Retail
Auto sales forecast calls for a hot January 4:00 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 27, 2015
Forecasters say U.S. auto sales have begun 2015 much stronger than 2014, when a deep freeze kept shoppers away from many dealerships in much of the country. General Motors is expected to post nearly a 20 percent increase, with the other Detroit 3 automakers also on track for double-digit gains....Read More »
Kia returns to Super Bowl for 6th consecutive year 6:26 am U.S. ET | Jan. 27, 2015
Kia's 2015 Super Bowl commercial will star Pierce Brosnan parodying his role as James Bond....Read More »
Renault poised for big boost from new SUVJan. 27, 2015 06:01 CET
Renault's new Kadjar will become a top-seller in Europe's key compact SUV segment, according to a forecast. The French automaker needs a boost after its Koleos flopped in a fast-growing niche dominated by alliance partner Nissan's Qashqai....Read More »
EJECTING CD PLAYERS
Hyundai's new infotainment strategy: Leveraging smartphone apps 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Over the next few years, Hyundai plans to remove CD players from mainstream cars such as the Elantra and Sonata as it rolls out an infotainment system called Display Audio that's built around Apple's CarPlay and Google's Android Auto interfaces....Read More »
THE CAT COMES BACK
Jaguar expects record rewards from huge investments in products and plants 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Jaguar appears poised to have a record 2015 and to keep increasing global sales to well more than 200,000 this decade as a massive investment in products, plants and underpinnings starts to pay dividends, executives and analysts say....Read More »
Mercedes debuts Super Bowl ad on 'Ellen' show 3:49 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Mercedes-Benz premiered its Super Bowl ad for the AMG GT sports car -- an edgy take on the fabled tortoise vs. hare race -- on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”...Read More »
BMW Super Bowl ad compares i3 with early Internet 10:20 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
In BMW's Super Bowl spot, the brand is casting its electric i3 hatchback as an ahead-of-its-time concoction that needs some explaining -- just like the Internet back in 1994. BMW debuted the 60-second ad today -- its first Super Bowl ad in four years -- on NBC's “Today.” It will run during the first quarter....Read More »
VW reaches pact with China dealersJan. 26, 2015 11:24 CET
VW says it has reached an agreement with its dealers in China and pledged to continue setting reasonable sales targets to ensure a financially sound distribution network as demand in the world's biggest auto market slows....Read More »
How VW veered off target 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Competition has heated up, the Jetta and Passat have cooled off, and with back-to-back yearly declines, VW has missed out on a key boom period in US auto sales -- a sore spot with dealers who made big bets on sustained sales growth....Read More »
SHAREHOLDER VALUE REPORT
Retailers set the pace in shareholder return for 2014 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Publicly traded U.S.-based auto retailers continued to build shareholder value in 2014, while global automakers and suppliers returned to earth....Read More »
Family feud disrupts DARCARS 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Tamara Darvish, a well-known face of the DARCARS dealership group, filed a lawsuit against her father, John Darvish Sr., and the company he founded. The suit will have a ripple effect on the chain’s 22 dealerships, experts say. Such conflicts usually worry manufacturers, too....Read More »
For Infiniti Q50, 'we need to give it some love' in ads 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Infiniti's new global ad agency will help "re-stimulate" the brand's volume leader, the Q50 sedan, this spring, nearly two years after its U.S. launch....Read More »
Super Bowl advertisers hype their messages early and often 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Building an elaborate pregame hype machine reflects a growing trend among Super Bowl advertisers: To get the most bang for the buck from the biggest advertising event of the year, use social media early and often -- emphasis on "early."...Read More »
Exec: Enterprise holds steady on program cars 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Unlike its two closest competitors, Hertz Corp. and Avis Budget Group Inc., Enterprise Holdings is not increasing the percentage of its 2015 fleet filled by program cars, vehicles for which the automaker takes responsibility for remarketing, said the executive in charge of the company's vehicle acquisitions....Read More »
As the new year begins, Sonic goes shopping 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Sonic Automotive Inc. plans to buy more dealerships in 2015 than the four it bought last year....Read More »
Ford again wins customer-loyalty title 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Ford Motor Co. retained the crown in the 2014 model year for most-loyal customers, while Maserati won top honors for conquests, according to the IHS Automotive Loyalty Awards....Read More »
Dealers see another good year in 2015 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Dealers expect 2015 to be another good year, though perhaps not quite as good as 2014....Read More »
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Just think of the money you save 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
From $4-$5 a gallon to $2-$3 is good news for every driver and the auto industry....Read More »
Used-vehicle prices finish 2014 strong 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Greater volumes of off-lease, retired rental and other used vehicles returned to the market last year, but overall values of used vehicles closed 2014 with prices in December registering year-over-year increases....Read More »
Sales staff certification gets a new twist 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
FCA US wants better performing dealerships with lower sales staff turnover and top-notch experts who reach out to potential customers....Read More »
2 DMS newcomers fight the odds for customers 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Two relative newcomers to dealer management system software are trying to get traction in an industry dominated by well-established giants CDK Global and Reynolds and Reynolds....Read More »
Dealers 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Dealers featured this week include Matthew Welch, dealer at Auburn Volkswagen in Auburn, Wash.; Kirt Frye, dealer principal at Sunnyside Toyota in North Olmsted, Ohio; Ray Catena, president of Ray Catena Infiniti of Edison in Edison, N.J.; and Pat Prostrollo, president, and Nick Prostrollo, vice president at Chrysler and Dodge at Prostrollo Motors in Madison, S.D....Read More »
TrueCar: App can 'hypertarget' consumers 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Online car-buying service TrueCar Inc. said the mobile app it will release this year will enable dealers and automakers to collect an unprecedented amount of information on customers....Read More »
GM seeks speedy customer feedback 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
General Motors has launched a customer-satisfaction survey that combines a short-form questionnaire with a space for shopper comments....Read More »
Certified used sales poised for another record 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 26, 2015
Buoyed by an uptick in off-lease vehicles flowing back into the market, the industry will sell at least 2.5 million certified used vehicles this year, breaking last year's record, some analysts predict....Read More »
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 Ryan Hunter-Reay races to Indy 500 winner’s circleBorgWarner’s video montage highlighting 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay. Thu., January 15» Watch the Video |
