Cox Automotive insisted 2016 brought good news for almost every segment of the industry. Analysts pointed out that highlights included accelerating used-vehicle sales, a record-high 17.5 million new-vehicle sales and a growing number of services and support products that are dramatically improving the efficiency of the automotive marketplace — from retail to remarketing.   These trends […] [Read More]

Sixty-two percent of consumers say that they are loyal to an automotive service center despite the low retention rate for the average dealer, according to a recent study. AutoLoop's 2016 Automotive Digital Engagement study uncovered new insights into the value of engagement for dealers and revealed a varying meaning of customer loyalty among Baby Boomers, Generation […] [Read More]

Driving auto shoppers to your website is the cornerstone of all successful digital marketing strategies for auto dealers. However, this position has some dealers wondering whether linking the shopper to their vehicle display pages is a good use of their advertising spend. Non-progressive dealers have been on the losing side of this battle for the […] [Read More]

Consumer interest in offers and discounts on social media networks is growing: 44 percent of sales customers and 47 percent of service customers who use Twitter follow a dealership for access to offers and discounts, according to recent study. That is one of the multiple trends social media and digital engagement company Digital Air Strike found in […] [Read More]

Toyota has claimed the title of Kelley Blue Book’s Best Resale Value Brand for the first time since 2014, and Porsche celebrates its first time earning the Best Resale Value Luxury Brand belt. KBB announced its 2017 Best Resale Value Awards on Wednesday, revealing 22 vehicle category winners and a top 10 list in addition to […] [Read More]

Captify, an advertising technology company that specializes in search intelligence, has released findings from its analysis of more than 15 billion consumer searches to determine the most popular brands and types of cars catching consumers’ attention in 2016. Ford was found to be the most searched car brand by consumers last year. After Ford, Audi […] [Read More]

Over the Thanksgiving Holiday, my whole family got together at my sister’s house in coastal North Carolina for a multi-generational tradition: making Brunswick stew from scratch in a mammoth cast-iron pot (think witch’s cauldron).  The stew takes on a bold flavor, after more than half-dozen ingredients take on a full day of hot-coal smoke from […] [Read More]

IHS Markit recognized auto manufacturers and brands for loyalty leadership at its 21st annual Automotive Loyalty Awards during the Automotive News World Congress on Tuesday night. General Motors received the evening’s top award, “Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer,” and winners in more than 30 categories were recognized, including Ford for “Overall Loyalty to Make.” ”We are proud […] [Read More]

With vehicle shopper preference for SUVs and crossovers apparently strengthening and not waning, Cox Automotive chief economist Tom Webb is confident used-car managers should find higher amounts of those units flowing through the wholesale market this year, especially as off-lease models. It’s all part of the wholesale surge where Webb is expecting overall wholesale volume […] [Read More]

The top spot on Instamotor’s list of most expensive metro areas to buy a used car on the private-party market isn't going to surprise you. It’s the San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, Calif. market. But No. 2 on the list might get some second looks. Average private-party used-car prices in the Oklahoma City metro area are above nine grand […] [Read More]