in terms of how satisfied new-vehicle shoppers are with their respective websites. In releasing the results of its 2011 Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study’s second wave on Tuesday, J.D. Power noted that the brand topping […] [Read More]

In light of the Japanese natural disaster and a flagging U.S. economic recovery, Tom Webb and Manheim Consulting had plenty of unique factors to consider when compiling this year’s Used Car Market Report — Mid-Year Edition. Pinpointing what would boost all segments of the industry most, Webb didn’t hesitate to tell Auto Remarketing it is […] [Read More]

It has been six years since the used-car market saw a July as strong as the “blockbuster” sales total reached last month, according to CNW Research. But as one particular dealer can attest, challenges apparently still remain. The firm reported Sunday that used sales for the month jumped 13.46 percent year-over-year and came in just […] [Read More]