Dealers: Page 116

Manheim Holds Green Auction

Green cars, such as hybrid electric vehicles, now have their own designated used-vehicle auction. It may be a sign that those fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly vehicles are becoming more mainstream. Manheim and AutoTrader Publishing co-hosted a first-of-its-kind vehicle sale Oct. 10 at Manheim Seattle, previously the South Seattle Auto Auction. The sale gave dealers direct access to fuel-efficient

By Steve Finlay • Nov. 1, 2007

Dealers See Red Over Red-Flag Rules

Critics say some red-flag requirements to prevent identity theft are beyond the detection talents of typical dealership personnel.

By Steve Finlay • Oct. 31, 2007

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

Final Retail Year for Ford Crown Vic, Sources Say

Once the favorite police patrol car, the Crown Vic now is being challenged for police and taxi business by the Chevrolet Impala and Dodge Charger sedans.

By Mac Gordon • Oct. 26, 2007

The (Blue) Sky’s the Limit

Having recently joined the world of dealership financing, I have become involved in blue sky lending, a concept that should be useful to know about for anyone overseeing the finances of a dealership group.

By Don Ray • Oct. 1, 2007

The Ultimate Leasing Machine

BMW Financial Services tops all four retail leasing categories in the latest J.D. Power and Associates dealer financing satisfaction index, marking the fourth straight year it has led the study. BMW Financial scored a total of 954 points on a 1,000-point scale, outranking closest competitors Mercedes-Benz Financial (948) and GMAC Financial Services (934). Mercedes-Benz Financial scored highest in

By Herb Shuldiner • Oct. 1, 2007

AmeriCredit Car-Loan Losses Ebb as it Eases Off Subprime

Warding off domestic-brand sales slumps in California, leading subprime lender AmeriCredit Corp. is reporting loan origination and net income increases. The lender posted fiscal year 2007 net income of $360.2 million, up from $306.1 million in 2006. The annual income reflects a $6 million gain from sale of AmeriCredit's investment in online financing firm Dealer Track Holdings Inc. AmeriCredit president

Oct. 1, 2007

AutoNation Pioneers Use of Pick-N-Click for Instant Ads

Advertising, especially local and dealer advertising, is more complex and sophisticated than ever. Media choices have grown.

By Marty Bernstein • Oct. 1, 2007

And Another New Dealership

She is one of the nation's most prominent female dealers and could easily rest on her vast number of laurels. But Irma Elder, age 76, is not about to take it easy. There she is, wearing a construction helmet and leading a group on a tour of her nearly finished ninth dealership Jaguar-Land Rover Lakeside in Macomb County, MI. The Elder Automotive Group, which she runs with her two sons, Tony and Robert,

By Mac Gordon • Oct. 1, 2007

Trust But Verify

Who's minding your store? I ask, because it seems there are a growing number of stories in the media of how dealership workers are ripping off their employers. Even our provocative dealer columnist, Peter Brandow, is involved in a situation in which a family friend allegedly embezzled thousands of dollars from his three dealerships. Brandow trusted the friend enough to name him CFO and essentially

By Cliff Banks • Oct. 1, 2007

Subprime Minus the Stigma

As we speak to dealers, read local newspapers and watch TV at home and on the road, we see many ad strategies trying to solicit the subprime customer. Accordingly, I am certain you have asked yourself the question: Is this working? There are many factors to advertising. First you must determine what type of customer you are looking for, then what will be the irresistible offer. (Mark Joyner's book

By TIM SHEA • Oct. 1, 2007

New Suzuki Square Dealership Design Aims to Promote Openness, Modern Times

There are 500 Suzuki dealers in the U.S., and while some markets could use an additional outlet or two, our focus is strengthening the existing dealer body rather than expanding it, says Gene Brown, American Suzuki's vice president-marketing. One way to do that is through a Suzuki Square program, in which dealers are encouraged and subsidized (at a rate of about $200 per vehicle sold) to build modern

By Steve Finlay • Oct. 1, 2007

Here Are Top 10 Automotive Financing Trends and Events

Here are top 10 auto financing trends and events, according to Walter Cunningham, who tracks such things as president of BenchMark Consulting International: The number of national banks in indirect auto financing is stable. auto financing institutions continue to grow. Credit unions expand into the prime auto-financing market creating a competitive and brutal market. Dealer application portals, such

By Steve Finlay • Oct. 1, 2007

Old IRS Rule Creates New Fuss

Recently, there has been a lot of buzz in the industry regarding the Internal Revenue Service and its electronic record keeping requirements for car dealers. Revenue Procedure 98-25 of the internal revenue code was issued in 1998, so why all the fuss now? The procedure requires dealers to maintain an electronic version (that can be read by any PC) of all general ledger activity going back seven years.

By Wayne Fortier • Oct. 1, 2007

Scoring Internet Leads Next Step

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.MANHATTAN BEACH, CA – With youthful enthusiasm but no customer base, David Metter began his automotive career at a Dayton, OH, dealership as...

By Steve Finlay • Sept. 26, 2007

F&I Is Older and Much Wiser

When a dealer said he regularly goes through his store's deal jackets, finance and insurance expert Jimmy Atkinson asked why. The dealer's reply: I can learn a lot about what's going on at my place from looking at the deal jackets. Sometimes it can be unpleasant reading, especially if it reveals sales and F&I irregularities. But it's worthwhile reading, especially if it precludes a plaintiff's attorney

By Steve Finlay • Sept. 1, 2007

How to Cultivate Your Image

What does the appearance of your dealership say about you? Plenty, says marketing specialist Kimberley Lukas of ACDelco, noting that a messy service department gives an instant bad impression, even if the best mechanics in the world work there. And if those top-notch auto technicians are wearing grease-smeared clothes, it creates another bad first impression. If first impressions aren't good, they

By Steve Finlay • Sept. 1, 2007

Track Technicians’ Performance

On a visit to a dealership to work with a new service manager, I had the following conversation: Service Manager: I just handed out paychecks yesterday and a lot of my technicians had really low flat-rate hours for the pay period. Me: When did you first realize the hours were going to be that low? Service Manager: When I was handing out the checks. This was for a 20-technician shop and a 2-week pay

By Mark Sappington • Sept. 1, 2007

Meet the Clip Culture Crowd

The MySpace/iPod/Text/Blackberry/YouTube generation gets information from a myriad of sources, all originating from the Internet. And it's all about what type of information they want, and when they want it, says Brian Page, general manager of Dealer Data Services. He recommends that dealers interested in selling to these young consumers maintain an Internet presence that draws their attention. One

Sept. 1, 2007

Customer Empowerment Comes to Automotive Financing

The Internet has empowered car buyers. Now it's doing the same thing for consumers arranging loans to buy those cars. Dealers need to deal with that new reality of auto financing in the Information Age, says Andrew D. Koblenz, the National Automobile Dealers Assn.'s vice president and general counsel. Few customers shop for dealers, going from dealer to dealer; now they go online checking inventories,

By Steve Finlay • Sept. 1, 2007

Lesson No.1: Count Customers

Dealerships rely on technology to capture, track and manage customer relationships and have benefited tremendously from the ability to do so. Yet an Automotive Profit Builders' client questioned the accuracy of his dealership's customer relationship management traffic count data. The CRM report showed 40 fewer customers than a paper-based log showed for the same period. This is common. CRM systems

By Richard F. Libin • Sept. 1, 2007

Give Us Decent Lease Deals

For 14 years, Larry Koss has been the Buick- Pontiac-GMC dealer in Richmond, MI, population 5,900, at the northeast corner of the metro Detroit market. Koss has been in the auto retailing for about 40 years. He was interviewed in his office adjoining a recently renovated 8-car showroom of his family store on Main St. Ward's: So how's business? Koss: Horrible. Last year, we sold 420 new cars, of which

By Mac Gordon • Sept. 1, 2007

Oh Say Can You Hear Dealer’s Noisy Flag?

A Las Vegas auto dealer vows to fight a city order to take down a 109-foot pole from which he flies an American flag about the size of a competition volleyball court. The City Council ordered Towbin Hummer to lose the flag. City officials say the pole is too high and neighbors complain the flag flaps too loudly. The American flag stays, dealership owner Dan Towbin tells the Associated Press. I'm not

Sept. 1, 2007

Self-Described ‘Serial Entrepreneur’ Pitches New Idea

Despite a behind-the-scenes presence, Zag wants to usher in an entirely new online car-selling business process for dealers and the auto industry.

By Steve Finlay • Aug. 8, 2007

Customer Empowerment Comes to Auto Financing

More consumers are showing an interest in auto lending, but many remain woefully uninformed.

By Steve Finlay • Aug. 6, 2007

Customers Can Click on Cars.com from the Dealership Lot

Cars.com is the first automotive website to launch a mobile version of its site. Shoppers can access it from web-enabled mobile devices and do almost anything that can be done from a personal computer.

By Ward's Staff • Aug. 1, 2007