ALEXANDRIA, Va. -

The American International Automobile Dealers Association is offering a free Webinar for both members and non-members about the value of vehicle history reports.

AIADA is hosting the event with Carfax’s Jay Luna on Nov. 18 beginning at noon (EST). Luna, the process improvement manager at Carfax, is scheduled to give a presentation titled “Vehicle History Affects Value, Justify Your Price and Hold More Gross.”

The session is set to cover a variety of topics, including:

—Proven techniques to help justify price and hold greater gross at retail with vehicle history.

—Using vehicle history information to build consumer confidence in every vehicle in stock whether online or on the lot.

—Selling vehicles faster and for a higher price.

The association noted Luna has spent the last five years at Carfax helping dealers leverage best practices to positively affect their dealerships’ sales process.

AIADA officials asked dealers, “Did you know that providing vehicle history documentation can help your customers say ‘yes’ faster than they would without it?”

They responded by saying, “It’s essential to understand vehicle history and how it affects price in order to build confidence with customers and gain top dollar for the used vehicles on your lot.”

AIADA emphasized that this webinar is ideal for dealer principals, general managers, used-car managers, sales managers and Internet sales managers.

The association pointed out the Webinar is open to the first 150 individuals who complete the free registration at this website.

AIADA Chairman Reacts to Obama’s Asia Trip

AIADA chairman Rick DeSilva, a Hyundai and Subaru dealer in Mahwah, N.J., has high hopes for President Obama’s visit to South Korea this week as part of a 10-day tour of Asia.

“As nations everywhere work to climb out of the worldwide recession, it is more important than ever that the United States be an engaged and enthusiastic participant in global trade,” DeSilva began.

“America’s international auto retail industry, just one sector of our economy that benefits greatly from trade, applauds President Obama’s trip to South Korea. Dealers are optimistic that this visit indicates a move away from insular, anti-trade policies, and a step toward a more positive relationship with countries like South Korea that have waited for more than three years for Congress to ratify a free trade agreement,” DeSilva continued.

“It is high time that the United States rejoins the global market and disavows the protectionist rhetoric and policies that have stalled our economic recovery,” he added.

AIADA recounted that the United States signed a free trade agreement with South Korea in 2007. However, the association contends that the agreement remains inactive because a majority in Congress refuses to debate or vote on it as currently drafted.

If ratified by Congress, association leadership believes the agreement would eliminate tariffs on nearly 95 percent of consumer and industrial product trade and add up to $30 billion in bilateral trade between the two countries.

AIADA added Panama and Colombia are also waiting for Congress to ratify trade agreements signed in 2007.

“The U.S. Chamber of Congress predicts that U.S. failure to act on trade while other countries enact their own trade pacts could cost Americans $40.2 billion in exports and 383,400 jobs,” AIADA officials offered.