RICHMOND HILL, Ontario — Although the Canadian new-vehicle market closed 2009 with a "very respectable" December, the double-digit sales increase shouldn't necessarily be overly celebrated, according to DesRoisers Automotive Consultants. During December, 111,186 new vehicles were sold in Canada, a 17.8-percent upswing from the prior-year period's rather soft numbers. "December sales were very respectable all things […] [Read More]

TORONTO, Ontario — Mercedes-Benz Canada recently rolled out its 2010 Star Dealers list, which honors the top nine of its dealers and spotlights how they how contributed to the automaker's success in the country over the last year. Mercedes-Benz Canada determines the Star Dealers, which are chosen from automaker's entire dealer body in Canada, based on […] [Read More]

FREDERICK, Md. — In another measure of support by the auction industry, the Independent Auctions Advisory Committee has endorsed the National Auto Auction Association's National Arbitration Policy, and co-chair of the IAAC expects independent auction owners will quickly adopt it. "We're very excited by the process taken to standardize auction procedures," said Charlotte Pyle, IAAC co-chair, NAAA vice president […] [Read More]

ATLANTA — Manheim and Nissan North America on Thursday revealed they have expanded their relationship to incorporate three more auctions into the manufacturer's remarketing strategy. The three additional facilities to host Nissan sales include Manheim Fredericksburg, Manheim Ohio and Manheim Phoenix. "Manheim is dedicated to every partner's success. Our goal is to deliver sales events that will generate […] [Read More]

OAK BROOK, Ill. — The chairman of a major international media company recently asked me if I believed that a dealer's personal image still mattered given the dynamics of today's Internet driven marketplace. The question was of interest to the chief executive officer because decades earlier he had sold classified advertising to a startup automobile dealer who eventually went […] [Read More]

CARY, N.C. — Recapping AutoRemarketing.com's most-read stories for the week, news about a pair of industry veterans launching American Auto Auction Group drew plenty of attention. Also catching readers' eyes was a story explaining how authorities broke up an alleged auto theft ring in Indiana. The top five stories from AutoRemarketing.com this week are: 1. American Auto […] [Read More]

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — While the expected year-over-year upswing in January's new-vehicle sales is a good sign for the industry, what TrueCar found more encouraging is the projected upswing in luxury sales, as these often reflect the state of consumer confidence. Specifically, the company anticipates that there will 728,019 new vehicles (including fleet) sold in the […] [Read More]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — GOSO, a social media and marketing suite tailored for auto dealers, has rolled out an application programming interface that provides Web developers with a standardized process to access dealer inventories and other data. GOSO officials explained that the dealer industry has historically been "very closed" when it comes to this sort of thing. This has […] [Read More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — General Motors is further extending its hand of support to Haiti as the country recovers from an overwhelming earthquake. All of the proceeds from the sale of a limited edition 2008 Chevrolet Corvette, which is up for grabs at the 39th annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., will be given to the […] [Read More]

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]