Now that it has partnerships lined up with franchise dealerships representing all three domestic automakers, FastPennyCars.com has high hopes for making one segment of its online auction site successful. Officials insist their specialized program — Bidder Assurance — is designed to make all auctions a positive experience for every participant. They explained unlike traditional online […] [Read More]

The National Insurance Crime Bureau revealed that while 2010 saw the number of national vehicle thefts decline for the seventh consecutive year, the top five “hot spots," all on the West Coast, showed an increase when compared to 2009. For example, the area with the highest vehicle theft rate — Fresno, Calif. — saw a rise of 1,684 thefts when compared […] [Read More]

An upcoming installment of the Carfax ‘PowerUp’ Webinar series will focus on how dealers can use social media strategies to ramp up sales. The free presentation will feature John Jones, of Dealer.com. Jones will team up with Chad Goodson, of Carfax, to discuss how to effectively utilize social media, in an effort to help dealers […] [Read More]

With Tuesday marking the first official day of summer, AAA highlighted a total of 18 different models in six vehicle segments the organization believes are the best units for road trips. AAA picked four vehicles made by Toyota, along with a pair of units from Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler and Dodge. The organization noted that nine […] [Read More]

Kelley Blue Book announced today that it has joined the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association National Member Benefit Program, meaning NIADA members can now tap into KBB’s various offerings — including the newly launched Quick Values — to help them become more profitable and efficient. Independent dealers can turn to KBB for vehicle valuation as well as […] [Read More]

In a market where wholesale auction volume is even tighter than overall used supply, independent dealers face an especially “tough situation” when it comes to acquiring the vehicles they need on their lots, suggested Jonathan Banks, a senior analyst with NADA Used Car Guide. [Read More]

Group 1 Automotive’s regional structure will soon have a new look. The retailer announced Monday that its three U.S. regions will be consolidated into two starting next month, while also revealing the leaders for those respective regions and a new position: vice president of marketing. [Read More]

The Federal Reserve confirmed Monday that automotive dealers are temporarily exempt from collecting and reporting information to the government on credit applications from women or minority-owned businesses and small businesses. This requirement falls under Regulation B (Equal Credit Opportunity) and was added as a section under the Dodd-Frank Act. [Read More]

For dealers considering new ways to ramp up their online sales division, Auto Remarketing is hosting Pat Ryan Jr., the chief executive officer and co-founder of INCISENT Technologies, makers of FirstLook and MAX Systems. Today’s free Webinar is set to include Ryan’s presentation about emerging trends connected with online behavior and decision making of the […] [Read More]

Used-vehicle values in May added to the string of historically lofty prices, according to RVI Group, but the used market is likely poised for slowdown. RVI is forecasting a 2.2-percent drop in used prices from current levels for the rest of 2011, officials said in the latest RVI Risk Outlook. This would be a change […] [Read More]