Castle Automotive Group increased its presence in the Chicago area with the acquisition of Pugi Auto Group from Dominic Pugliani.

The addition of Pugi’s Hyundai, Genesis, Mazda and Volkswagen dealerships in Downers Grove, Ill., gives Castle 26 new car franchises and 18 locations in Illinois and Northwestern Indiana, as well as its first franchises with Hyundai, Genesis and Mazda.

In a news release, Castle Automotive said Pugi Auto Group has been “a pillar of the automotive industry in the Chicago market for over four decades,” and CEO Joe Castle wished Pugliani well in retirement.

“My executive team is 100% committed to our vision of accelerated growth through acquisitions of key brands in key markets such as Hyundai, Genesis, Mazda and VW, and Pugi fit the model well,” he said. “As we scale the company the most valuable asset to me is the people within the organization having a future with my group. We will continue to provide more resources at the corporate level to ensure everyone’s success.”

Kentucky dealers association partners with Digital Air Strike

The Kentucky Automobile Dealers Association has selected consumer data and experience platform Digital Air Strike as a preferred partner to provide customer experience (CX) technology to its member dealers.

Digital Air Strike, a division of DAS Technology, will provide its digital marketing, reputation management, AI chat and lead response technology, designed to enable dealers to attract, convert and retain more customers.

“With innovative CX technology and an expert team known for its stellar customer service, Digital Air Strike is the perfect addition to our Preferred Partner Program,” KADA president Jason Wilson said. “Our Kentucky dealers deserve the best of the best, and Digital Air Strike has the tools to help our dealers face their challenges in today’s auto industry.”

Digital Air Strike said its technology integrates with every automotive CRM to deliver messaging about vehicle inventory, special promotions, consumer reviews and business offerings, and enables dealers to provide personalized responses with specific vehicle information, payment options and alternative vehicles.

“Our solutions enable dealers to improve their process with world-class customer engagement, from automated lead response and follow-up to AI chat and reputation management,” DAS Technology senior vice president of business development Scott Pechstein said. “Our technology enables dealers to update their process and keep them on the cutting edge.”