A few moments after his keynote presentation at the 25th Non-Prime Auto Financing Conference hosted by the National Automotive Finance Association, Cox Automotive chief economist Jonathan Smoke sat down with senior editor Nick Zulovich for a wide-ranging conversation. Smoke recapped the highlights of his presentation, including a popular song from the 1980s to summarize what’s […] [Read More]

So much of our daily life is filled with interconnected digital experiences, and more so when making a purchase. Tools, software platforms and services create a highly connected digital ecosystem, which can facilitate a positive experience throughout a car buyer’s journey, while also delivering the transparency consumers desire. Creating a digital ecosystem is key to […] [Read More]

The wholesale used-car market showed some muscle last week, both in terms of prices and sales rates at the auctions. According to Black Book’s latest Market Insights report, car values reversed course and showed an increase last week, while the depreciation in truck segments was less than a third of what it was the prior […] [Read More]

Haig Partners highlighted how lucrative it has been to be a franchised dealer, especially since the midpoint of 2019. According to Q2 2021 Haig Report, the firm discovered through its project that tracks trends in auto retail and how they impact dealership values that for the 12-month period that ended June, average adjusted dealership profits […] [Read More]

It’s Brake Safety Week, an annual event organized by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) to raise awareness among fleets of the importance of diligent brake maintenance. This year, the event comes at a particularly fitting time — as the economy reopens, schools go back in session and freeways flood with workers returning to the […] [Read More]

With the month’s end in sight, experts from Cox Automotive, J.D. Power and TrueCar shared their expectations for August used-vehicle and new-model sales as well as how wholesale prices and residual values are trending. Beginning first with TrueCar’s used-vehicle sales forecast, analysts project dealers retailing 3.7 million units in August. While that’s roughly the same […] [Read More]

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on the automotive industry, electric vehicles (EV) were increasingly grabbing headlines even though the sales of these vehicles were miniscule compared with gas-powered cars and trucks. In fact, the combined annual sales of battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles tipped over the two-million-vehicle mark for the first […] [Read More]

“Your mom is a used-car salesman.” No, that’s not meant to be a lunchroom jab from your grade-school days. Quite the opposite, in fact. It’s actually just one example of the messaging from CarLotz’s first major brand campaign, which aims to debunk pre-conceived notions about pre-owned and emphasize that “it feels good to be a used-car […] [Read More]

At least seven companies that operate within the used-vehicle industry have been included among the Inc. 5000; the prestigious annual ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. Two of the highlighted firms provide vehicle transportation services as the listing included ACERTUS and Montway Auto Transport. Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 […] [Read More]

As if dealerships didn’t have enough headwinds just in contending with tight inventory and high prices, Cox Automotive chief economist Jonathan Smoke spotted a development he said hasn’t been seen in three decades. What prompted Smoke to make the assertion on Monday was what surfaced on Friday as the University of Michigan said, “Consumers reported […] [Read More]