Carfluent is taking its technology to another level. The provider of artificial intelligence-driven website technology designed to connect dealers with Spanish-speaking customers is expanding its offerings with a complete AI-powered, fully integrated bilingual website platform for dealerships. The company had previously been creating tools to help dealers with various parts of the sales experience, including […] [Read More]

There is no question that, over the last few years, the ranks of the independent auctions in the National Auto Auction Association are shrinking. We have observed the buying sprees by digital platforms like EBlock (three U.S. acquisitions) and ACV (10 U.S. acquisitions, including long-time iconic auctions like Dealers of Oklahoma City, 166 Auto Auction, […] [Read More]

Tariffs have been the headline of the year in the auto industry. But to dealership customers, they’re not worth talking about — at least for now. According to customer review and reputation management platform Widewail’s latest research, released in its Q1 2025 Automotive Voice of the Customer Report, tariffs are just the tiniest blip on […] [Read More]

Charisma! Insights says artificial intelligence is no longer a theoretical promise for the future or even a “nice to have” for dealership service departments — it’s evolved into a “strategic imperative” and “a growing reality reshaping dealership operations from the ground up.” The dealership technology research and strategy firm’s new report, AI in the Service […] [Read More]

The automotive industry is facing unprecedented times. From prolonged elevated interest rates to tariffs, dealers are navigating uncharted territory yet again. This new era demands bold decisions, long-term thinking, and strategic pivots. Here’s how smart dealers and general managers can win amid volatility — and why the commercial department may be the most resilient in […] [Read More]

The California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA) and Subaru of New England (SNE) recently took significant actions to educate future automotive professionals. The CNCDA Foundation is partnering with Automotive Apprenticeship Group (AAG) to provide a path to training and an innovative apprenticeship solution aimed at developing individuals who aspire to become automotive service technicians. Meanwhile, […] [Read More]

President Trump signing the One Big Beautiful Bill into law during Fourth of July not only slashed the annual budget of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, but it might also have helped consumers at tax time depending on what vehicle they financed. The American Financial Services Association recapped that the new law allows for auto […] [Read More]

Connected cars can provide entertainment, give directions and help prevent collisions. But according to a new report from AI-powered cloud-based data management platform Upstream, one thing they can do — but aren’t — is help reduce vehicle recalls. Upstream’s report, Under Pressure: Why After-Sales Quality Strategies Must Evolve in the Age of Connected Vehicle Data […] [Read More]

Lotlinx’s innovation in artificial intelligence has been rewarded. The dealership inventory management platform has been recognized as the recipient of the 2025 LLM Innovation Award by market intelligence organization AI Breakthrough. Lotlinx was one of four companies honored for their achievements in large language models, one of 24 categories in the eighth annual AI Breakthrough […] [Read More]

Used-vehicle inventory is not just getting tighter. It’s getting older. Cox Automotive data presented during this week’s Q2 Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index call shows the significant impact the COVID pandemic has made on the current supply. The average age of vehicles sold at Manheim auctions is now 6.7 years. That’s up 24% from the […] [Read More]