NEW YORK — The 2010 Harris Interactive EquiTrend Study that compiles consumers' opinions of 35 vehicle brands revealed two foreign nameplates posted the largest consumer equity increases during the past five years. Standing out with the two largest gains were Subaru and Hyundai. Harris indicated that Subaru rose from a reading of 44.36 back in 2005 to […] [Read More]

IRVINE, Calif. — There's a new No. 1 auto brand for customer loyalty, according to Market Intelligence data from Kelley Blue Book's Kbb.com. Toyota no longer holds it first-place perch. It has now been replaced by Hyundai, which moved past the embattled Japanese automaker and Honda to claim the top spot for brand loyalty in February. Specifically, February data indicated that […] [Read More]

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — In a move that could help boost sales for the automaker in a highly profitable segment, Chrysler has rolled out a revamped certified pre-owned vehicle program that, among other improvements, includes a greater number of the automaker's dealers offering CPO models. The re-launched program features a dedicated CPOV Web site, in addition to […] [Read More]

HANOVER, Md. — The National Vehicle Leasing Association said Monday that it has turned to Automotive Association Services for management services. Heading up the project for AAS is Jack Tracey, president of AAS. "We handle other auto-related associations, and NVLA is a good fit," Tracey stated. More specifically, AAS offers management services to such organizations as the […] [Read More]

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Now that the spring market is upon us, it is important to be prepared to take advantage of your Internet sales opportunities. Here are three things dealers can do right now to get better results: 1. Take every online prospect seriously. Even if the person doesn't want to buy now, he will buy eventually, and if […] [Read More]

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — With the spring buying season imminent, TrueCar.com analysts offered what vehicles have the best Price Flex Score, a composite reading of total incentives, greatest percentage below MSRP, greatest price drops and days in inventory. Three Mazda vehicles were among the top five units, including the Tribute and RX-8, each having a mark […] [Read More]

DEARBORN, Mich. — A recent fleet delivery of 2,500 vehicles to Kraft Foods prompted Ford officials to highlight the sales and residual strength of its fleet units. The automaker contends that its share of the national fleet market stood at 24.8 percent through December of 2009. Executives indicated that this figure marked a 1.9-point increase over the same period […] [Read More]

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Executives from Dodge and Mopar recently rolled out an incentive program to customers who purchase a 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T, R/T Classic or SRT8. The program called "Mopar Bucks" gives customers $2,000 that they may use to buy select performance parts, service contracts and accessories. Options purchasers have include: —Dodge Challenger's new […] [Read More]

BATON ROUGE, La. — Wolters Kluwer Financial Services revealed this week that Bank of America's Dealer Financial Services is being connected to its AppOne platform. Interestingly, this latest deal is designed to help dealers finance marine and RV units for customers. "Not only does AppOne automate the finance and credit approval processes, but it also provides forms that […] [Read More]

CHICAGO — Nationwide Acceptance Corp. recently completed integration with DealerTrack, meaning that dealers can now process credit applications electronically to Nationwide through the DealerTrack platform. "We are very excited to integrate with one of the nation's premier platforms for dealers to access finance companies," explained Martin Less, president of Nationwide Acceptance. "Being part of the DealerTrack […] [Read More]