WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — The rebound in auto sales appears to have met a "speed bump" in February stemming from Toyota recalls and winter storms, as new-vehicle retail sales will likely show only a minor year-over-year uptick, according to J.D. Power and Associates. More specifically, J.D. Power is forecasting new-vehicle retail sales of 561,500 vehicles, an […] [Read More]

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — The challenges that dealers have experienced in their service business due to extremely weak vehicles sales in 2008 and 2009 are likely to stick around for a while. J.D. Power and Associates projects that dealer service volume will continue falling for "several years," eventually hitting a trough in 2013, according to its […] [Read More]

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Recalls and chilly weather slowed down the auto sales recovery this month, but given the current climate, TrueCar.com called February's projected growth "encouraging." Specifically, TrueCar expects U.S. light-vehicle sales (including fleet) will reach 752,688 units by the end of the month. This would mark an improvement of more than 9 percent from […] [Read More]

YONKERS, N.Y. — Consumer Reports discussed its latest Automaker Report Cards on Tuesday, recognizing the manufacturers that make what it considers to be the best all-around vehicles. Sharing this year's top honor are Honda and Subaru. This marked the fourth straight year Honda has claimed the No. 1 spot, as it scored a 77 out of […] [Read More]

NEW YORK — Forbes.com recently named what it considers to be the safest 2010 small cars. The publication's list of seven vehicles was dominated by Asian brands, especially Honda, which had two of its models make the list. Explaining the list in more detail, Forbes.com's Hannah Elliot noted that the publication determined which vehicles made the […] [Read More]

IRVINE, Calif. — The brands seeing the biggest upswing in owner loyalty during the initial aftermath of the Toyota recalls are Korean and Big 3 automakers, according to Kelley Blue Book's Kbb.com, which also pointed out that brand consideration and loyalty for Toyota has eroded. More specifically, Kia and Hyundai appear to show the steepest upward movement. […] [Read More]

CARY, N.C. — Fueling the greatest story interest this past week on AutoRemarketing.com was news about a federal government probe along with the latest comments from Toyota president Akio Toyoda about the ongoing recalls of several models. Readers also were drawn to analysis about which brands could benefit most from Toyota's struggles. The top five stories […] [Read More]

INDIANAPOLIS — All Things Automotive recently announced its debut as a franchise opportunity for dealers to sell certified vehicles and offer service and parts. This new offering is particularly geared for former Saturn dealers. Essentially, these stores can become one-stop shops for sales, service and parts. "This franchise combines the sale of certified vehicles with aftermarket-competitive services […] [Read More]

LONDON — Analysts from automotive research firm Frost & Sullivan projected Toyota's repair costs for ongoing recalls could reach $1.5 billion compounding yet-to-be determined market share losses. Vigneshwaran Chandran, Frost & Sullivan's program manager of its business strategy and innovation group, went on to pinpoint what element of the Toyota turmoil could be most costly. "One […] [Read More]

CARY, N.C. — The last of three Cherokee Automotive Group Analytics' surveys will conclude at the end of February. The surveys gather much-needed research data and trends for the remarketing, prime and subprime industries. The findings are compiled into a report and provided at no cost to survey participants. CAGA's first two reports covered both remarketing […] [Read More]