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Courtesy of WardsAuto
Japan Quake Squeezing Export Markets
A week-long shutdown would cost the country 209,100 production units, according to Ward’s data.
By Eric Mayne • March 15, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Online Auto Trade-In Appraisals Catching On
An online appraisal tool can fairly accurately value the vehicle, sight unseen, if the shopper enters relevant and correct information.
By Steve Finlay • March 10, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Domestic Brands, New Markets Changing China Landscape
China’s domestic auto industry is divided into two parts, the giant state-owned enterprises that dominate the market and the hungry national car makers that are gaining traction on all fronts.
By Mack Chrysler • March 7, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
“Race to the Bottom” No Cliché
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.I was never great pals with former UAW President Ron Gettelfinger, though I think he appreciated my work. He was fond of quoting a 2003 st...
March 4, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Truth in Lending Revisited
The impacts on car dealers of changes to the country's financial system mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act will likely be regular subjects of alerts and advisories to dealers this year. One section that we already know will have an impact on your business is the expansion of the jurisdiction of the Truth in Lending Act. Since its original passage decades ago, the Truth in Lending Act only applied to transactions
By Michael Charapp • March 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
12 Things Consumers Want
The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes, said French writer Marcel Proust. This could not be more apropos for dealership sales people and managers as they seek to understand and improve customer experiences. Looking at a business through the eyes of a customer can be extraordinarily revealing. Through years of working with customers and sales professionals,
By Richard F. Libin • March 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
High used-vehicle prices are spurring new-car sales
Auto makers ironically can thank a vibrant used-car market for helping to drive a projected 12% increase in new-vehicle sales this year, says Paul Taylor, the National Automobile Dealers Assn.'s chief economist. Taylor cites two main reasons why he expects pre-owned cars will play a big role in 2011 new-vehicle sales that he predicts will reach 12.9 million units. That compares with 11.5 million in
By Steve Finlay • March 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
40 Million Used-Car Sales?
The used-car market will continue to be where it's at for franchised dealers, says Tom Webb, chief economist for Manheim Consulting, a unit of Manheim Auctions. Used-car sales rose 4% to nearly 37 million units last year. Next year, sales are expected to hit 40 million units, Webb tells Ward's at the National Automobile Dealers Assn. convention in San Francisco. He projects light-vehicle sales will
By Steve Finlay • March 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Oz EV Sales Seen Accelerating After 2025
Sydney-based firm Energeia says the uptake rate will be slow over the next decade due to a lack of choice, immature technology and nascent government and electricity industry support.
By Alan Harman • Feb. 28, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Malaysia’s Proton Seeking Third Party to Use Spare Plant Capacity
The auto maker says its two underutilized plants, Shah Alam and Tanjung Malim, have combined capacity of 380,000 units annually.
By Alan Harman • Feb. 15, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Boosting Chevy Volt Production No Easy Task
GM faces financial constraints to increasing the EV’s output because of its advanced technology, especially the 16 kWh Li-ion battery pack serving as the backbone of the propulsion system.
By James M. Amend • Feb. 15, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
High Used-Car Prices Spur New-Car Sales
“The shortage of used cars is one more pillar of strength for the new-car market,” says NADA Chief Economist Paul Taylor.
By Steve Finlay • Feb. 7, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
French Firm Forecasts EVs to Make Up 40% of Cars in Cities by 2040
It’s the young people of today who can picture the future of the auto industry as Oliver Wyman sees it: A world of city dwellers connected by wireless technology to their homes, infrastructure and EVs.
By William Diem • Feb. 7, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Does One Person Represent Entire Generation?
It’s too easy, and too inaccurate, to bundle up an entire generation and surmise what they collectively think and act alike.
By Steve Finlay • Feb. 6, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
U.S. LV SAAR rises (slightly) for fifth straight month
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.See company updates: U.S. Sales Summary table U.S. L.V SAAR: 12.54 million units U.S. auto makers sold 816,653 light vehicles in January...
By John Sousanis 1 • Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
vAuto’s Inventory System Now on Android Mobile Devices
vAuto, Inc.'s used-car inventory management system is now available for Android mobile devices. We are excited to offer our dealers the vAuto mobile app for the Android platform, says Keith Jezek, vAuto's president. This innovation allows dealers to have vAuto in the palm of their hands for accessing real-time market information. vAuto's live market appraisal and stocking modules are available on
Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Use Worksheet to Close Deal
When I worked on the dealership sales floor, one of my goals was getting as many potential customers to paper as possible. I would take every new customer through my selling steps proper greeting, qualifying questions, vehicle presentation and demonstration drive, etc. before bringing them to my office and asking for the sale. I would then put them on paper or the dealership worksheet. The worksheet
By Darin George • Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Dealer Reviews on Cars.com
DETROIT Cars.com will add consumers' dealer reviews on its automotive marketplace website, starting in March. We are throwing the entire organization behind it, Cars.com CEO Mitch Golub tells Ward's here during the North American International Auto Show. It is a win-win for consumers and dealers. Online reviews for assorted services and products in general and for dealerships in particular have exploded
By Steve Finlay • Feb. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
All Kept Their Heads While Creating Auto-Technician Training Center
I remember thinking it was a great idea, but wondering if they could pull it off.
By Steve Finlay • Jan. 27, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Cars.Com to Post Consumers’ Auto Dealer Reviews
“There are about 500,000 dealership reviews out there, but it is a fragmented space; there’s no critical mass,” says Mitch Golub, CEO of the online automotive marketplace.
By Steve Finlay • Jan. 13, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
NAIAS Caps ‘Amazing Turnaround’
“We’re expecting the auto show to be a pretty big party, with lots of pats on the back and deservedly so,” one auto analyst says, while cautioning: “We shouldn’t get too fat and happy.”
By Tom Murphy • Jan. 10, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
NADA’s Top 5 Reason for Robust Car Sales in 2011
“Auto sales are playing a key role in leading the economic recovery,” says NADA’s Chief Economist Paul Taylor.
By Ward's Staff • Jan. 10, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
OnStar Taps Verizon to Explore New Connectivity Features
By combining its telematics technology with Verizon’s upcoming 4G wireless network and six strategically placed onboard cameras, OnStar soon will be able to record damage being done to a parked vehicle.
By James M. Amend • Jan. 5, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Some Bailed; Not Jay Cimino
We had to take a good look at where we were going if we wanted to survive,” says head of the Phil Long Automotive Group in Colorado.
By Lillie Guyer • Jan. 1, 2011 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
‘My Customers Fascinate Me’
Jack Fitzgerald was a decent door-to-door salesman. Now, he’s a “folk-hero” dealer.
By Steve Finaly • Jan. 1, 2011
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