IRVINE, Calif. — While the industry's lease penetration rates haven't been at their typical 20- to 22-percent levels and might not necessarily return to the "high-flying days," Kelley Blue Book's James Bell suggested that smart's announcement that it is entering the leasing market could be indicative of some good signs. Bell, executive market analyst for Kbb.com, […] [Read More]

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. — Officials from smart USA Distributor rolled out their first national lease program late last week. They are initiating the program through Daimler Financial Services. The company indicated the new lease program is available for all new smart models. It plans offer lease increments of 24, 36 and 48 months. To support the […] [Read More]

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. — Penske Automotive Group has expanded its footprint in southern California with the purchase of two dealerships in Santa Ana. Commonwealth Audi and Commonwealth are co-located at the Santa Ana Auto Mall in Orange County. Officials project that the stores will record combined annual revenue of $80 million. Officials said that Penske has […] [Read More]

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Earlier this week, Sergio Marchionne, chief executive officer of Chrysler Group, announced that the automaker intends to break even this year. And by 2014, Chrysler is expected to have its operating profit increase to $5 billion. "We believe sales will reach 2.8 million total units by that date as well," he said […] [Read More]

IRVINE, Calif. — Domestic automakers are positioned for the potential for superb growth if consumers react to new vehicles in the same way as editors from Kelley Blue Book. The Web site revealed its Top 10 new and concept units from the 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. More than half of the 10 units mentioned came […] [Read More]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Dealers throughout most of the 12 Federal Reserve Districts saw their sales either climb moderately or remain static in the last month, though some remained challenged by the current climate, according to the latest Beige Book report. Specifically, the auto markets in the Kansas City and Richmond Districts were softer, but sales were […] [Read More]

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Described as a Web site with a sleeker design and more user friendly, Hyundai Motor America recently gained a new home page. The newly launched site at Hyundai.com now has completely revamped infrastructure. Officials from iCrossing worked with Hyundai Information Service North America to produce a site they say has better usability to […] [Read More]

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Chrysler announced Monday that it is unveiling new corporate phone numbers for customer service. What makes these new lines so special? Each one is brand dedicated. Company officials gave the credit for this new idea to Fiat, from whom they adopted it. More specifically, nameplate executives described the reason for the new strategy […] [Read More]

DETROIT — General Motors officials have been busy this past week announcing more details about the binding arbitration program for terminated dealers, releasing a bit more news about a potential Saab wind-down and deciding to sale one of its divisions. When it comes to the special binding arbitration program for terminated dealers seeking reinstatement, officials indicated […] [Read More]

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Similar to the overall market, import automakers closed a challenging year on a high note, as their December sales were up double digits from the prior year, according to the American International Automobile Dealers Association. Citing statistics from Autodata Corp., AIADA officials said that import brands moved 558,680 vehicles during December, a 23.4-percent […] [Read More]