Retail

Car-shopping marketplace and dealer reputation site Cars.com named the winners of its annual Dealer of the Year Awards, honoring dealers based on average star rating, total number of reviews and the dealer’s response to those reviews. The company selected 987 winners from the more than 50,000 U.S. and Canadian auto dealers with profiles who had […] [Read More]

A new online automotive marketplace is focusing on the large and growing Hispanic market. Autogozo.com, launched by digital auto sales technology provider izmocars, is a Spanish-language auto portal that seeks to bridge the gap between Hispanic car buyers and dealers. “With millions of Hispanic buyers actively searching for their next car, we recognized the urgent […] [Read More]

A recently sold dealership has changed hands once more. Koons Wilmington Lexus in Wilmington, Del., has been acquired by Maryland-based MileOne Autogroup, which purchased the store from Asbury Automotive Group, according to the Presidio Group, which represented the seller in the transaction. It was the second sale of the store in three months. Asbury took […] [Read More]

Karma Automotive, a Southern California-based “ultra-luxury” electric vehicle manufacturer, has acquired the technology assets and IP of software company Airbiquity, based in Seattle. Karma said it has also hired Airbiquity’s key technical employees and assumed its OEM contracts. The acquisition gives Karma access to Airbiquity’s connected vehicle systems, including over-the-air updates, software development tools, data […] [Read More]

While one-third of Americans say they have experienced issues such as deceptive selling, hidden fees or dishonest salespeople at car dealerships, more than three-fourths don’t trust dealerships to be honest about their prices, according to a survey released by KPA, a provider of compliance consulting and training for auto dealerships. The 2024 KPA Dealership Trust […] [Read More]

Automotive BDC software provider Volie has become the latest industry vendor to join FordDirect’s The Shop. The Shop, launched in January, is an e-commerce platform created by FordDirect — a joint venture between Ford and Lincoln dealers and Ford Motor Company — to offer dealers access to vetted vendors with pre-negotiated prices for products and […] [Read More]

Edmunds announced the winners of its 2024 Edmunds Five Star Dealer Awards, honoring 133 dealers nationwide for outstanding customer satisfaction ratings. The company said 11 of those dealers earned the Edmunds Five Star Premier Dealer designation. Five Star Dealer Awards were presented to dealers who actively participate in the Edmunds Dealer Partner program and earned […] [Read More]

When it comes to responding to customers online, Infiniti dealers are No. 1, according to Pied Piper’s latest research. The luxury brand topped Volkswagen, Cadillac, Subaru and Polestar in the 2024 Pied Piper PSI Internet Lead Effectiveness Study, which measured responsiveness to customer Internet leads coming though dealership websites. Pied Piper submitted mystery-shopper customer inquiries […] [Read More]

The Colorado Automobile Dealers Association has partnered with inSearchX’s AskOtto.AI generative artificial intelligence platform for its 2024 Denver Auto Show, coming up April 4-7 at the Colorado Convention Center. The collaboration is designed to strengthen auto buyer engagement and accelerate auto purchases, providing personalized vehicle recommendations, proprietary car analyses and access to vehicle services such […] [Read More]

The vast majority of car buyers say the dealership experience affected their decision to buy and made them feel confident in their choice, according to a survey by experience agency ChangeUp. The company’s report, “Why the Dealership Experience Still Matters,” showed 84% of the more than 1,200 recent car purchasers surveyed agreed that their dealership […] [Read More]