A product partnership between DataOne Software and consultancy firm SBD has resulted in a software product called VehiclePlannerPlus, which provides competitive intelligence and vehicle product planning. The product helps with OEM marketing and vehicle planning activities, allowing automotive analysts to use a single tool to create, configure and export insights. As a result, the typical effort […] [Read More]

Perhaps not since the Great Recession has the auto retail industry had a challenging year as it did in 2020. But amid all the turmoil in the industry, last year “ultimately ended as the most profitable year on record for dealers,” says Erin Kerrigan, founder and managing director of Kerrigan Advisors. Just consider the stock valuations of […] [Read More]

With its president saying that people have experienced extreme challenges over the past year, Sheehy Auto Stores is donating $115,500 among 22 charities throughout the communities they serve in several locations. Those areas include Washington, D.C.; Baltimore and Hagerstown, Md., and Richmond, Va. The donations are part of Sheehy’s Annual Giving Program. Through that program, each […] [Read More]

CallRevu recently upgraded its communications intelligence (CI) solution to help dealerships monitor and improve their communications with customers. This week, the company launched a platform innovation that harnesses artificial intelligence and machine learning using CallRevu’s unique automotive lexicon developed during the past 12 years from millions of human transcribed calls. CallRevu highlighted this new technology […] [Read More]

Paperwork within dealership service drives and accounting departments can accumulate quickly. Dealer Scanning is looking to improve the situation for stores, making the scenes both aesthetically pleasing and perhaps even more crucial — improved security and search capability. Dealer Scanning, a leading cloud-based automotive document scanning company, recently announced that it has become a participant […] [Read More]

In December 2019, we were celebrating a year of big digital growth in the wholesale industry. I had spent the year talking about how digital wholesale would soon reach a tipping point where the majority of purchases would be made by digital buyers, and adoption would start to grow at faster pace. We rang in […] [Read More]

Last year, the Toyota Lexus Minority Owners Dealership Association, or TLMODA,  teamed up with The Salvation Army to create a National COVID-19 Day of Service, supporting families that have become vulnerable because of the coronavirus pandemic. “Since then, the demand for food has multiplied,” TLMODA board president Carlos Liriano said in a news release. On […] [Read More]

Cox Automotive estimates that repossession volume will make a “significant” rise in 2021 compared to last year. According to data shared during Friday’s Cox Automotive Industry Insights 2021 presentation, repossession volume in 2020 softened to the lowest level in five years, sliding to 1.4 million units. In 2015, Cox Automotive said 1.5 million repossessed vehicles […] [Read More]

Wells Fargo is looking to reinforce its commitment to consumers. On Tuesday, the bank launched a new enterprise-wide, consumer-focused advisory group, the Office of Consumer Practices (OCP). Wells Fargo explained the OCP will be part of the chief operating office and will be led by Michael Lipsitz, chief regulatory and policy affairs executive. “Keeping customers […] [Read More]

A report compiled by AmTrust Financial Services showed how much value consumers are getting from F&I products, especially guaranteed asset protection (GAP) coverage as well as owners who operate their vehicles where weather and road conditions are poor. The AmTrust 2020 Extended Auto Warranty Advisor identified common trends for extended warranties and claim payouts based […] [Read More]