The leasing market continued to show much of the same trends spotted throughout the last several months, as lease penetration was steady from May and approached the 20-percent mark, according to J.D. Power and Associates. Specifically, leases represented 19.7 percent of new-vehicle sales for June, up from 19.1 percent the previous month and 18.2 percent […] [Read More]

Although gas prices have moderated in recent weeks, there’s no telling what may set off a fuel-price hike down the road. And recent times have shown that price movements certainly impact the auto industry. To shed some light in this area, ALG recently investigated what residual impact a $1-per-gallon increase in fuel costs would trigger […] [Read More]

In an attempt to put independent dealers on equal footing with their franchise counterparts, the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association is urging Congress to pass the Motor Vehicle Owners’ Right to Repair Act. NIADA explained the act would require automakers to make the same service information and tools capabilities available to independent repair shops that […] [Read More]

AutoUSA announced earlier this week it has released Powerlistings 2.0 in an effort to help drive traffic from Craigslist to dealer’s Facebook pages. The optimized version of the company’s original Powerlistings offering provides direct links to dealer inventory on Facebook and “provides opportunities for dealerships to increase engagement with potential customers.” [Read More]

The Reynolds and Reynolds Co. announced this week that it is now providing dealer customers who use its POWER dealership system with a new tool that can aid these stores in their online network needs. The Reynolds Private Managed Network serves as a managed, private wide area network tailored for dealers. It is designed to […] [Read More]

Touting the model has an “elegant design and overall appearance, combined with ample space, smooth driving performance, a plethora of intuitive technology features and an extensive list of safety features,” NADAguides.com went with a domestic offering as its Car of the Month for July, picking the 2011 Chrysler 300. Analysts at NADAguides.com indicated they first […] [Read More]

ADESA’s Tom Kontos discovered specifics as to just how far average wholesale prices fell in June. As prices slid for the second month in a row, Kontos put them at approximately $340 less than their peak in April and about $375 less than their all-time peak in April of last year. “Some of this moderation […] [Read More]

In an effort to speed up manufacturing after the Japanese tsunami and quake, Toyota Motor Corp. and subsidiaries Toyota Auto Body Co. Ltd. and Kanto Auto Works Ltd. announced a deal Wednesday that will convert the latter two facilities into wholly-owned subsidiaries of Toyota via share exchanges. Moreover, Kanto Auto Works, Central Motor Co. Ltd. […] [Read More]

Thanks to strong demand within international markets during the second quarter, BMW Group now expects annual business performance and earnings will be significantly better than previously forecasted. The automaker raised its sales volume and earnings forecast for the current financial year earlier this week. OEM officials believe 2011 unit sales will increase above 10 percent […] [Read More]

Wholesale values remained on the rise during June, climbing modestly from May, while also besting year-ago levels by almost 17 percent, according to RVI Group. But with gas prices slowing down, so did the values of smaller vehicles, the company said in the latest RVI Market Update. Overall, wholesale prices climbed 0.4 percent from May […] [Read More]