In what proved to be the strongest year yet for J.D. Power and Associates’ U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, it was discovered that the market’s most reliable brand is Lexus, based on the study’s findings. This win by Lexus marks a banner year in the study for Toyota as an OEM. The Toyota and Scion brands […] [Read More]

As Ray Mungenast took over as the American International Automobile Dealers Association chairman last week in Las Vegas, he promised that he would represent members to the best of his ability. And in an effort to maintain open lines of communication with members and dealers, he will now be establishing a regular blog “Ray on […] [Read More]

Volunteers from Nissan are working hard to ensure that one single mother of two has a solid roof over her head and a new home. As a result of a sustainable building grant from Nissan, Kenya Bouie’s new home in Jonesboro, Ga., is one of 10 Habitat for Humanity homes that will be built around […] [Read More]

After years of dwindling, Urban Science is reporting that franchised dealership ranks grew in 2011. The company revealed that last year saw a slight jump in the number of dealerships, climbing to 17,767 in the U.S., a 0.6 percent increase from 17,659 in 2010. “In a ‘normal’ year, there is a 2 percent decline in […] [Read More]

The National Automobile Dealers Association has serious concerns about the proposed fuel economy rules for model year 2017–2025 passenger cars and light trucks and the potential negative effects they might have on consumers and dealers. Officials voiced these worries in comments filed late Monday with the Obama administration. In this statement, NADA highlighted concerns including […] [Read More]

Insure.com, a resource for consumer insurance information and data, came out with a list that shows dealers and shoppers alike which 2012 vehicles are the least and most expensive to ensure. This year’s insurance bargain comes from a Japanese nameplate, with the Toyota Sienna LE stealing the No. 1 spot. On the other hand, the […] [Read More]

Pushed by the tight supply constantly facing dealers, by the time the first quarter is over, used-vehicle values could spike by as much a 3 to 5 percent, according to Kelley Blue Book. Then during April, used values are expected to plateau and stay consistently high for months, explained KBB’s Alec Gutierrez, senior market analysts of automotive […] [Read More]

In the spirit of today’s holiday, CarMax revealed “what made the sparks fly” during the car shopping process, as well as the launch of a new Facebook contest that focuses on the love affair between consumers and their vehicle of choice. When asked what the leading factor was when deciding to buy a car, nearly […] [Read More]

In a battle of the sexes, Autobytel’s editor in chief and assistant editor went head to head in a battle to find the hottest cars for 2012. By price category, Michelle Naranjo, editor in chief, and assistant editor Jeffrey Ross picked from a wide variety of cars during the company’s Valentines Day fun. Independently of […] [Read More]

Digital marketing company ChannelNet recently revealed it has picked an auto industry veteran to serve on its board. Tapped as the newest board member is AJ Wagner, president of AJ Wagner & Associates LLC, and former president of Ford Motor Credit Co. North America, and corporate vice president of Ford Motor Co.  Commenting on the […] [Read More]