Dealers: Page 111

What Happens If You Can’t Fix a Broken Auto Dealer

You can't fix a broken auto dealer, declares Bruce Harris, vice president and chief risk officer for Volkwagen Credit Inc., noting that several auto dealers are hurting. Many dealers face the combination of a severe sales slump and unavailable credit to purchase new inventory. Some auto retailers are going out of business as a result. That's almost inevitable, considering the circumstances, Harris

By Steve Finlay • April 1, 2009

Technology Allows for the Fast Creation of Dealer-Inventory Videos with Voices

Dealer.com introduces CarFlix HumanVoice, a patent-pending online video application for vehicle inventory on dealer websites. The firm says the new product automatically creates high-quality videos with real human voices from pictures and data in a dealer's inventory system. Dealers are frustrated by the slow turnaround time associated with professionally produced videos, and by the lack of quality

April 1, 2009

Explore the Trendline➔

Artificial Intelligence

Automakers and dealers alike are increasingly seeing the use case for AI within their operations. Explore some use cases in this trendline.

By WardsAuto staff

Create Your Dealership Brand Online

Tampa It's not officially been determined just how important social networking is to a 21st century dealership's advertising plans, but one thing is for sure, it can't hurt. Jeff Kershner, eCommerce manager-Mile One Automotive and founder of DealerRefresh.com, says it's easy and cheap to brand your dealership through social networking websites. Mile One Automotive is one of the top-10 dealer groups

By Derek Stark • April 1, 2009

Desperate Times Lead to Desperate Acts

Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.Everyday, in local newspapers across the country, you can find stories of dealerships having to shut their doors. That alone is sad, but mor...

March 24, 2009

Ford Fusion Marketing Campaign Focuses on Fuel Economy, Technology

The auto maker says it has not made significant cuts to its 2009 marketing budget, despite the economic turmoil battering the industry.

By Byron Pope • March 3, 2009

Best Dealers Keep Customers After Warranties End

Dealership networks that provide superior service retain more than 80% of customer maintenance and repair dollars, J.D. Power study finds.

By Steve Finlay • March 2, 2009

Hurricane-Hit Dealers Still Hurting

New Orleans - As attendees of the National Automobile Dealers Assn. convention head home from here, they leave behind some struggling fellow dealers in this city that still feels the hurt of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Hardest hit here were dealerships along Service Rd., on low-lying land near Lake Pontchartrain, site of a devastating levee breach, north of the downtown business district. There are

By Steve Finlay • March 1, 2009

How to Sell More Auto Parts

Snap-On Business Solutions and OEConnection are joining forces to help franchised car dealerships sell automotive replacement parts to independent repair shops. The tie-up is part of a joint venture created with Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. The full product launch of Repairlink with MORE is set for May. The partners say their Repairlink with MORE (Mechanical Original Replacement

By Derek Stark • March 1, 2009

Hang In There, Former Presidents Bush and Clinton Tell Dealers

Former U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton offer moral support as they address the NADA convention in New Orleans. The two men, rivals in the 1992 presidential campaign, went on to become friends and co-founders of a charitable fund that aids needy people, including the victims of Hurricane Katrina that hit this city in 2005. Ninety percent of life is what you do with what happens to

By Steve Finlay • March 1, 2009

Upgraded Starter-Interrupter System Includes GPS Feature

GPS technology is part of an updated device that prevents cars from being started if owners fail to keep up with loan payments. Sekurus Inc. says its new ON TIME FLEX XL starter interrupter is an upgrade of its FLEX system designed to ensure timely collection of customer car payments. GPS lets lenders and dealerships locate vehicles when a grace period has ended or an emergency code has been used.

March 1, 2009

Reporter’s Notebook: Ward’s passes along the buzz at the NADA convention

Do What I Say, Not What I Do Frankness can be hazardous to your automotive career, Gary Dilts, a senior vice president at J.D. Power and Associates, tells dealers here. No one at an auto maker is willing to raise their hand before the introduction of a new model and tell the boss, Excuse me, I don't think we'll sell 200,000 of these. That could be a career-ending move, he warns. Dilts should know.

By Steve Finlay • March 1, 2009

Reynolds, ADP Take On DealerTrack

Editor's note: This story is part of the WardsAuto digital archive, which may include content that was first published in print, or in different web layouts.ne of the more intriguing stories coming out of the NADA convention is Open Dealer Exchange, a the joint venture between mortal enemies ADP ...

Feb. 3, 2009

The Way to a Lender’s Heart

If a trouble-free credit application is the way to a lender's heart, the Suburban Auto Collection dealership group must have admirers in the jaded financing world. We strive so that, when a lender gets a credit application from Suburban, there will absolutely not be a problem with it, says Gary Allgeier, financial services director for the 48-franchise chain based in Michigan. That flawlessness ranges

By Steve Finlay • Feb. 1, 2009

Incoming Chairman Will Have Challenging Year

John McEleney takes over the helm at the National Automobile Dealers Assn. as its chairman during a period in which the nation's car dealers are facing their most intense threat in their history. There certainly have been a few more issues than we bargained for, chuckles McEleney. I guess I'd rather be in the middle of all this, rather than on the sidelines. The credit crisis is one. Numerous dealers

By Cliff Banks • Feb. 1, 2009

10 Checklist Items for Dealers

I'm often asked my opinion on the key areas dealers and general managers should monitor on a monthly basis. Here's my top 10 lists of what to focus on: Cash. As we've learned firsthand recently, cash management and cash flow have never been more critical concerns than today. Morningstar Report says if net income is much larger than cash flow from operations, it's a sign the earnings quality is questionable.

By Tony Noland • Feb. 1, 2009

3 Prominent Dealers Die

Three prominent car dealers died during the first week of 2009, representing stores in Dallas, Tennessee and Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, Jack Safro, who began the Jack Safro Dealer Group in 1962, suffered a heart attack and died at his home. The Jack Safro Dealer Group, which employs more than 350 people, includes five dealerships in the Milwaukee Metro area. Mr. Safro began his dealership organization

By Derek Stark • Feb. 1, 2009

Sonic Latest Dealer Group to Use Xtime’s Service CRM

Xtime's ServiceCRM gained notoriety with two major dealer groups, and now Sonic Automotive has joined the ranks of those adopting the service. ServiceCRM integrates into a single product a dealership's online service retailing, automated service scheduling (customer, dealership and call center) along with web-enabled service marketing, advanced shop control and certified DMS integration. That's intended

By Derek Stark • Feb. 1, 2009

Back Shop to the Rescue

A car dealership attaining 100% service absorption is like a ball player batting .400 for the season. It rarely happens, but it's great when it does. Improving service-absorption rates has become a hot issue as more and more dealerships turn to their back-end operations to offset reduced showroom activity amid faltering vehicle sales. Service absorption hasn't been talked about in a long time, but

By Steve Finlay • Feb. 1, 2009

The Art of the Deal Is Back

The art of the deal is back. The lousy economy can be thanked for that. Many car dealerships, out of necessity, are properly structuring deals, a talent that seemed like a lost art in recent times. You are going to see fewer customers; that's just a fact says Glenn Roberts, Zurich Insurance's national training and business development manager. So think about how to do the right deal. That includes

By Steve Finlay • Feb. 1, 2009

NADA Debuts Appraisal Product Using 5 Different Sources

NADA Used Car Guide in March is launching a new product, NADA AppraisalPRO. It is available exclusively to members of the National Automobile Dealers Assn. and National Independent Automobile Dealers Assn. It is intended to provide appraisal product information garnered from five industry sources, including used-car data from AutoTrader.com, auction information from Manheim and market days' supply

Feb. 1, 2009

Check Out These Five Profit-Enhancement Opportunities for Auto Dealers

Jayson Kincaid sees five profit-enhancement opportunities for auto dealers. They are personnel, financing, insurance, advertising and computer systems, Kincaid of the Crowe Horwath accounting firm in South Bend, IN, says at a conference for the Michigan Assn. of Certified Public Accountants. Here is a rundown of those with Kincaid's recommendations: Personnel. Employ one accounting person for every

Feb. 1, 2009

‘Hang In There,’ Former Presidents Bush, Clinton Tell Auto Dealers

The two men, rivals in the 1992 presidential campaign, are co-founders of a charitable fund that aids needy people, including the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

By Steve Finlay • Jan. 27, 2009

Dealix Overhauls Usedcars.com

Revamped website lets buyers compare dealer-listed used-car prices with Kelley Blue Book values.

By Cliff Banks • Jan. 25, 2009

Incoming NADA Chairman McEleney Gets More Than He Bargained For

Powerful state franchise laws that protect dealers from manufacturer incursions into their businesses now don’t seem so strong.

By Cliff Banks • Jan. 22, 2009

Owner Ed Tarbox Wants to Make Right Moves on Chessboard

The import dealer believes he is in a better position than most retailers.

By Derek Stark • Jan. 22, 2009