The Federal Trade Commission is continuing to police operations that bill themselves as offering consumer debt relief. According to a news release, a federal court at the FTC’s request has temporarily halted an alleged debt relief services scheme that targeted seniors, including veterans, using a wide range of deceptive conduct, including falsely impersonating consumers’ banks […] [Read More]

While new-car sales made a significant jump in the second quarter, used-vehicle sales took just a small step up, according to the latest data from Lotlinx. The dealership inventory management platform’s Q2 2025 Quarterly Vincensus Report showed a 7% increase in new sales volume over Q1, a surge it attributed to the “tariff- driven rush” […] [Read More]

The biggest blockbuster deal in auto retail this year is now official. Asbury Automotive Group announced it has completed the acquisition of The Herb Chambers Companies, one of the nation’s largest privately-owned dealership groups. “Herb redefined the car-buying experience in New England, making Herb Chambers a household name, synonymous with reliability and service,” Asbury president […] [Read More]

Salvato Auctions is go for launch. The auction for insurance vehicles announced it will launch its online salvage auction in three weeks, billing it as “a modern alternative to Copart and IAA.” Bidding for the first online auction is scheduled to begin Aug. 7 at 9 a.m. CDT and will remain open through 9 a.m. […] [Read More]

Electric vehicles are losing some of their retail juice, at least based on the newest study from iSeeCars. Analysts from iSeeCars reported five of the top 10 used cars with the largest price drops in June were EVs. And Teslas have sustained the biggest drops in retail pricing among 1- to 5-year-old used cars. Used […] [Read More]

The U.S. auto industry is on the brink of another major inflection point. For dealer principals paying attention, the signals are clear: we are moving into a period of structural change: Tariffs, rising operational costs, and evolving consumer preferences are converging to reshape automotive retail, once again. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: the question is no […] [Read More]

TransUnion previously reported that consumers who have recently gone delinquent on their federal student loans because of policy changes have seen their credit scores drop by 60 points on average. That decrease might shift those individuals into the subprime credit tier. Cox Automotive chief economist Jonathan Smoke acknowledged how complicated the shift has made the […] [Read More]

The direct effects of tariffs on used vehicles are negligible. But that doesn’t mean they have no effect at all. Cars Commerce’s Industry Insights 1H Report showed the major impact of tariffs on the used-vehicle market, in areas ranging from supply and the age of available used units to consumer demand and prices. “Tariff pressure […] [Read More]

Though they didn’t reach the heights of the first quarter, conversion rates at auction for commercial consignors in the second quarter were up more than 4 percentage points year-over-year and remained above prior-year figures through the first half of 2025. That’s according to the Q2 Industry View from AutoIMS, which provides a “compendium of metrics featured in the AutoIMS Sales Scorecard that reflects the AutoIMS database (with few needed exclusions) — a vast majority of the commercial sales volume at wholesale auto auctions in North America.” Specifically, conversion rates for commercial consignors ... [Read More]

Brand loyalty continued rising in the first half of 2025 — with a very notable exception. The LexisNexis Risk Solutions Automotive Brand Loyalty Mid-Year 2025 Study found overall brand loyalty for new vehicles rose to 53.3% through June 30, up 1.2 percentage points from the end of 2024. That continues a steady rise from the […] [Read More]