In an Auto Remarketing interview late last month, Sonic Automotive chief financial officer Heath Byrd was discussing the M&A landscape in auto retail, and said that, “other than shortage of inventory in new, there's probably not a better time in our lifetimes to be in automotive retail.” He added: “And even (with) the shortage, we've […] [Read More]

Although the pandemic was still a major force in the world, the automotive industry entered 2021 having rebounded from the earliest days of the shutdowns. If anything, automotive brands and dealers found themselves having to address a lack of inventory, not a lack of demand from shoppers. Automotive marketers all over the U.S. have continuously […] [Read More]

NextCar, which is the Scott Painter- and Georg Bauer-led fintech and insurtech vehicle subscription platform, announced last week it has finished the acquisition of the Autonomy brand and intellectual property library. NextCar purchased Autonomy from Micro Focus. The deal includes the Autonomy.com global domain along with various country and subdomain extensions, plus trademark applications, awards […] [Read More]

November has been another active month at Carvana, which like many used-vehicle retailers is dealing with the headwinds of high wholesale prices and limited supply. Still, Carvana not only expanded its Midwest footprint in November, the retailer also added the 29th and 30th vehicle vending machines to its marketing portfolio. Carvana now offers as-soon-as-next-day vehicle […] [Read More]

Like many dealer groups, the leadership at Carter Myers Automotive, CarMax and Victory Automotive Group barely had time to enjoy some Thanksgiving turkey, as they were involved either in store acquisitions or major philanthropy efforts. Beginning first with the Carter Myers Automotive (CMA), the 97-year-old Virginia-based family and employee-owned dealer group announced through a news […] [Read More]

Lightico, whose next-generation digital completion platform can support millions of insurance, automotive, telecom and financial interactions, announced a partnership with PayNearMe, the payments platform known for making payments easy for both businesses and their customers. According to a news release, the partnership will provide existing and new Lightico clients a wide range of payment options […] [Read More]

CarNow and J.D. Power are set to launch a new partnership during the first quarter. The companies recently announced a strategic alliance that’s meant to integrate the J.D. Power F&I presentation solution with CarNow’s real time retail platform. According to a news release, the direct integration of J.D. Power with CarNow’s platform can provide vehicle […] [Read More]

The title of a new report from eLEND Solutions included a question likely being pondered by dealerships and finance companies, “In the Post-Pandemic New Normal, Where Does Digital Retailing End?” The automotive fintech innovator highlighted that digital retailing capabilities continue to march forward for 84% of auto dealers, but that end-to-end DR adoption is stopping short […] [Read More]

GWC Warranty finalized a relationship on Monday that might make its F&I solutions for used vehicles more appealing for dealership customers, especially ones who prefer at-home or at-work vehicle repairs. GWC Warranty selected Wrench as a new preferred facility repair partner. Wrench is a mobile mechanic services provider that currently services 55 metropolitan markets and […] [Read More]

While consumers with the poor credit profiles didn’t benefit quite as much, RateGenius highlighted through its latest Auto Refinance Rate Report that October contained the lowest average refinancing rate so far this year. [Read More]