ARLINGTON, Texas -

Along with announcing the newest addition to its national member benefit program the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association highlighted that for the fifth consecutive year, ADESA, AFC and IAA — all part of KAR Auction Services — will auction off a premier vehicle during the NIADA Convention and Expo to benefit the NIADA Foundation.

This year's vehicle is a red 2016 Nissan Frontier SV crew cab pickup with a 4.0L V6 engine, 5-speed automatic, 26,167 miles on the odometer and gray cloth interior.

The truck will be on display in the Expo Hall during the Convention, which begins Monday at The Mirage in Las Vegas. The Expo opens the next evening.

The auction will be held at 1:30 p.m. next Thursday at the NIADA Dealer Lounge in the center of the Expo Hall.

ADESA will transport the vehicle for free for the winning bidder to any location in the continental U.S.

All proceeds from the auction will benefit the NIADA Foundation, which spearheads the association’s commitment to charitable giving as well as awarding scholarships to deserving college-bound students across the nation and providing training and educational opportunities to automobile dealers and the general public.

Past foundation activities include significant donations to charities such as the Heart of a Warrior Foundation, contributions for disaster relief efforts and endowments for university scholarships.

Over the past four years, the ADESA/AFC/IAA-sponsored auctions at the NIADA Convention have raised a total of $97,200 for the NIADA Foundation. During last year's event, a 2015 Chrysler 300 Limited sold for $27,500.

Net Driven partners with NIADA

In other news, Net Driven has joined NIADA’s national member benefit program to provide association members with a variety of digital marketing solutions, from custom websites and SEO to social media and online reputation management.

Net Driven provides digital marketing services exclusively to the auto industry, working with more than 3,000 automotive businesses across North America to deliver custom, mobile-first website design, Internet marketing and SEO, social media management, call tracking and recording, online review management and more.

Net Driven's digital marketing capabilities are coupled with a 97 percent retention rate and customer support.

“Partnering with NIADA creates an opportunity for us to help its members by providing a results-driven program to achieve online success,” Net Driven general manager Eric Wellner said. “The website is just the beginning. What we offer NIADA members is a true business partner that will invest in their online success and work with them every step of the way. We don’t succeed unless they succeed. It’s that simple.”

Association members can take advantage of an immediate cost savings of up to $1,500 and a monthly savings of $25 on Net Driven's services through NIADA’s BenefitHub or by calling Net Driven directly.

Net Driven will set up a free one-on-one demo for NIADA members and offers an evaluation of their unique business needs to develop a custom solution.

“Net Driven's three-part solution is focused on one thing: results,” NIADA senior vice president of member services Scott Lilja said. “One hundred percent of what they do is focused on our industry, so we know our members are in good hands.

“Having a successful online presence today is about much more than just a website. Net Driven can provide services to help our members be present and get found online, and develop a positive and trustworthy online reputation,” Lilja went on to say.

For more information or to request a free personal demo, call (877) 860-2005 or visit netdriven.lpages.co/niada.

NIADA CPO program gets boost from eBay Motors

Furthermore, NIADA said it has launched an enhancement to its Certified Pre-Owned program, powered by eBay Motors.

The improved NIADA CPO program can enable independent dealerships to effectively manage and merchandise inventory, which can help increase sales, profits and inventory turn.

 For eBay shoppers, the NIADA CPO program will continue to add quality inventory and instill purchasing confidence from reputable independent dealers.

“Through this improved NIADA CPO program, we're continuing to supply auto dealers with the tools and technology that support enhanced inventory management and lead generation," eBay Motors general manager of vehicles Tony Hoang said.

 “We constantly focus on offering buyers the best selection and a convenient, secure experience. Working with NIADA dealers provides buyers additional peace of mind and access to a large selection of certified pre-owned vehicles from trusted independent auto dealers,” Hoang continued.

This strengthened CPO program can give more power to dealers who manage listings on eBay Motors by providing tools that:

—Efficiently export CPO inventory to third-party digital marketing auto portals, including dealers' own websites.

—Process and print standardized buyers guides and window labels.

—Report inventory movement and pricing trends.

The NIADA CPO program’s new merchandising platform can offer value to dealerships and can help drive increased inventory turnover, online lead traffic, market intelligence and cost reductions and efficiencies.

“This new platform builds on the success of previous initiatives of the NIADA Certified program,” Lilja said. "Through this enhanced digital platform, NIADA member CPO program clients will gain increased insights to traffic and inventory leads, which we believe will lead to increased sales.”

For more information, call (877) 310-0288.