Reports have surfaced indicating that General Motors has temporarily idled its Chevrolet Malibu plant in Fairfax, Kan.   And this is good news for the automaker when it comes to residual values, says ALG’s Eric Lyman. It won’t just be the Malibu’s values that benefit, either, said the firm’s vice president of partner development and […] [Read More]

Activity at Swapalease.com and findings from a recent GfK Automotive study showed that the appeal of luxury models isn’t carrying the same weight as it did in the past. Where are consumers migrating if they’re not leasing a luxury model? At Swaplease this month, they’re moving toward assumptions of smaller and eco-friendly vehicles. These website […] [Read More]

Third-quarter delinquencies and repossession rates moved in directions Experian Automotive didn’t expect. They all moved lower year-over-year. According to Experian Automotive’s Q3 State of the Automotive Finance Market Analysis, 30-day delinquencies fell to 2.67 percent from 2.78 percent in the year-ago quarter. The development marked the second consecutive year that third quarter 30-day delinquencies stayed […] [Read More]

If findings shared by NADA University on Monday are any indication, the outlook on workforce stability at the nation’s dealerships is a relatively solid one. The education and training arm of the National Automobile Dealer Associated has released the 2012 Dealership Workforce Study Industry Report, which was put together in partnership with Northwood University and […] [Read More]

These days, it seems consumers want to begin discussing a potential purchase with dealership staff far before they make it into the physical store, according to recent analysis from automotive data company Polk. In a recent study commissioned by website chat company Contact At Once, one in three users of auto website chat bought a […] [Read More]

Safe-Guard Products International has rolled out a suite of products specifically tailored to the needs of independent dealers, the company announced Monday. Featured in the RideSafe product suite are a vehicle service contract program, a tire/wheel and roadside assistance program and GAP protection. RideSafe is immediately available in most states, officials noted. [Read More]

Buyers are paying more for many popular mid-size models, according to NADA Used Car Guide’s latest Guidelines report. In fact, some prices for models have undergone “major revisions,” including the Chevy Malibu, Ford Fusion and Mazda6, whose prices “improved significantly over the years and are at, or very near to, the overall (sales weighted) segment […] [Read More]

Comerica Bank's newest Auto Affordability Index showed the purchase and financing of an average-priced new vehicle took 23.1 weeks of median family income in the third quarter of this year. Analysts found consumers on average spent $75 less on new models in the third quarter than they did in the second quarter. The historical series […] [Read More]

After November’s Hurricane Sandy, dealer demand for used cars is up; so why are pre-owned values declining? Kelly Blue Book’s Alec Gutierrez addressed this very issue in this month’s Blue Book Market Report. Granted, used values bumped up during the weeks following the storm, said KBB's  senior market analyst of automotive insights. But after the […] [Read More]

With the holiday season in full swing, it’s not just toy stores and shopping malls reaping the rewards. It also appears two particular segments of the used-car market are seeing some nice gains, as well. According to the latest Hot Used-Car Report from Kelley Blue Book, luxury SUVs and premium luxury cars have seen the […] [Read More]