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]

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Last night, Republican Scott Brown beat Democrat Martha Coakley in a stunning upset in the U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts. The seat, previously occupied by Democratic stalwart Ted Kennedy, should have been safe for Coakley. Brown's victory, by a solid five percentage points, reflects Americans' frustrations with the political status quo, and changes […] [Read More]

NEW YORK — Forbes.com recently published a list of what it considers to be the most affordable 2010 luxury vehicles, and taking the top spot was the Volvo C70 T5, which was estimated to have a five-year ownership cost of $51,140. Volvo led the way with three units making the list — S80 T6 at No. […] [Read More]

TORRANCE, Calif. — Honda joined the long list of automakers Tuesday that have pledged a significant donation toward earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. The manufacturer has earmarked a donation to the American Red Cross of more than $300,000. Furthermore, the company has given portable generators, water pumps and other Honda products for use during humanitarian relief […] [Read More]

CHICAGO — In an effort to pinpoint specific vehicles that best match typical consumer behaviors and tastes, Cars.com recently made choices for its 2010 Lifestyle Awards. The vehicle the site picked as its Family Car of the Year is the 2010 Ford Flex, while its Work Car of the Year was another vehicle from Ford, the 2010 […] [Read More]