U.S. light-vehicle sales get off to a sluggish start in 2006, as the market share leaders cut back on incentives and the industry faces overall lower inventory than a year ago. The two market leaders, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., are...
Remember the 2000 movie The Perfect Storm? Mother Nature provides a perfect storm that creates some great fishing waters, but proves disastrous to the fisherman caught in its wake. Domestic auto makers may have created a perfect storm in regards...
Every now and then, step back and take stock of your inventory control and management performance. Conventional and everyday things often can become inventory control concerns. Undetected headaches can become big headaches. A practical scrutiny of...
Used cars are all about the inventory, experts say. Making money in that business requires managing inventory intelligently. While the average dealer has millions of dollars in used-vehicle inventory, the used-car manager often is managing it in...
A new Web-based parts-inventory management system launched by General Motors Corp. for its North American dealers may have parts managers applauding. The Retail Inventory Management system (RIM) provides dealerships with a recommended parts list...
Ed Peper, elevated to Chevrolet's top position in March, is overseeing the division complete a full-scale revamp of its product portfolio with the introduction of the '06 Impala. Chevrolet is an enormous enterprise, says Peper, who worked with 1...
Dealers should establish a separate special-finance department to maximize subprime lending success, says dealer CPA Jeffrey Jensen, of Murray, UT. Co-mingling subprime with prime customers is time-consuming and can be a turnoff for sensitive...
How do you react if you find yourself in the situation described below? For years, I've operated a dealership that consistently enjoyed strong new- and used-vehicle sales and grosses. I've pushed the needle on inventory because interest rates were...
On the heels of a strong second quarter, Ward's forecasts third-quarter U.S. light-vehicle sales to equal a 16.9 million seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), slightly below year-ago's 17.1 million. There will be fewer reasons this year to goose...
It's been a challenging year, but March and April results showed promise, and things are looking good for the summer selling season. Certain economic news is encouraging, including the crude-oil price decrease resulting in real savings for...