PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Following the news about Toyota's recall and suspended production and sales of eight models, Avis Budget Group said in a statement Wednesday that, as a precautionary measure, it will be taking all of automaker's recalled units out of its U.S., Canadian and Puerto Rican fleets. "The safety and peace of mind of our […] [Read More]

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Chevrolet Corvette sales showed significant erosion in 2009 and fell to their lowest level in almost 50 years, leading analysts with Edmunds.com's AutoObserver.com to speculate whether this decline means consumers are becoming less interested in sports cars, in general. While acknowledging the soft economy's impact, analysts with the site say they are curious […] [Read More]

IRVINE, Calif. — During the fourth quarter, new-vehicle shoppers' interest in truck, CUV and SUV segments was the highest it had been in almost three years, according to Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence's latest Brand Watch Study, which also indicated that domestic brands are gaining more attention from shoppers. The 4Q 2009 Brand Watch Study indicates that during […] [Read More]

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — In what could be considered an upset, the Toyota Prius did not lead the way when Edmunds.com released the results of its Consumers' Favorites Hybrid Vehicle Survey. Instead the honor went to the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the vehicle that received 26 percent of the votes according to Edmunds.com. The Toyota Prius earned […] [Read More]

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Offering a helping hand to secondary education in the state, Toyota and its Minnesota Toyota Dealers are sponsoring the Drive for Education competition, which will provide $50,000 in cash grants in recognition of the automaker's 21st year of working with Minnesota high school students. Basically, Toyota will help pick 14 high schools […] [Read More]

OAK BROOK, Ill. — The chairman of a major international media company recently asked me if I believed that a dealer's personal image still mattered given the dynamics of today's Internet driven marketplace. The question was of interest to the chief executive officer because decades earlier he had sold classified advertising to a startup automobile dealer who eventually went […] [Read More]

CARY, N.C. — Recapping AutoRemarketing.com's most-read stories for the week, news about a pair of industry veterans launching American Auto Auction Group drew plenty of attention. Also catching readers' eyes was a story explaining how authorities broke up an alleged auto theft ring in Indiana. The top five stories from AutoRemarketing.com this week are: 1. American Auto […] [Read More]

BANDON, Ore. — The disparity between contracted residual values of leases and the vehicle's actual end-of-term worth has been on a steady hike each year since 2005, with 2009 leases likely to hit a per-vehicle residual value loss of more than $2,000, according to CNW Research, which suggests this expanding gap is "troublesome." "While the loss-per-vehicle […] [Read More]

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Edmunds.com broke down the vehicles highlighted at the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit that sparked a 74-percent jump in traffic last week to its sister site, InsideLine.com. Two vehicles from the same manufacturer combined to form the greatest contribution to the increased interest. Both units came from Ford. Site […] [Read More]

AURBURN HILLS, Mich. — Chrysler Group revealed earlier this week that Robert Liberatore has returned to the automaker as an interim adviser to chief executive officer Sergio Marchionne. The manufacturer is asking Liberatore to provide guidance to the company on external affairs issues. Liberatore originally joined Chrysler back in 1985 after working on Capitol Hill for […] [Read More]