When the CPO Forum gets rolling later this fall, not only will the industry’s leading certified pre-owned event feature some of the top automakers in the business, the conference will include reputation management and advertising strategies specifically tailored to the CPO market. For example, on the first day of the CPO Forum — which is […] [Read More]

On Monday, Kelley Blue Book shared the 25 most-researched used vehicles on its site over the last 30 days, and topping the list was the Honda Civic. In fact, Honda claimed the top two spots, as the Accord came in second. However, dominating the list was Ford, which led all OEMs with eight models making […] [Read More]

The next few years will likely see a modest uptick in used-vehicle depreciation rates, but thanks to factors like low supplies of late-model units — among other reasons — the projected rate is expected to be slower compared to the more dramatic depreciation witnessed in years past. That’s the word from NADA Used Car Guide, […] [Read More]

While Tropical Storm Isaac doesn’t appear to be packing the same vicious punch Hurricane Katrina did seven years ago, there are concerns about what the storm on the verge of hurricane strength might do to gas prices nationwide and vehicle sales along the Gulf Coast and beyond. Alec Gutierrez, senior market analyst of automotive insights […] [Read More]

A new report released by Maritz Research recently claims that four in 10 customers are not even test driving their cars before purchasing. This is an astounding number of consumers, even if half of them didn’t tell the truth. This phenomenon of customers bypassing the test drive can actually cause a backlash of issues for […] [Read More]

Gas prices are rising, but this time around, shoppers don’t seem very worried. According to Dataium’s July Automotive Shopper Index report, despite fuel rate spikes, interest in trucks continues to gain ground. And the Chevrolet Silverado led the pack, ranking highest in ASI for new vehicles: a first for the domestic OEM. [Read More]

When a customer has a complaint, often he or she will go to the dealership first to report the problem, explained Harry Haber, a used-car manager at a California Volkswagen dealership. Typically, it’s only after not getting a response, he says, that the consumer airs the complaint via the Web. So if an issue arises, […] [Read More]

According to Sonic Automotive, with inventory tight and the economy slow, it is becoming more and more important for dealers to focus on reputation management. During this summer’s J.P. Morgan Auto Conference,  Sonic vice chairman and chief financial officer David Cosper commented on some tips for dealers, as well as the role of dealer training […] [Read More]

Franchised dealers may be bringing in the dough on used units this month, but that isn’t the story for independents, according to CNW Research. The average transaction price for used cars at franchised dealerships “kept its head above water compared to the same month of 2011. Independents weren’t so lucky,” CNW president Art Spinella shared […] [Read More]

American women love their sedans, according to new research from Market Insight Corp. In a recent study, the company found that although crossover body styles remain popular with  female auto shoppers in the U.S., sedan body styles are on the rise. In July, the midsize sedan was the single most popular body style among U.S. […] [Read More]