Pickup trucks and SUVs have long been the dominant vehicles in the U.S. market, but that dominance could be diminishing, according to the latest study by the Dave Cantin Group. The automotive M&A advisory firm’s semiannual Market Outlook Report, released this week in conjunction with the NADA Show, said its data shows American consumers have […] [Read More]

Dealership profits are expected to fall in 2025 – but franchise dealers are still bullish on what’s ahead this year. That’s one finding of a pair of reports issued this month by buy-sell advisory firms based on survey data and projections for the coming 12 months. The 2024 Kerrigan Dealer Survey, a survey of more than 635 franchise dealers conducted by Kerrigan Advisors late last year, found an equal number (43%) believe ... [Read More]

The number of vehicles with unrepaired recalls has grown dramatically in the past two years, according to the latest research by CARFAX — and a fourth of them have multiple recalls that haven’t been fixed. CARFAX said its data shows 58.1 million vehicles — about one in five cars on the road have an open […] [Read More]

We continue our episodes of the Auto Remarketing Podcast originating from Used Car Week 2024 in Scottsdale, Ariz., with a lively debate about the future of electric vehicles. Moderated by Cherokee Media Group’s Joe Overby, the opposing points of view on EVs came from Steve Greenfield of Automotive Ventures and Scott Case of Recurrent. Listen […] [Read More]

The arrows are pointing up for almost all aspects of the auto retail industry in 2025 – with one notable exception. The supply of used vehicles. In Cox Automotive’s recent 2025 forecast call with industry media and analysts, chief economist Jonathan Smoke painted a rosy picture for what’s ahead. His analysis of economic conditions showed green lights for the overall economy, consumers’ buying ability and auto finance, and no red lights. Interest rates are down and likely to be cut again at least twice this year, providing a little relief from affordability concerns. And car shoppers, who had been ... [Read More]

Automotive brand loyalty is making a comeback. After taking a significant drop during the pandemic and associated supply issues, the percentage of car buyers purchasing a new vehicle from the same brand they currently own rose for the second consecutive year in 2024, according to the LexisNexis Risk Solutions’ Automotive Brand Loyalty Study. Brand loyalty […] [Read More]

There were naturally some new battery-electric vehicles at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show in late November. But another kind of electrified powertrain stole the show: hybrids. Long gone are the days when hybrids were a quirky type of powertrain that cost more and performed less than gasoline-powered vehicles. As the LA Show illustrated, hybrids […] [Read More]

We continue our episodes of the Auto Remarketing Podcast originating from Used Car Week 2024 in Scottsdale, Ariz., with panel of three experts who discussed not only automotive wholesaling, retailing and financing, but also the general state of the economy. Sharing their perspectives are Laura Wehunt of Black Book, Satyan Merchant of TransUnion and Larry […] [Read More]

As we step into 2025, the automotive retail industry is ready to take its next step in modernizing its operations, where artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are poised to reimagine dealership operations. The focus is shifting from customer-facing AI applications to leveraging these technologies for back-end data optimization, particularly in inventory management and […] [Read More]

U.S. consumers seeking a more fuel-efficient and cost-effective alternative to traditional gas-powered cars are now looking at hybrids rather than battery electric vehicles, according to a new study by Deloitte. The accounting/consulting firm’s 2025 Global Automotive Consumer Study found American consumer intent to purchase a hybrid or plug-in hybrid for their next vehicle rose 5 […] [Read More]