Each year toward the end of November and throughout December, the world of automotive enjoys its own version of the holidays with its flurry of end-of-year and seasonal promotional advertising. These ads are plentiful on television and typically bring excitement with big sales and big red bows on cars and trucks. Sure, the last few […] [Read More]

AutoNation has made a major play in the aftersales business, announcing Monday it is acquiring RepairSmith, a mobile auto repair and maintenance provider, for $190 million. The transaction is expected close in the first quarter. The retailer said the purchase of RepairSmith gives the company another channel to provide aftersales services to its existing customers […] [Read More]

The growth in cross-border dealership M&A activity continues. Lasher Auto Group has sold five dealerships in California  — Elk Grove Acura, Audi, Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram, Subaru and Volkswagen — to Canada-based Knight Automotive Group, according to a news release from Kerrigan Advisors, which represented Lasher in the deal. “We were honored to represent Lasher Auto Group on […] [Read More]

CARFAX announced this week that its vehicle history database now includes more than 30 billion records. According to a news release, the 30 billionth record loaded into the CARFAX database is an “offered for sale” record on a 2020 Kia Telluride. The company said this Telluride is a one-owner, well-maintained, certified pre-owned SUV that has […] [Read More]

Shift’s merger with CarLotz has officially closed, the company announced Friday. The deal for CarLotz, a consignment-to-retail used-car marketplace, to merge with Shift, a used-car ecommerce platform, was first announced in August. CarLotz shareholders at the time of the merger receive roughly 0.705 shares of Shift common stock for each CarLotz common stock they own. […] [Read More]

Lithia & Driveway has acquired its first Ferrari dealership and spread its footprint into Colorado. The retailer said Tuesday it has purchased Ferrari of Denver, which is the only Ferrari store in the greater Rocky Mountains region. The dealership also sells vehicles from Bentley and other luxury brands. Lithia anticipates Ferrari of Denver will generate […] [Read More]

The holiday spirit continues at dealership groups across the country. On Friday, the Jim Ellis Automotive Group announced the kickoff of its annual holiday giving campaign to support Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. During December, each of the retailer’s 20 locations will donate a portion of all vehicle sales to The Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders […] [Read More]

For this dealership M&A roundup, we go to Southern California. Group 1 announced Thursday that it has purchased Mercedes-Benz of Anaheim, which bumps the retailer’s Mercedes store count to 17 throughout the U.S. and U.K. Group 1’s purchases this year represent acquired annual revenues of $940 million. Last year, the retailer had acquired revenues of […] [Read More]

CarMax said on Thursday that it has reached a settlement with the attorneys general of 36 states to resolve a 2014 inquiry surrounding its advertising and sales practices related to vehicle recalls. According to a news release from New York attorney general Letitia James, the multistate coalition secured $1 million from CarMax for failing to […] [Read More]

Cherokee Media Group recognized its 2022 Used Car Awards winners, an overall program sponsored by KAR Global, at Used Car Week in November. The conference was held Nov. 14-17 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. Spotlighted during the Used Car Awards Luncheon, also sponsored by KAR, were the following: CPO Dealer of the […] [Read More]