NADA Convention expands expo to meet demand

By: The Formula Publications Team The National Automobile Dealers Association has had to expand its borders. The association reports that the floor plan of the 2015 National Automobile Dealers Association Convention & Expo in San Francisco has been increased to accommodate a large number of requests for exhibit space. “There has been an overwhelming response from companies applying for booth space,” Steve Pitt, NADA vice president of conventions...

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26 Years After Building the First Camry, Toyota Team Member Parks the 10-Millionth in His Driveway

Scott County Resident Tom Keith Is Lucky Winner of 2014 Camry August 27, 2014 GEORGETOWN, Ky. (Aug. 27, 2014) – They say hard work is its own reward, but getting the keys to a new car makes it even better. Just ask Tom Keith. He was the envy of all 7,000 Toyota Georgetown team members when the company announced he had won a 2014 Camry in a random drawing of team members during a ceremony Wednesday, August 27. This wasn’t just any white Camry, this was the 10-millionth vehicle made at the plant since the first Camry rolled off the line in 1988...

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Vantage opens Hyundai dealership in Stockport

by: John Kirwan Vantage Motor Group has opened a Hyundai dealership, its fourth, in Stockport at a cost of £2.5m. Trading as Vantage Hyundai Stockport the new centre is targeted with selling 900 new and used cars each year. It features a 10-car showroom, eight bay workshops and space for 60 used cars. Mark Robinson, Vantage chief executive (pictured), said: “This expansion is a strategically important move for us that will see our presence in the North West significantly bolstered. “We opened our first Hyundai dealership in Salford in 2011...

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N.J. Dealer Pleads Guilty to Selling Cars Damaged in Superstorm Sandy

A used car dealer in New Jersey has admitted selling seven vehicles that sustained flood damage during Superstorm Sandy after a Motor Vehicle Commission office employee created clean titles for them. Jonathan Olin, 42, of Manalapan, pleaded guilty to theft by deception and Jessie Dinome, 30, of Jackson, pleaded guilty to tempering with public records. Olin operated D&D Auto Sales in Old Bridge in Middlesex County. The Asbury Park Press reports Olin told a judge in Monmouth County that he used fraudulent titles to sell the cars, which were...

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Why a squeeze is coming to auto dealers

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Take note: there is a squeeze coming to an auto dealer near you. Two important factors to new automotive sales -- low interest rates and relatively high values for used automobiles – are forecast to move in unwelcome directions that soon will make it more expensive to buy a new car, SUV or pickup. The forecasts, delivered at the 2014 Management Briefing Seminars today, will no doubt have a more direct impact on auto dealers than it will on the broader economy. The great hope, according to economists,...

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Hyundai rolls out new dealership image program

By: The Formula Publications Team Hyundai Auto Canada Corp.’s dealer body is about to start adopting a striking new look. Dubbed the Global Dealership Image Space Identity (GDSI), the image program is being introduced to all Hyundai dealerships around the world and is part of a new vision of retail for the company. The most obvious change is the exterior colour scheme. Gone are the dominant blue and white hues. In their place will be a bronze-coloured roof structure aimed at providing the brand a signature look and feel. Hyundai executives...

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Ford tells U.S. dealers to stop selling some C-Max, Focus models

By: Bernie Woodall DETROIT (Reuters) -- Ford Motor Co. has told its U.S. dealers to stop test-driving and selling C-Max and Focus models produced during a week this month because of potential problems with the steering gear assembly, a notice sent to dealers on Wednesday shows. A Ford spokeswoman said today none of the affected vehicles were sold to customers and that less than 50 were on U.S. dealer lots. Some C-Max and Focus models built at the Michigan Assembly Plant outside of Detroit from Aug. 8 to Aug. 15 may not have enough ball bearings...

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Manheim to Purchase Majority Stake in Carbizz

By: Auto Dealer Monthly SÃO PAULO, Brazil—As part of its long-term growth strategy to invest in emerging markets, Manheim announced Tuesday it has purchased a majority stake in CarBizz, an auction operation based in São Paulo. Brazil is home to one of the fastest growing automotive markets in the world, and this first move into that market supports Manheim’s plan to expand its global footprint while providing dealers with greater access to its broad range of vehicle remarketing services, officials said. “We are excited for the opportunity to...

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Mobile App Users Visit Service Departments More Often, Study Shows

By: Auto Dealer Monthly DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Mobile app users are becoming more frequent visitors to a dealership’s service department once they download an associated app, according to new research from DMEautomotive. The study looked at 307 dealerships nationwide that offer a dealership-branded mobile app and compared the 6-month service visit frequency of consumers after installing the app, versus prior to downloading. According to the research, after downloading a dealership’s mobile app, users’ 6 month service visits increased by 25%....

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Pennsylvania Couple Sues Dealer for Misrepresenting Vehicle Condition

By: Pennsylvania Record, Demetri Braynin Pennsylvania couple says car dealer misrepresented condition of ‘Transformers’-inspired car A Pennsylvania couple looking for a replica of a car featured in the Transformers movie says that a Delaware dealership sold them a vehicle with more miles and damage than advertised, according to a federal suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Richard and Donna Lynn Rotandi allege that the Porter Auto Group in Newark, Del., violated the Motor Vehicle and Cost Saving...

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Honda defends its sales figures

By: Chris Woodyard  Honda took the offense Tuesday when it comes to defending its stale sales figures for the year, which lag both arch-Japanese rivals Toyota and Nissan. The basic message was that overall sales numbers don't tell the whole story. Honda is refusing to join much of the rest of the industry in gimmicks that can boost sales to the detriment of customers, says John Mendel, executive vice president of the automaker's U.S. sales...

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Falling U.S. used-car prices will drive up new-car incentives

By Ben Klayman (Reuters) - The U.S. auto industry will have to offer more discounts to maintain demand as prices for used cars decline. With auto sales recovering from their recession-era slump, the industry's supply of used cars has started to rise again, driving down prices. This in turn will pressure new-car prices and raise the stakes for automakers, which have enjoyed the new-car sales renaissance of the last 4-1/2 years. To achieve annual...

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Flick Fusion Introduces First Video Marketing Platform for Auto Dealers That Automates Production & Increases SEO Rankings

By Brian Cox Urbandale, IA--August 18th, 2014-Flick Fusion (www.flickfusion.com), the industry's leading video marketing provider, today introduced the first video marketing platform for auto dealers that automates the video production process, increases organic SEO rankings, increases conversion rates and generates more leads to the dealership. With the addition of several recent and planned product roll-outs, Flick Fusion is also the industry's only provider that fulfills every video marketing need for dealers; including inventory videos, video...

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Americans now have an electric supercar to call their own

by Jon Fingas It's not hard to find electric supercars, but finding one that's truly American is a challenge. Even Detroit Electric's SP:01 borrows a British car body. Relief is in sight for patriotic EV buyers, however -- Renovo has just unveiled the Coupe, billed as the first "all-electric American supercar." It combines a Shelby CSX9000 chassis with eco-friendly guts, making it an odd blend of '60s-era sports car looks with modern responsibility....

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Alfa Romeo 4C Arrives In (Select) U.S. Dealers In June

BY: Stephen Edelstein Alfa Romeo's new 4C will mark the Italian brand's return to the United States, but things will start small. At the 2014 Detroit Auto Show last month, Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne told The Detroit News that the small sports car will arrive in the U.S. in June, but only at select dealers. The 4C will be sold at Maserati stores, as well as the best-performing Fiat dealers. Marchionne said those Fiat dealers "know who...

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8 Ways to Strengthen Auto Dealer Relationships

By Michelle A. Samaad With 15 years of dealership experience, Sarah Richard Denton has seen her fair share of what works and what doesn’t when it comes to working with credit unions and other lenders. Denton is a finance and insurance manager at Kelly Cadillac in Lancaster, Pa. CU Times recently tuned into a webinar where she shared her personal experiences with lenders. When it comes to working with credit unions as compared to banks, she had a few poignant observations. For instance, credit unions are more lenient on certain types of credit,...

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Why Responsive Websites are Perfect for Dealers

By:  Ali Amirrezvani There is no shortage of opinions in our industry. Depending on who you ask, they will likely have a very passionate opinion about the three major types of mobile website strategies: responsive, adaptive, and mobile-only. If you ask a website provider, they’ll tell you that the option they have currently available is the best option whether they have numbers to back up their opinion or not. Here, we’d like to make the...

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Why Tesla Motors can't sell cars in most of the United States

BY Ben Gilbert Tesla Motors makes beautiful, quality electric automobiles. Don't just take it from us; Consumer Reports rated the Tesla Model S the "best overall" car in its 2014 Top Picks report (which includes all non-electric cars as well). Yet, despite Tesla CEO Elon Musk's ongoing effort to expand his EV empire, state after state in the United States is pushing back. Not because those states are against electronic vehicles, Musk or even...

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8 N.J. auto dealerships and owners to pay $1.8M for alleged deception

By Christopher Baxter | The Star-Ledger Eight New Jersey car dealerships and their owners have agreed to pay $1.8 million to resolve allegations ranging from deceptive sales tactics to failing to disclose mechanical defects or past damage to used cars, state authorities said today. The dealerships and owners — Carmelo Giuffre, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Ignazio Giuffre, of Colts Neck — also agreed to resolve complaints filed by 45 customers by providing restitution or other relief under a binding arbitration process. Dealerships included under...

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NADA Releases New Video on Dealer Franchise Laws

By: Automotive News McLEAN, Va. — New-car dealer franchise laws protect consumers during safety recall and warranty claims, create price competition and benefit automakers, says the National Automobile Dealers Association in a new animated video released Wednesday as part of its “Get The Facts” initiative. “Buying a car is a ... complicated purchase with financing, titling, registration, insurance and trade-ins. Because cars are expensive and car buying is complex, governments set up dealer franchise laws to protect consumers, and dealers make...

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Attention Car Dealers...How Is Your Internal Online Reputation?

by Stan Sher. It has been about seven years since the importance of dealer online reputation has become a serious concern in the industry. A number of businesses in general have taken a proactive approach to manage their online reputation. In fact, there is always a new small business popping up offering SEO, social media, and reputation management services . These services have played a healthy role in improving how a business handles their marketing practices as well as customer relations. While this topic has been discussed more then enough...

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How Dealerships Can Use PPC To Build Brand Awareness And Exposure

By:  Andrew Cabrelli. These days, more and more car buyers are heading online before making up their mind on where to buy their next car. As a dealership, building your brand and associating it with positive traits is key to both gaining new clients and retaining existing ones. No matter what advantages your dealership offers, if you can’t break out of the wallflower category, no one is going to know about how great you are . AdWords can be an excellent tool for building brand awareness. Though it is often overlooked in favor of social and...

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