With its signature event set to begin next week in New Orleans, the National Automobile Dealers Association is reaching out to help, in light of the city’s New Year’s Day terrorist attack.

NADA announced it has donated $25,000 to the New Orleans Relief Fund, established by the United Way of Southeast Louisiana to provide direct support to victims and their families.

In the pre-dawn morning of Jan. 1, a terrorist drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people and injuring 57.

Donations will help cover medical expenses, funeral costs, trauma counseling and more.

“The National Automobile Dealers Association cherishes its longstanding bond with New Orleans, which hosts our convention with professionalism, joy and, of course, style every four years,” NADA president and CEO Mike Stanton said. “In light of the recent tragedy, we are proud to donate $25,000 to the Greater New Orleans Foundation to support the victims and their families.”

The annual NADA Show will take place Jan. 23-26 in New Orleans. The association said it always has an extensive security plan for the event and will continue working with the New Orleans Police Department and city officials to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for all attendees.

Ken Garff Automotive partners with Tekion

Tekion has scored a win in the dealership software wars.

The company announced a partnership with Ken Garff Automotive Group to employ Tekion’s Automotive Retail Cloud in its dealerships.

ARC is a comprehensive, cloud-native platform that includes retail, service, parts, accounting, customer relationship management, analytics and more in one platform designed to help elevate and materially improve operations.

Tekion said ARC “modernizes the end-to-end automotive retail journey, improves consumer and employee experiences, and brings the highest efficiencies to retailers” by connecting consumers, dealers and OEMs.

“Our partnership with Tekion represents our unwavering commitment to innovation and excellence,” said Brett Hopkins, CEO of Ken Garff, which operates 70 dealerships in nine states. “By leveraging cutting-edge technology, we’re not only enhancing the customer experience but also redefining what’s possible in the auto industry.

“Together we’re setting new standards and meeting the evolving needs of our customers with confidence and care.”

Tekion’s technology is already being used by several of Ken Garff’s stores, and the company said ARC will be implemented throughout the entire organization by the end of 2026.

“Ken Garff has been a leader in the automotive retail community for over 90 years,” said Tekion founder and CEO Jay Vijayan said, “and we look forward to working with them to redefine the way consumers buy and service vehicles.”

Wuepper acquires Ohio Toyota store

California-based Kevin Wuepper dealership owner has expanded into Ohio.

Wuepper, president of Lexus of Glendale in Glendale, Calif., and Toyota of Whittier in Whittier, Calif., has acquired Premier Toyota in Amherst, Ohio from Robert Fisher. According to Performance Brokerage Services, which brokered the transaction.

Premier Toyota was founded in 2006 by Fisher, who is retiring following a long career as a dealership owner, general manager and sales manager.