Kristin Kolodge says J.D. Power is “concerned for automakers.” Kolodge, who is executive director of driver interaction & human machine interface research for the company, says automakers are moving forward with technology such as self-driving and battery-electric vehicles, “that consumers seem to have little interest in.” Kolodge was commenting about J.D. Power’s 2020 Q1 Mobility […] [Read More]

Jasen Rice, founder and chief executive officer for the used-car marketing and inventory analysis company Lotpop, is taking a contrarian position about certified pre-owned sales as the auto industry comes out of its COVID-19 mandated slumber. "CPO is going to be the winner out of this," he said. If, that is, the OEMs sufficiently incentivize […] [Read More]

People are sheltering in place across the country because of COVID-19. But Matt Schmitz notes that many of those people are making a brief escape from their homes and hitting the roads. “Our research shows that people just need a break from the daily monotony, and cars are serving as a safe, personal retreat for […] [Read More]

Based on the dynamics described in the most recent updates compiled by Black Book, used-car managers might have one of the most difficult industry jobs nowadays. They’re seeing increased supply and decreased demand collide in the auction lanes, creating significant uncertainty about how to gauge trade-in values. “Sellers that focus on cheaper units are hopeful […] [Read More]

Being a publicly traded company, Credit Acceptance revealed current collection and origination performance trends that many other subprime auto finance providers also might be experiencing because of the coronavirus pandemic. According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission posted on Tuesday afternoon, Credit Acceptance said, “the current outbreak of COVID-19 has adversely impacted […] [Read More]

The past six weeks have represented one of the busiest stretches ever experienced by the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association because of the coronavirus pandemic. NIADA senior vice president of legal and government affairs Shaun Petersen returned to the podcast, updating senior editor Nick Zulovich about an array of initiatives the association launched to help […] [Read More]

April will end up with the largest-ever year-over-year decline in the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index, should current price trends remain on track. Manheim parent company Cox Automotive debuted its first mid-month edition of this index that measures wholesale vehicle price activity on Friday and found that the Manheim index is at 125.2 halfway through April, down 9.6% compared to the […] [Read More]

As the company’s chief executive officer shared his five broad perspectives about the ongoing economic crisis created by the coronavirus pandemic, Ally Financial also offered more details about how it’s worked with dealer clients. During the company’s quarterly conference call with investors on Monday morning, Ally Financial chief financial officer Jennifer LaClair said 72% of […] [Read More]

With Flick Fusion’s new live-streaming video communications application, dealership personnel can connect with vehicle shoppers and current customers, regardless of which operating platform the callers are on. The application is called StreaMe, and Flick Fusion is offering auto dealerships a free, no-obligation 60-day trial for a limited time. The company said it is offering the application […] [Read More]

Autotrader has debuted a new commercial spot highlighting various home services that dealers now offer to bring convenience and comfort to in-market shoppers while also minimizing in-person contact. The ad, titled, “Still Moving,” is meant to alleviate consumers’ car-buying concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Autotrader, sourcing the Cox Automotive COVID-19 Digital Shopping Study, said the […] [Read More]