NEW YORK — After coming in at almost $150 million in net auto loan charge-offs in the fourth quarter of 2009, Chase revealed that during the same time frame in 2010, charge-offs were $71 million. More specifically, the more recent net charge-off rate is 0.58 percent, compared with 1.30 percent in the same quarter of 2009. […] [Read More]

Auto software company eCarList revealed Wednesday that its TrueTarget Mobile application is now available to all dealers and thanks to a deal struck with Carfax, dealers with active Carfax accounts can receive this iPhone app for free. [Read More]

Exactly how strong is the chassis of a Lexus LS? To answer the question, brand officials created an elaborate scenario to be the root of a new advertising campaign that debuted this week. Lexus set the scene for what viewers will be seeing in this spot. “A lone crane slowly lifts the front end of […] [Read More]

Edmunds.com sifted through 2010 sales data to see which brand sold the most luxury units. Turns out, the brand that topped the charts for the eighth consecutive year was Lexus. But site officials discovered European competitors BMW and Mercedes-Benz closed the gap by enough last year that both brands could be poised to make a […] [Read More]

AUL Corp., which offers used-vehicle service contracts, said Wednesday that it has added an online chat portal to its assortment of Web services. Through this new portal, dealers and contract holders are able to chat directly with customer service representatives from AUL. Services already available to dealers via AUL’s Web delivery system include Web reporting, remittance, […] [Read More]

Two weeks after announcing that OnStar will soon be available as an aftermarket rearview mirror, General Motors revealed Tuesday that it has named a new president of this division to replace Christopher Preuss. Stepping into the role on Feb. 1 will be Linda Marshall, executive director of OnStar’s global business strategy and development since November. [Read More]

While 2010 was a tough year for Toyota, according to Kelley Blue Book, it could have been worse. Or at the very least, the recall troubles could have come at an even more inopportune time. Why? Well, according to the company’s analysis revealed in its special report “Toyota: One Year Later,” while the automaker’s annual sales […] [Read More]

On Tuesday, General Motors announced several leadership changes in its U.S. marketing operations that will become effective Feb. 1.   As part of the moves, Chris Perry has been appointed vice president of U.S. marketing, replacing Joel Ewanick. Perry will report to Ewanick, who was named global chief marketing officer on Dec. 17.   Perry, 50, […] [Read More]

In some good news for the manufacturing sector of a Midwestern state, Ford said Tuesday it will be pumping $400 million into mass enhancements for its Kansas City Assembly Plant and will bring a new vehicle to be produced at the Missouri factory. The new vehicle will come in for production once Ford had transferred […] [Read More]

Wholesale values have slowed down sequentially so far in January, but they are still significantly stronger than year-ago levels, according to the latest analysis from RVI Group. And the gains are likely to carry on throughout 2011. Specifically, based on preliminary data, wholesale values in January are down 3.3 percent from December. A potential cause […] [Read More]