Most automotive retailers already understand the power of a fully-optimized Google My Business (GMB) listing, but how many dealers have optimized their GMB listings for marketing used vehicles specifically? As a reminder, a dealer’s GMB listing (or Google Maps listing) is their online yellow page ad, and appears 100% of the time someone does a […] [Read More]

After helping raise more than $10,000 to help children forced into home learning because of the COVID-19 shutdown, Toyota South Atlanta was named Clayton County business of the year. The dealership won the honor based on its generosity to the Clayton County School System. The $10,000 went toward school lunches for students at their homes. […] [Read More]

78. Seventy-eight.   No, this is not the year I think you were born. It’s the number of vendor partners the average dealership uses to support their business operations.  With this vast number of outside companies supporting a dealership enterprise, keeping up with the nuances of the services these 78 companies off you is a […] [Read More]

A deep subprime finance company that has been working with both franchised and independent dealerships, especially to cater to their Hispanic customers, now is venturing into securitizations. In business since 2007, Credito Real USA Finance announced last week that it closed on its first securitization. The company said the investor action totaled $130 million. The […] [Read More]

Lender Compliance Technologies (LCT) recently rolled out a tool geared to solve a problem that often causes major headaches for finance companies and their staff. The compliance solutions company unveiled what it calls Refund Control; comprehensive, finance company-controlled solution for managing and tracking cancellations and refunds of F&I products such as guaranteed asset protection (GAP) […] [Read More]

TransUnion is trying to show the industry just how focused on information security and consumer privacy the company really is. The company said its latest example of commitment to build and invest in technology to help businesses and consumers transact in an increasingly digital marketplace arrived recently with a preferred equity investment and strategic cooperation […] [Read More]

Another eight companies are being honored, as Cherokee Media Group on Monday released the third collection of honorees in the Emerging 8, an award program presented by Westlake Portfolio Management and designed to honor companies that aim to improve a specific aspect of the automotive industry through technology. Along with being profiled in the current […] [Read More]

DealerOn is now a provider in the Lincoln Website Solution program, and DealerOn will now help equip Lincoln dealers with DealerOn's digital marketing technology to showcase the line of Lincoln automobiles at Lincoln dealerships. FordDirect selected DealerOn, which will be the second provider in the Lincoln Website Solution program. Lincoln dealers can now choose DealerOn’s […] [Read More]

If your service drive is getting pretty busy nowadays — and not just with completing reconditioning for your used inventory — new data compiled and shared by the Auto Care Association is perhaps a reason why. According to data gathered by Auto Care Association director of market intelligence Mike Chung, vehicle miles traveled (VMT) for […] [Read More]

Used-car operations continue to be a strong suit for the publicly traded dealer groups, including some who plan to add to thriving standalone pre-owned store programs. In this story, we recap the highlights from what the public retailers said of their used-car activities in the first quarter.  At Sonic Automotive, its EchoPark Automotive standalone pre-owned […] [Read More]