Portfolio’s newest board member certainly has significant familiarity with how the F&I industry functions. The company announced this week that Kelly Price has been appointed executive vice president of strategic ventures and has joined the company’s board of directors. Price is the founder of National Automotive Experts and NWAN, a Strongsville, Ohio-based reinsurance and F&I […] [Read More]

In honor of Earth Day, car-sharing marketplace Turo said Thursday it has become the first car-sharing or car rental marketplace to offset 100% of its estimated global carbon emissions. This commitment will offset emissions based on the total number of miles driven on Turo trips, and all emissions from its global office footprint. The company […] [Read More]

Work Truck Solutions has launched Vehicle Acquisition Search Tool, or VAST, which it says will help dealers find and acquire the necessary inventory to serve their broadest range of customers. VAST offers access to inventory sources specifically for the wholesale acquisition of commercial work trucks, vans and pickups. The tool will soon expand to include […] [Read More]

Cleaning services and hygienic consulting company NuVinAir Global has expanded its franchise program via two new franchisees and provided several territory extensions for existing franchisees. NuVinAir chief executive officer and founder Kyle Bailey said the company recently secured national agreements with all of the largest rental car companies in the world, and since then the company […] [Read More]

The rise in Canadian wholesale vehicle prices last week was not as strong as the prior week’s gain, but the change was much more positive than what happened the same week in prior years. That’s according to the latest Canadian Auto Market Update from Canadian Black Book, which also detailed continued tight supplies in the […] [Read More]

The auto default rate now has been below the 1% level for 15 consecutive months, according to data assembled by S&P Dow Jones Indices and Experian. The streak continued thanks to a small dip in the auto segment of the S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices released earlier this week. Based on data through March, the […] [Read More]

Byrider is looking to make it easier for dealer operators and other entrepreneurs to gain a franchise in its network of buy-here, pay-here stores. This week, the company announced the launch of its new franchising model, Byrider Direct, adding what executives believe is a new, simpler entry point into its franchising system. Byrider said the […] [Read More]

This week, the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association announced the newest vendor to join the organization as a National Corporate Partner. According to a news release, VINsmart joined this NIADA group as its newest bronze-level member, offering affordable, reliable vehicle history reports to association members. NIADA highlighted VINsmart is a product of NOBEL Systems, an […] [Read More]

Automotive retail is one of the largest sectors of the U.S. economy, and it is in the middle of a rapid transformation. Going forward, the men and women working in the industry will reasonably be described as high-tech workers, and for good reason. It’s becoming a market defined by cutting-edge technological innovation and customer experience. […] [Read More]

For most of my career as a dealer, I’ve been endangered.  I’m essentially a woolly mammoth on the plains: big, slow, and irresistible to spear-tossing cavemen. I should be extinct. And I will be. Any day now.  At least, that’s what you might think if you believed commercials like this one aired that during the Superbowl. […] [Read More]