Most of the time, the threats facing dealers are unmistakable. High taxes, redundant federal regulations and inequitable labor rules are all good examples. When those challenges present themselves, American International Automobile Dealers Association and its members are quick to spring into action. Sometimes, however, the threats are much more difficult to identify. On Oct. 21, […] [Read More]

Black Friday isn’t just a good time to buy discount TVs and stock up on bargain Christmas presents, according to TrueCar.com. The day after Thanksgiving is also apparently the best time to buy a new vehicle, as well. In fact, Truecar.com contends it is the best day to buy a new car out of the entire […] [Read More]

Canadian Web portal Auto123.com has rolled out the list of finalists for its annual awards honoring vehicles across 20 segments. These vehicles will vie for the 2012 Auto123.com Awards to be doled out Nov. 24 at the Intercontinental Toronto Yorkville Hotel. The finalists include: 2012 Subcompact Car of the Year Ford Fiesta Hyundai Accent Kia […] [Read More]

DrivingSales University — a NADA University partner that offers an online training platform for dealers — has chosen an executive director. Tapped for the position is Shaun Raines, who the company notes has spent the last 13 years “helping dealers effectively use the Internet to attract, acquire and retain customers.” Raines will oversee DSU, which […] [Read More]

The hybrid and electric vehicle market’s tough year and slide in sales this past summer may be due in part to lack focus and desirable product for certain demographics. According to research company Mintel, the biggest potential in the market for alternative fuel vehicles is with black  consumers. [Read More]

Announcing an upgrade to its used-vehicle value data, Kelley Blue Book is now breaking that data down regionally, offering specific used value data for each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. And while consumers and single-point dealerships may not notice a huge difference, the state-by-state breakdown of used values will be extremely beneficial to large […] [Read More]

With October’s SAAR reaching beyond the 13 million mark, it looks like auto sales might remain strong this month as well — or may even climb above last month’s peaks as inventory levels rise, according to NADA chief economist Paul Taylor. He goes on to predict that some factors could potentially push consumers out of the used-car […] [Read More]

Amplicate’s latest social media analytics report revealed online users posted many more positive opinions than negative about Audi, Mercedes-Benz and other luxury brands during the past 12 months. The report found that 85 percent of all opinions on social media about Audi were positive during the past 12 months, while 77 percent of all opinions […] [Read More]

Experian Automotive and Experian Hitwise recently discovered online users have increased their share of overall vehicle make and model searches for the four weeks that ended Oct. 8 as compared to the same time frame two years ago. And the rise is substantial. Analysts say it’s up by 37 percent. Drilling deeper into its findings, […] [Read More]

If you have ever taken a ride in the backseat of a taxi cab – or a police car, for that matter – there’s a fairly good chance it was in a Ford Crown Victoria. But someday that won’t be the case. Yahoo Autos counts the Crown Vic among the 14 vehicles being retired at […] [Read More]