AutoNation’s vast collection of dealerships has grown again. The national retailer announced it has acquired two more luxury stores in Chicago, purchasing Fletcher Jones Audi and Mercedes-Benz of Chicago from Fletcher Jones Automotive Group. The additions, which represent some $325 million in revenue and 4,500 retail new and used vehicle sales annually, give AutoNation 10 […] [Read More]

Automotive marketing firm Mudd Advertising has acquired DealerTrend, a technology company known for its dealer websites, inventory management and application programming interface-driven digital tools. In a news release, Mudd said the Reno, Nev.-based DealerTrend, founded in 2001, was built to help dealers simplify technology and compete more effectively online, and the acquisition adds to Mudd’s […] [Read More]

Carvana is a huge operation, a used-car retail giant. So how can Carvana be bigger? How about adding the towering Shaquille O’Neal — all 7-foot-1, 300-plus pounds of him? Carvana announced an integrated brand partnership with O’Neal, a basketball Hall of Famer, broadcaster and entrepreneur, that has debuted with “the world’s first AI-powered Shaqbot.” The […] [Read More]

Matt Leone has a vision for what DriveCentric will be — and it’s not just a CRM. The company’s new CEO announced a shift in its direction during a briefing with industry analysts, from a standalone CRM system to a “flexible platform designed to manage the entire dealership customer lifecycle,” DriveCentric said in a news […] [Read More]

UVeye is making friends all over the auto industry. The company’s latest new pal is Dealer Tire, a tire distributor and service provider for franchise dealerships, which has joined in a partnership to integrate UVeye’s artificial intelligence-powered tire inspection technology with Dealer Tire’s inspections dashboard. In a news release, UVeye said the collaboration is designed […] [Read More]

ServiceUp has joined with fleet management company Merchants Fleet in a partnership that integrates ServiceUp’s all-in-one repair management platform with Merchants Fleet’s fleet services to deliver faster, more efficient repairs for fleet customers. The collaboration is designed to allow Merchants Fleet clients to manage all repairs in one centralized platform to minimize downtime, simplify operations […] [Read More]

A proposal on Capitol Hill strongly supported by the National Automobile Dealers Association is gaining steam again. Late on Wednesday, NADA said the Preventing Auto Recycling Thefts (PART) Act (H.R. 5221/S. 2238) was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The U.S. Senate previously reintroduced the legislation in late July. NADA recapped this bipartisan bill […] [Read More]

Vaughan Automotive’s reputation isn’t perfect. But it’s darn close. The dealership group, which operates three locations in Texas and one in California, claimed the No. 1 spot in Widewail’s Q2 2025 Voice of the Customer Top 150 Automotive Group Rankings, a quarterly report that evaluates groups for excellence in customer reputation. Vaughan’s strong review volume […] [Read More]

Accrual Equity Partners is bringing another experienced car guy into its fold. The automotive industry private equity firm announced it has added James “JT” Taylor, who most recently led the Truist Securities automotive retail investment banking practice, as a managing partner. AEP said Taylor will collaborate with its portfolio companies to drive growth, expansion, technology […] [Read More]

A longtime automotive executive has launched a co-op to provide individual dealers with the bargaining power of a dealer group. AutoTrust Dealer Alliance calls itself a first-of-its-kind, 100% dealer-owned cooperative, designed to give dealers “the scale and profitability of a large public group while preserving full independence and control.” In a news release, AutoTrust said […] [Read More]