McLEAN, Va. — In revealing company-wide financials Wednesday, Capital One reported on a few key trends in its auto finance division. For the second quarter, period-end automobile loans held for investment accounted for $19.22 billion, compared to $18.34 billion in the previous quarter. In the second quarter of last year, the company held $17.22 billion in […] [Read More]

Two Big 3 brands kept their respective perches as the most-researched brands during the second quarter and domestics, overall, were on top for sales and consumer interest. But European car companies appear to have a full head of steam and may be on the verge of a sales spike down the road, according to NADAguides. […] [Read More]

With buyer trends and online sales strategies sometimes changing faster than a store’s used inventory, AutoTrader.com launched its new Dealer Learning Center, an online educational resource for the site’s dealer customers, their staff and other members of the store community. Through this portal, officials explained Wednesday that dealers have access to on-demand video tutorials, topical […] [Read More]

OEM officials this week highlighted incentives connected with their annual “Summer Clearance Event” at all participating Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and Ram Truck dealerships. During this year’s campaign that runs through the end of August, qualified consumers can be eligible for special zero percent financing for up to 72 months or Customer Cash up to $3,000 on […] [Read More]

More than 110 dealer principals and other store managers registered to listen to two Pre-Owned Automobile Dealers Alliance members who have enjoyed great success with the CarMark Certified program say how it can benefit a variety of rooftops. This week’s free edition of the POADA’s Pre-Owned LIVE Webinar series included Graham Edwards, dealer principal of […] [Read More]

Penske Automotive Group announced Tuesday that is has bought the Crevier BMW and Mini franchises located in Santa Ana, Calif. The company noted that the Crevier franchises represent approximately $275 million in estimated annual revenue. "These franchises represent an outstanding opportunity to grow our footprint in Orange County, California," said Penske Automotive Group West region […] [Read More]

As Manheim’s Tom Webb explained this week in discussing the impact  that significant inventory reductions have had in the wholesale market, dealers these days no longer simply rely on heading to their local auction on sale day to find used units. Instead, they often have to employ numerous wholesale avenues to acquire used vehicles, including […] [Read More]

Many car buyers in Generation X — which is comprised of those born in the 1960s, 70s and early 80s — are now  thinking about the family’s needs when shopping, tend to live by a “work hard/play mentality” and actually have a stronger degree of purchasing power. With these attributes and more in mind, TrueCar […] [Read More]

With three models rated as total quality leaders, Volkswagen of America was named the best full-line automaker in Strategic Vision’s 2011 Total Quality Index released Tuesday. Propelling the German OEM to the top spot with a score of 881 was Strategic Vision tapping the Golf, Jetta and Tiguan as segment leaders. Analysts based their assessment […] [Read More]

OPENLANE’s U.S. Market Index ticked higher in June, extending a string of three consecutive months of wholesale price gains. Analysts placed the June index reading at 109, a level 1 percentage point higher than May and 2 percentage points above the same month last year. Since OPENLANE rolled out this index back in June 2009, […] [Read More]