A suburban Chicago dealership's service department had a "pervasive culture of fraud" and "a pattern of false and/or fraudulent warranty schemes" that "undermined consumer confidence in the brand," according to a $2.5 million lawsuit filed by Nissan North America.
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Nissan sues Ill. dealership for fraudulent warranty repairs
New-car sales on pace for double-digit gain in Nov., trade group predicts
Retail sales of new sedans, crossovers, SUVs and multipurpose vehicles are on track to advance 26 percent to 2.08 million in November, the China Automobile Dealers Car Association predicted.
Saturday, November 25, 2023
Iowa dealer opens home to community for lights, Santa
Carl Moyer of Karl Auto Group started inviting people to visit his elaborately decorated residence for a socially distanced Christmas celebration during the pandemic.
Wednesday, November 22, 2023
New Jersey joins 10 states in banning sales of new gasoline vehicles by 2035
Under California's Advanced Clean Cars II regulation, automakers would need to ensure 43 percent of their annual production volume by the 2027 model year is made up of zero-emission vehicles.
Pickup shipments edge up behind exports, ending slump
Pickup shipments industrywide rose 1 percent to around 42,000 in October after sliding four straight months, the China Passenger Car Association said.
U.S. Bank: Auto dealers, customers won't be affected by staff cuts
U.S. Bank cut its auto lending work force by an undisclosed amount, but a spokesperson said Monday the layoffs would not affect dealerships' and consumers' experiences.
Sunday, November 19, 2023
Guest commentary: Rethink your service drive acquisition strategy
With a dearth of quality used vehicles available because of supply chain issues and affordability concerns from consumers, the best place to find good used vehicles is on the dealership service drive.
Friday, November 17, 2023
Four dealership groups buy stores in Q3, Q4 deals
Four dealership groups expanded their presence with import and domestic stores across four states in third- and fourth-quarter acquisitions.
Thursday, November 16, 2023
1 Thing We're Talking About: Automotive lift group celebrates inspector program milestone
The Automotive Lift Institute, which has standardized the inspection of service bay lifts, celebrated the 10th anniversary of its ALI Lift Inspector Certification Program during an event in Las Vegas in late October.
Former Md. technician sentenced to prison for repair scheme
A former technician at a Nissan dealership in suburban Baltimore has been sentenced to prison for submitting more than 260 bogus claims for fake mechanical repairs.
Guest commentary: ‘Crossing the chasm' on EVs may require plug-in hybrids
It's hard to see a retail environment in 2032 where 67 percent of new-car sales are full EVs, but it's very easy to see a 2032 where a majority of new-car sales are plug-in hybrids.
Sunday, November 12, 2023
Lack of 0% loans does thwart buyers
The average new pickup in America is approaching $70,000. The average worker still makes about $50,000 a year. Zero percent vs. 9 percent on that pickup is about $300 a month less.
Saturday, November 11, 2023
David Wilson's gift to alma mater establishes business school in his name
David Wilson, founder of the auto group that bears his name, donated $25 million to his alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa. It is the largest gift in the school's history and establishes the David W. Wilson College of Business.
Friday, November 10, 2023
Oct. light-vehicle shipments rise behind exports, EV demand
Automakers producing in China shipped 2.5 million sedans, crossovers, SUVs, multipurpose vehicles and minibuses in October, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said, unchanged from September but up 11 percent from a year earlier.
Thursday, November 9, 2023
Man sues Conn. dealership, Toyota Motor Credit over repossession
A customer whose car was repossessed has sued a Wallingford, Conn., dealership for allegedly falsifying his income and expenses to qualify him for a loan he could not afford.
Li Auto posts profit for 4th consecutive quarter
China’s largest electric-vehicle startup by sales posted a profit for the fourth straight quarter, with net income for the third quarter rising 22 percent from the second quarter to 2.8 billion yuan ($385 million)
Honda sales rebound 2nd straight month
Honda’s China sales, after sliding for more than two years, have rebounded two consecutive months, jumping 23 percent to 130,024 last month after rising 8.5 percent in September.
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
New-car market expands in October, trade group says
Retail sales of new light vehicles continue to pick up in China, advancing ten percent year on year in October after gaining 5 percent the previous month, according to a preliminary tally by the China Automobile Dealers Association.
Monday, November 6, 2023
Tekion trims staff a 2nd time in 2 months
A spokesperson said the new job cuts amounted to ‘less than 2 percent' of its work force.
Saturday, November 4, 2023
BYD gains on Tesla for EV sales crown with another record month
After delivering 165,505 EVs during October, BYD needs an average of 158,642 sales for three consecutive months to put it in contention to match or exceed the amount Tesla needs to sell during the quarter to reach its 1.8 million annual sales goal.
Wednesday, November 1, 2023
Sell the vehicle service contract length the customer needs
Auto dealership finance managers should give the customer the length of vehicle service contract actually needed and 'never oversell' the car protection product, says finance and insurance trainer Ritch Wheeler.
Toyota downgrades EV forecast in quest of record profits; quarterly net income nearly triples
Riding an upswing in all-time-high quarterly earnings, Toyota downgraded its outlook for EV sales but lifted its forecast for record earnings in the full fiscal year, expanding on an earlier outlook that already called for record-level profits.
Toyota quarterly profit surges on strong sales, weak yen
Toyota now expects full-year operating profit to balloon 65 percent to 4.5 trillion yen ($30.15 billion).