BANDON, Ore. — CNW Research recently discovered that used-vehicle leases climbed in April, marking the first significant upward movement since July of 2009. The firm indicated nearly 80,000 used vehicles were leased last month, calculating that figure to be about 3 percent higher than the April total from a year ago. CNW president Art Spinella shared […] [Read More]

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — Memorial Day — popularly viewed as the kick-off to summer, a time when consumers tend to be more willing to shop for new rides — is likely to provide a nice lift to May's new-vehicle retail sales, which began the month in a "wavering" fashion, according to J.D. Power and Associates. The company […] [Read More]

CARY, N.C. — Dealers and other industry executives went to AutoRemarketing.com to learn more about the ongoing debate in the U.S. Senate over sweeping financial reform. A story detailing vigorous stances taken by the White House and the National Automobile Dealers Association particularly caught readers' attention. The latest analysis from ADESA's Tom Kontos also was a […] [Read More]

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — The Toyota brand isn't out of the woods just yet, according to Edmunds.com. It appears to still be struggling from an onslaught of "image problems" and the proof is in its early May numbers. The manufacturer has seen a 12-percent month-over-month slowdown in sales so far in May. Compare that to chief […] [Read More]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Toyota officials revealed Thursday the next step in the work of their independent North American Quality Advisory Panel. The group that's been charged with strengthening safety and quality assurance practices is set to meet with Toyota president Akio Toyoda and other top executives next week in Japan. The automaker explained that the panel led […] [Read More]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American International Automobile Dealers Association honored a Texas dealer this week with its Impact Grassroots Advocacy Award. The honor given during its fourth annual International Auto Industry Summit went to Paul Atkinson, the dealer and general manager of Atkinson Toyota Scion in Bryan, Texas, and Atkinson Toyota in Madisonville, Texas. AIADA explained […] [Read More]

TORRANCE, Calif. —  The troubles continue to mount for Toyota. Responding to reports out of Japan that parent company Toyota Motor Corp. will pull certain Lexus LS models across the world due to steering system issues, Toyota North America released a statement Wednesday saying a U.S. recall of the vehicle has been planned for Friday. This move […] [Read More]

ELDRIDGE, Iowa — QCSA Holdings announced Tuesday that it has acquired salvage remarketing firm Salvage Direct, and the two companies will be joining together. Salvage Direct was the first online auction in the total-loss claims sector, according to officials. "Salvage Direct is a leader in salvage remarketing and Internet auctions," stated John Lindle, chief executive officer of QCSA […] [Read More]

NEW YORK — Consumers are starting to feel better about the economy and their own financial situations, but they still are rather cautious, and most are still planning to continue dollar-stretching habits even in easier financial times, according to a recent study from Deloitte. More specifically, 55 percent of respondents in the early-May study believe the […] [Read More]

MONTVALE, N.J. — A high-level executive from Mercedes-Benz USA predicted enormous industry changes ahead since new greenhouse gas emissions standards have been signed into federal law. The automaker's manager of advanced product planning expects more vehicle emissions changes to happen during the next 10 years than what's occurred in the previous half century. Sascha Simon stressed […] [Read More]