Consumer Reports said this week that it can’t recommend three domestic SUVs of varying sizes due to the models’ low test scores. The publication had evaluated the three vehicles — the Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX — along with three additional SUVs (the Infiniti QX56, a V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a Porsche […] [Read More]

Group 1 Automotive announced this week it amended and restructured its $235 million, five-year revolving mortgage facility. Executives explained the amended facility is a $42.6-million, five-year, variable-rate, term loan, financing specific dealership properties with Bank of America N.A. and Comerica Bank. They said the facility may be expanded to $75.0 million in total availability. In […] [Read More]

Automotive software company eCarList revealed Wednesday that it has acquired DealerUps, a provider of CRM solutions for dealers. Officials explained the acquisition means eCarList will integrate CRM into its inventory management and online marketing solutions. They believe the integration should make it easier for dealerships to fully own and control the vehicle merchandising process through one […] [Read More]

To capitalize on BMW receiving five 2011 Best Resale Value Awards from Kelley Blue Book, a New Jersey franchise is rolling out special lease promotions on select models. BMW of Morristown is advertising a 36-month lease on a 2011 BMW 328i for $459 per month with no down payment. Additionally, the store is featuring a lease […] [Read More]

In reaction to popular demand, General Motors’ OnStar services can soon be added to other-make and older GM vehicles thanks to a stand-alone retail rearview mirror to be introduced this spring.   The retail stand-alone mirror will first be available at Best Buy, before expanding to other select retail electronic outlets later. [Read More]

Like many others in the industry, the leadership at Volkswagen Group of America recognizes the increasingly important — and profitable — role that the certified pre-owned segment plays in today’s auto market. And as many in the industry can attest, there are certainly benefits to ramping up things on the certified side, such as fostering greater customer loyalty. [Read More]

A pair of domestic brands enjoyed their second straight year commanding the top two spots for consumer research traffic on NADAguides.com in 2010, and the overall top 10 list didn’t change too much from a year ago. However, it appears the gap between brands has tightened up, according to the site’s president and chief executive officer. [Read More]

With consumers paying more at the pump coupled with an uptick in incentive spending, there was an unusual — albeit slight — decline in transaction prices during December, according to TrueCar.com. Specifically, December’s average new-vehicle transaction price reached $29,358, according to the company’s estimate. This marks a 0.9-percent year-over-year decline and a 0.3-percent sequential drop. [Read More]

AULtec announced Tuesday that dealerships using its Dealer Profit Center to list, publish and market their online vehicle inventories can now benefit from online inventory feeds and price updates to Cars.com. AULtec — a sister company of AutoUpLinkUSA that is involved in inventory data and vehicle image acquisition, management and online publishing — will conduct these feeds and updates […] [Read More]

Edmunds.com offered a rundown Tuesday of not only how automakers handed out incentives for December, but also what the 2010 average was for the top six OEMs. Looking first just at December numbers, site analysts found manufacturers averaged $2,528 in incentives per vehicle sold. That amount was $64, or 2.6 percent higher, than the previous […] [Read More]