Thursday, August 31, 2023

New-car sales expand 6% in first 27 days of August, trade group says

New-car sales expand 6% in first 27 days of August, trade group says https://ift.tt/EaJAet6

Retail sales of new passenger vehicles industrywide increased six percent year on year in the first 27 days of August on demand for electrified vehicles, the China Automobile Dealers Association said on Wednesday.

Stellantis launches new aftermarket parts brand

Stellantis launches new aftermarket parts brand https://ift.tt/CzOGRic

Stellantis has launched a new aftermarket replacement parts brand called bproauto to complement Mopar, its accessories and original equipment parts unit.

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

BYD confident of hitting 3 million sales despite China weakness, report says

BYD confident of hitting 3 million sales despite China weakness, report says https://ift.tt/ogbCUft

BYD's chairman said the automaker will continue to make solid profits and hit sales goals, despite an intense sales war fueled by Tesla.

Tuesday, August 29, 2023

Former S.C. Mitsubishi store employees plead guilty to lender fraud conspiracy

Former S.C. Mitsubishi store employees plead guilty to lender fraud conspiracy https://ift.tt/5pzfoju

Two former South Carolina Mitsubishi dealership employees accused of a two-year scheme to mislead lenders about customers' creditworthiness have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud and making false statements to financial institutions.

Friday, August 25, 2023

Guest commentary: Auto dealers, you can't afford to ignore revised FTC Safeguards Rule

Guest commentary: Auto dealers, you can't afford to ignore revised FTC Safeguards Rule https://ift.tt/vI9osbW

A recent dealer-focused poll has confirmed it: If you're not yet compliant with the Federal Trade Commission Safeguards Rule, you're not alone.

Thursday, August 24, 2023

New-car sales rise 5% in first 20 days of August, trade group says

New-car sales rise 5% in first 20 days of August, trade group says https://ift.tt/Lr7Jsli

Retail sales of new passenger vehicles industrywide gained six percent year on year in the first 20 days of August, the China Automobile Dealers Association said on Wednesday.

Spotlight: David O'Brien, CEO of Quantum5

Spotlight: David O'Brien, CEO of Quantum5 https://ift.tt/VD9UHdG

Get to know David O'Brien, CEO of Quantum5.

VW’s China sales slip for 2nd straight month

VW’s China sales slip for 2nd straight month https://ift.tt/GIJ6WQ7

Volkswagen Group’s deliveries in China, its largest single market, shrank for two consecutive months, with July volume falling ten percent year on year to 260,400.

Wednesday, August 23, 2023

JLR to reposition Discovery lineup amid sales slump

JLR to reposition Discovery lineup amid sales slump https://ift.tt/3GXcEY1

Demand for the  Discovery and Discovery Sport SUVs has dropped steeply while the Defender has become the automaker’s bestseller after its relaunch in 2020.

Leasing an EV is the cheapest way to get a new car, study says

Leasing an EV is the cheapest way to get a new car, study says https://ift.tt/jP81kdN

Energy Innovation, a nonpartisan energy and environmental policy firm, said leasing an EV reaps government incentives and fueling and maintenance savings.

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Geely first-half profit beats estimates as price war rages on

Geely first-half profit beats estimates as price war rages on https://ift.tt/oYiEl9z

BYD benefitted from a drop in the price of lithium carbonate in the first half of the year, which resulted in the decrease of battery prices.

Dealers get creative to find desirable used cars amid tighter supply

Dealers get creative to find desirable used cars amid tighter supply https://ift.tt/asXfoDj

Dealers navigating a used-vehicle market that already allows little room for error are eyeing another obstacle: worsening used-car availability.

Sunday, August 20, 2023

Texas dealer who beat cancer gives $25M to help others do same

Texas dealer who beat cancer gives $25M to help others do same https://ift.tt/EeH7bMs

Fox is helping his hometown of El Paso get its own comprehensive cancer center with a donation to Texas Tech University.

Friday, August 18, 2023

Del Grande Dealer Group boosts efficiency with technology chief

Del Grande Dealer Group boosts efficiency with technology chief https://ift.tt/Hikql3n

Hiring a chief technology officer and a staff to support him enabled Del Grande Dealer Group to modernize how it used data and make its processes quicker and more efficient.

Thursday, August 17, 2023

Public dealership groups grapple with EV pricing, inventory

Public dealership groups grapple with EV pricing, inventory https://ift.tt/W3pTdV2

Even the nation's largest public dealership groups aren't immune from Tesla's pricing strategy. The EV market sales leader slashed prices this year, which is being felt by publicly traded retailers representing automakers that are bringing out waves of EVs.

Wednesday, August 16, 2023

Why dealership service customers are loyal, defect

Why dealership service customers are loyal, defect https://ift.tt/TYOSoPu

A 2023 study by DriveSure examined dealership customer habits — what made them loyal to a service department and factors that led them to defect to an independent repair shop.

Consumer groups ask FTC to set car dealer obligation on spot deliveries

Consumer groups ask FTC to set car dealer obligation on spot deliveries https://ift.tt/u4zCbIG

Several consumer groups petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to require that car dealers uphold credit terms in a "spot delivery" contract if a lender can't be found to buy the deal.

Sunday, August 13, 2023

CDK debuts megaplatform meant to streamline dealership software needs

CDK debuts megaplatform meant to streamline dealership software needs https://ift.tt/sMiBOte

CDK Dealership Xperience incorporates the company's core dealership management system and many other software platforms and tools.

Saturday, August 12, 2023

Stellantis dealership in California doubles down on leadership team

Stellantis dealership in California doubles down on leadership team https://ift.tt/7PhDJTm

Bob Nouri credits the co-general managers idea to his mentor who used it back in the 1970s.

AI tech helps retailers reach Spanish speakers

AI tech helps retailers reach Spanish speakers https://ift.tt/KrY70EA

Dealerships stand to gain by making better efforts to reach Spanish-language customers, said Carfluent CEO Chance Mayfield.

Friday, August 11, 2023

BYD calls on China automakers to unite, 'demolish the old' in global push

BYD calls on China automakers to unite, 'demolish the old' in global push https://ift.tt/PGgZX6S

BYD has said it is an "emotional need" for China’s 1.4 billion population to see a domestic brand finally become global.

Thursday, August 10, 2023

Light-vehicle shipments dip 3.4% in July

Light-vehicle shipments dip 3.4% in July https://ift.tt/XhVLtDF

The wholesale volume of new light vehicles industrywide dropped 3.4 percent year on year in July after growing for four straight months, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said on Thursday.

EV stockpile is evidence of growing pain, not demand dip, experts say

EV stockpile is evidence of growing pain, not demand dip, experts say https://ift.tt/uTMkGZ5

While EV sales outpace inventory levels, some dealers still struggle to move the zero-emission vehicles.

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

CarGurus' Q2 net income drops 23%

CarGurus' Q2 net income drops 23% https://ift.tt/N0x5DTq

An increase in the vehicle listing company's U.S. marketplace revenue provided a bright spot.

Shortage of service techs in Ontario 'worse than anyone ever expected,' report finds

Shortage of service techs in Ontario 'worse than anyone ever expected,' report finds https://ift.tt/l2hJwWT

A shortage of automotive technicians at Ontario new-vehicle dealers has reached a 'crisis' level, a new report warns.

Li Auto aims to outsell BMW, Mercedes, Audi in 2024

Li Auto aims to outsell BMW, Mercedes, Audi in 2024 https://ift.tt/iAeKmh4

Li Auto will launch its first EV at the end of this year, with four new models due next year, including three full-electric cars.

Honda profits surge in latest quarter on booming U.S. sales

Honda profits surge in latest quarter on booming U.S. sales https://ift.tt/Wor6aRQ

Honda's U.S. deliveries jumped 45 percent to 347,000 vehicles in the last quarter, but demand in China was down 5 percent to 309,000 units, while sales in Europe declined 13 percent to 20,000 vehicles.

Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Train, get compliance commitments from employees

Train, get compliance commitments from employees https://ift.tt/tZ5qrxu

Auto dealerships should train employees on compliance, governance and risk monthly and have personnel sign documentation that they will behave properly, says Tom Kline, founder and lead consultant of Better Vantage Point.

Stellantis, GM lead industry to biggest minority dealer increase since 2012

Stellantis, GM lead industry to biggest minority dealer increase since 2012 https://ift.tt/SXAxHD6

The industry added 110 U.S. minority-owned stores in 2022, marking the first time in more than a decade that the count rose by triple digits for two consecutive years.

Monday, August 7, 2023

Lucid sees price cuts, Saudi market as sales drivers

Lucid sees price cuts, Saudi market as sales drivers https://ift.tt/YZfVdpD

After posting a second-quarter net loss of $764.2 million, Lucid Motors reiterated its 2023 production goal of 10,000 Air sedans after delivering 2,810 in the first half of the year.

Rivian poised to report Q2 earnings as EV price war heats up

Rivian poised to report Q2 earnings as EV price war heats up https://ift.tt/3pVxE8C

EV makers are cutting prices, including Tesla on its crossovers and Ford on its F-150 Lightning pickup. Incentives are also rising, putting pressure on Rivian as it ramps up production, analysts say.

Sunday, August 6, 2023

Column: The dealership buy-sell market was a different kind of busy in 2022

Column: The dealership buy-sell market was a different kind of busy in 2022 https://ift.tt/yADuX1h

As Automotive News documents in a package of stories starting on Page 1, the theme of the buy-sell market in 2022 was this: Private dealers and groups — not publicly traded auto retailers — were collectively the most active buyers.

R1T fender-bender repair bill: $42,000

R1T fender-bender repair bill: $42,000 https://ift.tt/eBiTt02

The cost to repair a Rivian pickup after it was in a minor rear-end collision amounted to about half of its purchase price.

Friday, August 4, 2023

Apprentice tech aspires to run his own repair shop

Apprentice tech aspires to run his own repair shop https://ift.tt/VGPDcgy

Tecnician Justin Dodd says the program has helped him become a leader and he hopes to one day operate his own automotive repair shop.

Thursday, August 3, 2023

Guest commentary: 3 reasons customers want repair shops to text

Guest commentary: 3 reasons customers want repair shops to text https://ift.tt/4sReydF

Text messaging is now a staple for fast, efficient and safe communications as well as payments.

New-car market contracts 5% in July, trade group estimates

New-car market contracts 5% in July, trade group estimates https://ift.tt/FLZhpfB

Retail sales of new passenger vehicles across China dropped 5 percent in July, according to a preliminary tally by the China Automobile Dealers Association.

Mass. court rules dealership not liable for negligence of service loaner driver

Mass. court rules dealership not liable for negligence of service loaner driver https://ift.tt/8Ze7PLn

The attorney for the Mercedes-Benz dealership called it "an important case for car dealers."

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Toyota, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia sales advance as inventory rebounds

Toyota, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia sales advance as inventory rebounds https://ift.tt/seOIa0r

U.S. light-vehicle sales are forecast to rise 15 to 18 percent in July behind improving inventory and healthy pent-up retail and fleet demand.

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda sales advance as inventory rebounds

Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda sales advance as inventory rebounds https://ift.tt/XOoukEl

U.S. light-vehicle sales are forecast to rise 15 to 18 percent in July behind improving inventory and healthy pent-up retail and fleet demand.

Ford promises shorter F-150 Lightning wait times, more dealer stock

Ford promises shorter F-150 Lightning wait times, more dealer stock https://ift.tt/jX2JdOK

Ford said production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup had resumed after a six-week plant shutdown to expand capacity and reaffirmed plans to hit a production run rate of 150,000 units this year.

Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda sales advance as inventory rebounds

Toyota, Hyundai, Kia, Mazda sales advance as inventory rebounds https://ift.tt/wxI7ZKO

U.S. light-vehicle sales are forecast to rise 15 to 18 percent in July behind improving inventory and healthy pent-up retail and fleet demand.

Column: Youth matters most in auto retail technology calculations

Column: Youth matters most in auto retail technology calculations https://ift.tt/wVOCdcN

Young adults are a preferred marketing audience. Auto retailers' ongoing technology improvements keep them in mind.

Hyundai, Kia sales advance 12th straight month

Hyundai, Kia sales advance 12th straight month https://ift.tt/odahQ0j

U.S. light-vehicle sales are forecast to rise 15 to 18 percent in July behind improving inventory and healthy pent-up retail and fleet demand.