As college students nationwide brace for final exams, Honda is launching the Civic “Study Break” social marketing tour to promote the six all-new models of the 2012 Honda Civic at select universities on the West Coast. The Civic “Study Break” tour kicks off on Thursday at the Arizona State University campus and continues on to […] [Read More]

Edmunds.com on Tuesday revealed the winner of the 2011 Marketing Breakthrough Award, scheduled to be given at the New York International Auto Show. Site officials handed the honor to Subaru in recognition of innovative ad campaigns last year that they said were both “quirky and emotionally compelling.” They pointed out the specific campaigns: —Subaru developed […] [Read More]

CrankyApe.com, an online powersports auction company, is taking a customized Harley Davidson motorcycle made by Paul Jr. Designs that’s going to be featured on the TV show American Chopper: Sr. vs. Jr. and selling it to benefit the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. The campaign was triggered by the relationship of one of CrankyApe.com’s founders […] [Read More]

Amid worries of possible radiation stemming from the fallout of the recent disaster in Japan, Toyota Motor Corp. got a bit of relief. The automaker said Monday that its export vehicles pose “no danger to human health" as far as exposing people to unsafe radiation. In a statement, the automaker noted: "Toyota Motor Corp. — […] [Read More]

Nominations for Auto Remarketing’s  annual Who’s Who listings, set to run in the June 1st edition, are due in by this Friday. Whether nominations highlight an executive that works in remarketing, fleet, auctions, service or more, Auto Remarketing is looking to recognize the top executives in the used vehicle industry. “We are striving to honor the […] [Read More]

Reflecting on a week where overall wholesale values continued to climb, Black Book’s Ricky Beggs found that late-model used units, in particular, are seeing escalating demand in the auction lanes. The cause? As one might guess, Beggs pointed to the dynamics stemming from a feared production shortage in Japan as the island nation still battles […] [Read More]

With gas prices approaching $4 a gallon in many states, LeaseTrader.com thinks drivers are coming to inquire about fuel-efficient options that go beyond hybrid models. As a result, the site indicated the Mercedes-Benz E350 Bluetec has the highest demand among diesel vehicles on LeaseTrader.com with search demand up 6.4 percent compared with January. Officials determined […] [Read More]

If your Asian brand franchise dealership is seeing less showroom or online traffic, here’s the potential reason why. TNS survey results revealed Monday showed appeal for vehicles by brands from Japan or Korea is slipping because of the earthquake and tsunami catastrophe that struck Japan on March 11. TNS discovered more than 25 percent of […] [Read More]

Lithia Motors announced Monday it acquired a trio of franchise dealerships located near Portland, Ore. Executives indicated Lithia’s newest stores include Rasmussen BMW Mini, Mercedes-Benz of Portland and Mercedes-Benz of Wilsonville. They calculated the stores will add $176 million in estimated annual revenues. “The Rasmussen group has a strong history in the Portland market,” stated […] [Read More]

As part of its education outreach, the National Auto Auction Association revealed this year’s 12 Warren Young Sr. Scholastic Foundation scholarship winners. The foundation has been around since 2004 and doles out $40,000 each year in merit scholarships. Eligible applicants are full-time employees of NAAA member auction or corporate offices or children/grandchildren of an employee. […] [Read More]