If the election this month is any indication, the American public believes the economy is in poor shape, and they are deeply concerned about their personal finances. Across key races, exit polls consistently placed economic issues, high prices, inflation, and a general feeling of “falling behind” at the top of voters’ anxieties. Any form of […] [Read More]

Cox Automotive’s latest research has good news and bad news for dealership service departments. The good news: Cars are getting older and are getting serviced more often, and the average dealership service revenue has risen 33% since 2018, climbing to $9.23 million annually. The bad news: Dealerships are leaking service customers badly as independent service […] [Read More]

Next up on our podcast series with 2025 Used Car Week Hall of Fame inductees, we catch up with Kathy Ruble, who is executive director of marketing, dealer financial services and communications at Ally. Ruble has been the longtime moderator of the Women in Remarketing panel at Used Car Week, and in her conversation with […] [Read More]

Not long ago, the buy-here, pay-here industry had a reputation for selling cars to anyone with a pulse. In those days, high-volume and low-selectivity lending practices meant loan approvals were nearly automatic. But rising inventory and account-servicing costs have made performance the new gold standard. It’s become too expensive to lend to everyone who walks […] [Read More]

From chief economist to chief strategist. In a move that was effective Monday, Cox Automotive said Tuesday that its lead analyst Jonathan Smoke has been named the company’s executive vice president and chief strategy officer. Smoke succeeds Amy Mills, who is departing the company at the end of the year. Cox had announced in July […] [Read More]

Central Arkansas Auto Auction has been operating for 38 years. Now it has a new home. The auction in Beebe, Ark. celebrated its new 27-acre facility with a grand opening sale, showing off its eight auction lanes, modern office space and a spacious lobby designed to provide comfort and efficiency. The new CAAA facility also […] [Read More]

The beat goes on for Lithia & Driveway. The most active dealership group in the M&A market has added two more dealerships, announcing the acquisition of two luxury stores in Southern California. The purchase of Porsche Beverly Hills and Audi Santa Monica from Geoffrey Emery adds an estimated $450 million in annualized revenue, Lithia said […] [Read More]

Carvana’s used unit sales in its third quarter set a new sales record. The company is also making strides toward its previously announced goal of selling 3 million used vehicles annually within the next five to 10 years with a pilot program that provides same-day or next-day delivery of vehicles to customers in its Phoenix […] [Read More]

Roger Penske is quite pleased with his used-car operation’s performance in the third quarter. After all, on a same-store basis revenue from used-vehicle sales companywide was up 7.5% year-over-year and gross profit rose 5.7%, with gross per vehicle retailed up 8.5% same-store and 12.2% overall. But the chairman and CEO of Penske Automotive Group knows […] [Read More]

Becky Igo remembers the first few business trips she made going to industry conferences at a time when things like pay phones and fax machines were critical business-development tools. Now more than four decades later, the regional vice president for Allied Solutions remains a friendly and knowledgeable executive at industry events, including Used Car Week. […] [Read More]