MEDFORD, Ore. — A stronger push to move used vehicles helped Lithia Motors overcome a sluggish new-unit retail sales performance and improve its fourth-quarter revenue figure. Company executives indicated that same-store new-vehicle sales increased just 1.2 percent during the closing quarter of 2009. Meanwhile, Lithia highlighted its used-vehicle retail sales jumped 17.9 percent when compared to […] [Read More]

CARY, N.C. — Leading the way as the top headline this past week at AutoRemarketing.com was a story that shared details about Manheim enhancing a partnership with BMW Group Financial Services. Also catching readers' attention was news about plans for recalled Toyota vehicles to return to the auction lanes. The top five stories from AutoRemarketing.com this […] [Read More]

DULUTH, Ga. — Thanks largely to stronger new and used light-vehicle unit sales, revenues and gross profits, along with a trimmed cost structure, Asbury Automotive Group enjoyed what its president and chief executive officer called a "solid" fourth-quarter financial performance. Its income from continuing operations was $5 million, up from a loss of $352.3 million in […] [Read More]

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — The rebound in auto sales appears to have met a "speed bump" in February stemming from Toyota recalls and winter storms, as new-vehicle retail sales will likely show only a minor year-over-year uptick, according to J.D. Power and Associates. More specifically, J.D. Power is forecasting new-vehicle retail sales of 561,500 vehicles, an […] [Read More]

TULSA, Okla. — Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group revealed on Wednesday that it has extended its vehicle supply agreement with Ford. Executives said the extension is for an additional year until August 2013. Dollar Thrifty also noted the agreement can be extended further with joint approval. "We are very pleased with our first-year results under our Ford […] [Read More]

NEW YORK and TORRANCE, Calif. — Toyota revealed several added services for the thousands of customers in New York who are affected by the automaker's recent recalls. On Wednesday, the automaker reported that these services will come without additional cost to the dealer or vehicle owner. Toyota stressed on Wednesday that the special offerings will be tailored […] [Read More]

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The recently launched American Auto Auction Group announced the management teams for Charleston Auto Auction in Charleston, S.C., and Rea Brothers' Mid-South Auto Auction in Pearl, Miss., which are the group's flagship facilities. Promoted to the role of general manager at Charleston AA is Laura Taylor, while Bill McCready moves up to assistant general […] [Read More]

DETROIT — The General Motors sale of Hummer to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machines Co. cannot be completed, meaning that the automaker will wind down its Hummer business, it announced Wednesday afternoon. "One year ago, General Motors announced that we were going to divest Hummer, as part of focusing our efforts on Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and […] [Read More]

ORLANDO, Fla. — Coming on the heels of a mention by Capital One Auto Finance, Manheim Central Florida Auto Auction accepted another honor recently as the operation was named the 2009 Auction of the Year by Regional Acceptance Corp. It's the first time Manheim Central Florida has received this award from Regional Acceptance. The auction beat […] [Read More]

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — The challenges that dealers have experienced in their service business due to extremely weak vehicles sales in 2008 and 2009 are likely to stick around for a while. J.D. Power and Associates projects that dealer service volume will continue falling for "several years," eventually hitting a trough in 2013, according to its […] [Read More]