It’s a full-circle moment for TrueCar and Scott Painter. The company’s founder and former CEO is leading a group that plans to acquire the automotive digital marketplace. Upon close, Painter, who stepped down as  CEO in 2015, will return as CEO. TrueCar announced Wednesday that it is going private through a deal in which Fair […] [Read More]

Manheim held its most successful back-to-school fundraising campaign ever. Cox Automotive’s auction chain brought in $519,788 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America from its 2025 back-to-school campaign, surpassed the 2024 total by more than $160,000, the company said. Manheim noted the record came in its 80th anniversary year, which it said “underscores its […] [Read More]

The number is vehicles recalled in the U.S. has been rising steadily. The latest Recall Report from recall management platform BizzyCar found automakers issued 96 recall campaigns in the third quarter of 2025, covering nearly 8.5 million vehicles, the most since Q1 2024. That’s up 16% from Q2, when recalled vehicles spiked to 7.3 million, […] [Read More]

Through three quarters of 2025, wholesale auction sales are beating year-ago figures by nearly 6%, with commercial consignor volumes especially strong as of late. That’s according to AuctionNet data from the National Auto Auction Association, which said auction sales climbed 5.5% year-over-year in September and were up 6% for the third quarter. Year-to-date sales are […] [Read More]

Lithia & Driveway’s aggressive approach to the dealership M&A market remains intact. In fact, it’s racing ahead at full speed. The giant dealership group, which operates more than 400 locations in the U.S., Canada and the U.K., has acquired Stivers Decatur Subaru in Decatur, Ga., from Stivers Automotive Group. In a news release, the company […] [Read More]

Private equity firm Astira Capital Partners has acquired CallRevu, which provides a call intelligence platform for the auto industry. Boston-based Astira, which focuses on technology-enable and data-driven services, was founded by Azra Kanji in 2023 and invests out of a $675 million Fund 1. Its portfolio also includes Altus (commercial receivables management solutions) and ConData […] [Read More]

Lauren Donalson joined PureCars in 2015 as a sales associate, later serving as regional manager, national director and senior vice president before moving up to chief operating officer in January 2023. She was promoted to the new role of president in February 2024. And last month, Donalson became the company’s CEO. She joins the Auto […] [Read More]

Sales enablement and consumer experience software platform TradePending has become a partner in the Mazda Digital Certified Program, the company announced. The certification gives Mazda dealers access to TradePending’s tools through MDCP, which offers dealers programs and technologies from a selection of certified providers. The company said those tools include Trade+, designed to convert website […] [Read More]

Signals about what happens before and after a vehicle is delivered and financed aren’t so rosy. Cox Automotive chief economist Jonathan Smoke pointed out that the initial October reading of consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan showed, “Consumers’ views of buying conditions for vehicles improved modestly but remain worse than a year ago.” Smoke […] [Read More]

Ken Tape understands the value of a certified pre-owned program to a dealership. The general manager of Windsor Chrysler in Windsor, Ontario, knows CPO can draw customers and reassure them about the value of a used vehicle, as well as increasing profit and customer retention and loyalty. There’s just one problem. Tape is a Chrysler […] [Read More]