Lamenting. Bracing for impact. Embracing. Preparing. Seeing an opportunity. Those are but a few of the ways auto dealers are responding to the Trump administration’s 25% tariff on vehicles imported to the U.S. — a policy that became effective Thursday. In statement Wednesday, Cody Lusk — president and CEO of the American International Automobile Dealers Association, which representing U.S. franchise dealers selling import brands — said that ... [Read More]

The Trump administration’s 25% tariff on vehicles imported to the U.S. – a policy that became effective Thursday – won't just make already expensive new vehicles out of reach for many Americans, analysts say. Used cars are likely to become pricier, too, and may run in shorter supply towards the end of the decade. By July, there could be ... [Read More]

Canada is at war. A trade war. And cars are among the primary weapons. Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement Thursday that a 25% tariff will be placed on all vehicles and auto parts imported into the U.S., to take effect April 2, Prime Minister Mark Carney called the tariff “a direct attack” on Canada. “It feels like a sword hanging over our heads ... [Read More]

As his team can attest, Dave Kang will “endlessly quote and reference” Moneyball, the book and film about the early 2000s Oakland Athletics.  It’s not a traditional sports movie, but rather a story of a unique data-based decisioning approach that changed the face of Major League Baseball.   “The story about how you take a […] [Read More]

Ivan Drury had to laugh a little when, during a discussion of President Trump’s on-again-off-again-back-on-again tariff policies, a questioner admitted his confusion, saying, “I’m just trying to piece this together, to be honest with you.” “As is everyone else,” replied Drury, Edmunds’ director of insights. “Don’t worry, you’re not alone. That goes all the way […] [Read More]

Recent technology-based acquisitions and its platform of connected used-car solutions will help Cars.com grow its dealer customer base and its overall business, the company’s executives predicted during its most recent earnings call. “We’ve made significant progress to bring new and innovative products to market in the past year, culminating in our most recent acquisition of DealerClub,” a reputation-based, dealer-to-dealer digital wholesale marketplace, said CEO Alex Vetter. The acquisition positions Cars.com to enter a $10 billion wholesale market “with ... [Read More]

Hyundai Auto Canada is killing it where selling certified pre-owned vehicles is concerned. Its CPO penetration rate this year is topping 50% and sales are strong. The reason, Hyundai Auto Canada manager of CPO and remarketing Charles Plewes told Auto Remarketing Canada, is the automaker’s Hyundai Promise Certified Pre-Owned program. “The dealers have really embraced it.” ... [Read More]

Repossession volume in the wholesale vehicle market climbed the last three years and reached pre-pandemic levels in 2024, according to January data from Cox Automotive. After hitting 1.7 million units in 2024, annual repo volume at auction is likely to remain at that level through 2029, Cox predicts. Amid these sustained heights of repo volume making their way to wholesale channels comes an important reminder: the process a vehicle undertakes through recovery is “complicated and full of friction, with many business verticals playing roles in the same space, grinding gears.” ... [Read More]

Off-lease volumes and the equity gap between the value of those off-lease vehicles and their residuals: these have been a “double whammy” to OPENLANE’s marketplace business in recent years. But look for that two-headed headwind to reverse course next year. In the company’s fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 earnings call in February, CEO Peter Kelly said he expects 2025 to ... [Read More]

It doesn’t take an Ivy League-educated business expert to explain that when you keep your clients satisfied, you’re likely to experience gains in revenue and profit. Well, that’s what’s happening at Copart as the auction company is keeping its car insurance clients happy, especially with the capabilities and performance of its vehicle title solution. For the second quarter of its 2025 fiscal year that closed on Jan. 31, Copart generated ... [Read More]