BANDON, Ore. — The disparity between contracted residual values of leases and the vehicle's actual end-of-term worth has been on a steady hike each year since 2005, with 2009 leases likely to hit a per-vehicle residual value loss of more than $2,000, according to CNW Research, which suggests this expanding gap is "troublesome." "While the loss-per-vehicle […] [Read More]

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Edmunds.com broke down the vehicles highlighted at the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit that sparked a 74-percent jump in traffic last week to its sister site, InsideLine.com. Two vehicles from the same manufacturer combined to form the greatest contribution to the increased interest. Both units came from Ford. Site […] [Read More]

DETROIT — In a recent installment of the automaker's Faces of GM blog, General Motors spotlighted one of its Denver dealers, sharing the story of Ivette Dominguez, owner and president of Alpine Buick Pontiac GMC. In her post, she shared some of her history in the auto business, best-selling vehicles, favorite models and personal passions. For […] [Read More]

McLEAN, Va. — The National Automobile Dealers Association is pushing back the advanced registration deadline for the NADA Convention & Expo to Jan. 27, which will allows dealers and their managers a few extra days to sign up early and save $50 to $75. Dealers and their managers can also enjoy a $200 voucher from NADA […] [Read More]

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Though General Motors has eliminated the Saturn brand, a western New York dealership group is making significant efforts to service customers who purchased those vehicles as well as retain as much personnel as possible. West Herr plans to consolidate the resources of two Saturn dealerships and create a new Saturn service center in […] [Read More]

AURBURN HILLS, Mich. — Chrysler Group revealed earlier this week that Robert Liberatore has returned to the automaker as an interim adviser to chief executive officer Sergio Marchionne. The manufacturer is asking Liberatore to provide guidance to the company on external affairs issues. Liberatore originally joined Chrysler back in 1985 after working on Capitol Hill for […] [Read More]

ATLANTA — AutoTrader.com shared the results of a recent fundraising campaign for one of its philanthropic partners, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The campaign tied to listings posted by private sellers generated $40,405, and AutoTrader.com indicated that 100 percent of that amount went to St. Jude. Site executives explained that between Nov. 16 and Dec. 31 […] [Read More]

PORTLAND, Ore. — Compli, a provider of work force and compliance management software, recently elevated one of its top executives into the role of president and chief executive officer. Now serving in the position is Lon Leneve, who previously was president and chief financial officer. Leneve is succeeding Ken Thrasher, who has been CEO of the […] [Read More]

BANDON, Ore. — Apparently, CNW Research discovered in October that there was already a "fair amount" of buyers' remorse related to Cash for Clunkers purchases. Since that period, the remorse level has continued to climb. More specifically, back in October, more than 17 percent of buyers indicated they likely should not have purchased a new vehicle […] [Read More]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Chase recently named the manager of its Custom Auto Finance Center located northeast of the California state capital. Taking on this position is Phil Gouran, who will oversee the work facilitated at 2220 Douglas Blvd. in Roseville. Chase mentioned that Gouran has nearly a decade of auto finance experience. Most recently, Gouran managed […] [Read More]