CHEVY CHASE, Md. -

Industry veteran Marv Ingram, who retired from Toyota in late April, has secured a new position, Auto Remarketing learned. Ingram is well known for helping to develop and launch the Lexus certified program close to the turn of the century, which continues to set the tone for today’s popular OEM CPO programs.

In Ingram’s new role, he will serve as vice president at Carcannon. As vice president, Ingram will work with the company’s executive staff to develop new products and services, enhance existing programs and develop new business opportunities.

According to Ingram, “This is an amazing opportunity for Carcannon to diversify our product offerings and become a one-of-a-kind business partner to the automotive and financial industry,”

Meanwhile, Ron Correa, president and founder of Carcannon, added, “This is a business partnership of like-minded individuals. We are both recognized for many innovative ideas in our own fields. Marv’s unique background and history of success will make this a powerful and unique team”

“By adding Marv’s OEM background to our proven third-party inspection and consultation processes, we will be able to provide our clients with the best of both worlds,” Ron Correa added.

Richard Correa, executive vice president and director of operations, pointed out, “Marv is well known in the industry and will allow Carcannon to reach a variety of new clients. All our programs, such as certified pre-owned, will assist our automotive clients in providing their dealers with a best in market program to their many customers. We are all excited and look forward to seizing the many new opportunities that lay ahead.”

“We’re both advocates for continuing education. Carcannon’s CPO programs emphasize mastering the knowledge and best practices necessary for a dealership to improve its CPO standing while increasing its bottom line. Marv worked to establish a trend-setting CPO sales training program to help dealers from the salesmen on the floor to the dealership management, master all of the subtleties of CPO,” said Richard Correa. “I can’t think of a more ideal partnership. And our clients will reap the benefits of our future innovations.”

Founded in 2001, Carcannon is an innovator of auto inspection and consultation services, creating the electronic inspection report and launching Web-based reporting, among other services including creating customized certified consultation compliance reviews and education programs for OEM Certified programs.

In the early 1990s, Lexus piloted a certified program that eventually went national. The automaker’s management was so confident in the quality of its product, the team was the first to launch subsidized APRs and a 100,000-mile warranty on certified models.

Back in 1999, Ingram was the keynote speaker at Auto Remarketing’s inaugural National Remarketing Conference set in Phoenix.

“When I first took the national CPO position with Lexus, certified pre-owned was still in its formative years,” he explained to Auto Remarketing back in April when he was preparing to retire from Toyota.

“A few manufacturers were in and out of the market, customers and dealers were not convinced certification added value to a pre-owned vehicle, certified warranties were all over the board and, media buys and creative strategies were an afterthought to the ad agencies,” he added.

Ingram even pointed out a comment he shared at NRC in 1999, "Certified pre-owned was still the Wild West.”

However, the Lexus team went about changing this.

“Realizing the long term value to the brand, Lexus began a systematic approach to becoming an industry leader in certified vehicles. In early 1997, we introduced the first manufacturer subsidized APR program. This was followed by a relaunch of our CPO program in mid 1998 that standardized CPO for the entire industry. Unlike other programs in the market, all certified pre-owned Lexus vehicles that adhered to our rigorous inspection standards, were sold with the same features, value and benefits, regardless of age. We were so confident in our product, Lexus was the first manufacturer to back our CPO vehicles with a 100,000-mile warranty. At that time, there were no manufacturers that offered a 100,000 mile warranty on new or CPO vehicles,” Ingram explained.

“Still looking to differentiate certified from ordinary pre-owned vehicles, Lexus launched a media campaign in late 2003 that changed the Home page on just about every automotive Internet site. Lexus certified pre-owned vehicles were finally recognized as a ‘third category’ of vehicles. It’s not new and it’s not used … but somewhere in between. That year we transferred 75 percent of our media dollars to the Internet,” he continued.

Fast forward to today and Ingram points out that CPO sales for both domestic and foreign manufacturers are setting new records.

“CPO budgets continue to be strong as they see more and more conquest sales. Dealers over the years have continued to see CPO revenues grow in their pre-owned and service departments. Certified pre-owned vehicles have become more of the norm than the exception. Based on what we are experiencing now, I don’t see this changing in the near future. In fact, over the next few years, those manufacturers who don’t believe their CPO programs are competitive will be making major changes to improve their performance,” he stressed.

To learn about this year’s Used Car Week, which includes the CPO Dealer Forum, Re3 and NRC, visit www.usedcarweek.biz.