As a used-vehicle manager, I was told that to increase sales volumes, I needed to stock vehicles that could retail for half their original manufacturer's suggested retail price. I'm not sure I fully understood the significance of that tip until...
The second quarter will bring modest growth to U.S. light-vehicle sales, while slowed production rates will lower inventory levels to a 2-year low by June. Ward's is projecting some growth in sales with volume in April-June up less than 1% from a...
The second quarter will bring some slight growth to U.S. light-vehicle sales, while slowed production rates will drive down inventory to a 2-year low. Ward's is projecting sales from April to June to be up less than 1% from year-ago and the...
New-vehicle inventory management became a top challenge of 2004. Record days' supply levels occurred, hitting 78 days of unsold vehicles on Nov. 1, the highest level for that date in 10 years. Japanese auto makers on average had the lowest days'...
Regardless of your political affiliations or preferences, now that the election is over, let's get back to the business of selling and servicing cars and trucks. This has been a strange year, yet when the dust settles, it will rank in the top five...
How do I find good people? How do I use technology? It seems I hear these two questions from dealers every day. Rarely do I hear them ask these two questions embodied in one question: How can technology help me find good people? Technology is...
Last month, we discussed turn, as it relates to your used-vehicle inventory, and the flexibility a good turn affords you in terms of liquid capital. This month, let's expand on used- vehicle management by discussing holding cost. A reminder...
Florida dealers remain optimistic and resilient despite having facilities damaged, showrooms shut down and an absence of customers following three hurricanes in six weeks. Hurricane Ivan, the latest monster storm, while not directly hitting...
CarsDirect.com is offering an analyzer of regional market demand for dealerships' online used-vehicle inventories. The Demand Index is an enhancement to the Used Dealer Scorecard that CarsDirect, a third-party lead referral firm, provides to...
One of the hardest things to accomplish during times of uncertainty is maintaining focus. With the distractions in our industry, it almost seems impossible. In recent weeks, we've seen record recalls, scaled back dealer appointments, a Japanese...