It’s shaping up to be an unusual spring. Spring training isn’t the usual buzz because of the labor clash involving Major League Baseball. And Black Book is seeing wholesale values soften, even as IRS data shows a double-digit rise in federal income tax filings that often can fuel what happens in the lanes. [Read More]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, three of the four most populated states are California, Texas and New York. Coincidently, highlights from Urban Science’s 2021 Automotive Franchise Activity Report (FAR) showed those three states generated the most significant state-level changes, too. Overall, Urban Science indicated last year produced continued stability and slight growth for the […] [Read More]

The first car that Carvana ever sold was in Georgia, and now the online retailer has opened a new campus in the state’s capital. Carvana’s new Atlanta facility, which officially launched Tuesday, currently employs 1,500 team members in the state. The company plans to add 3,500 more jobs in the area in coming years. Atlanta […] [Read More]

The acquisition train just keeps gaining steam throughout the automotive industry. The latest momentum builder arrived on Tuesday when TransUnion said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Verisk Financial Services, the financial services business unit of Verisk, in a $515 million deal. TransUnion highlighted that Verisk Financial is relied upon by leading financial […] [Read More]

The latest update from the Internal Revenue Service shows the volume of individual tax filings and refunds is off to a roaring start this season. As of Feb. 11, the IRS said it has received 26,421,000 individual tax returns since the 2022 filing season began on Jan. 24. That’s up 28% from the same juncture […] [Read More]

It’s another M&A move in automotive, this time in the repair and reconditioning space. Repairify said Tuesday it has acquired AutoMobile Technologies, which provides enterprise-grade used-car reconditioning software. Repairify is a portfolio company of Kinderhook Industries, and it includes such brands as asTech, adasThink, BlueDriver, FleetGenix, MobileTechRX, One Guard Inspections, and RED (EU). Having both […] [Read More]

E Automotive Inc. and its EBlock brand have purchased the FastLane Auto Exchange independent auto auction. The acquisition of FastLane, located in Mount Morris, Mich., expands EBlock’s footprint to the Midwest, and better positions the company for facilitating cross-border dealer-to-dealer transactions. “The acquisition of FastLane Auto Exchange uniquely strengthens our wholesale marketplace, EBlock, in both […] [Read More]

The International Automotive Remarketers Alliance has named a new systems and communications manager. Hired for the position is Nikki Jones, who will manage IARA’s website and membership system and head up management for IARA’s integrated learning and event systems. In a news release, IARA executive director Tony Long said: “Nikki took a brief hiatus from the […] [Read More]

We begin this auction news roundup in Ohio, where Value Auto Auction has named a new general manager. Appointed to the GM role at this Crooksville auction is Carrie Thomas, who was most recently director of sales. Thomas became director of sales last year after five years as an outside sales representative for the auction. […] [Read More]

A former Cox Automotive executive now is part of the leadership team at Automotive Innovations (Ai), which offers an all-in-one solution that can allow dealers to replace multiple tools, increase profits and get real-time visibility into their business On Monday, Ai announced the appointment of veteran automotive executive Darrel Ferguson as vice president of sales. […] [Read More]