Retail

Cars Commerce announced its “instant appraisal engine,” AccuTrade, has been selected by FordDirect as its preferred vehicle acquisition and trade and appraisal solution. AccuTrade becomes the latest tool offered in The Shop, FordDirect’s newly launched e-commerce platform for more than 3,000 Ford dealers and Lincoln retailers. AccuTrade is designed to speed transaction time by enabling […] [Read More]

A young dealer has her name on a dealership for the first time. Kate Faupel Grealish, who grew up in the car business as the daughter of dealer Ron Faupel and began working in his dealership at age 15, is now the proud owner of Kate Faupel Ford in Henderson, Ky. — not far from […] [Read More]

Jennifer Hurley, finance director for the Royal Auto Group in Tucson, Ariz., said she entered the automotive industry as a “bit of a fluke.” After college, Hurley — who was planning to apply to law school — joined the dealership world as a receptionist at Royal Kia.  Then the finance director approached her about a […] [Read More]

Two of the used-car industry’s heavy hitters have teamed up to make more information available to dealers and consumers. Dealership software provider Reynolds and Reynolds and CARFAX announced a collaboration to simplify dealerships’ integration with CARFAX. Through the Reynolds Certified Interface program, dealerships that opt into CARFAX Car Care will have service records automatically added […] [Read More]

KeyTrak, a provider of key and asset management systems, has partnered with TrueSpot, a real-time location services company, to allow KeyTrak Edge systems to help dealership personnel to locate vehicles and their keys faster. KeySpot said it will unveil its new advancement at the NADA Show, coming up Feb. 1-4 in Las Vegas. In a […] [Read More]

Vroom said Monday it will cease ecommerce operations and is winding down its used-car retail business. Vroom also owns United Auto Credit Corp. auto finance company as well as analytics and digital services provider CarStory. Those businesses will continue. Per the board-approved Value Maximization Plan, Vroom is suspending transactions on its website and will sell […] [Read More]

EasyCare University has announced its 2024 schedule for auto and motorsports fixed operations webinars. The webinars are designed for service advisors of all skill levels to explore elements of success in the service drive and achieve more. Course topics will rotate quarterly. Automotive topics include skill-building such as overcoming objections and upselling, presenting a multi-point […] [Read More]

One of the nation’s largest dealership groups has added to its holdings. Morgan Automotive Group, based in Tampa, Fla., has acquired nine dealerships and two collision centers from Miami-based South Motors/Vista Motors, according to Haig Partners, which represented the seller in the transaction. While the price was not disclosed, Haig Partners said in a news […] [Read More]

Electric vehicles are in the headlines daily. New models, government deadlines, new battery plant construction and more. But that doesn’t always translate to buyers, says Nate Myers, used-vehicle director at SONS Automotive Group, which has dealerships throughout Georgia and Alabama. “There’s absolutely no demand,” Myers said of EV activity in his markets. “Outside of Tesla, […] [Read More]

Despite dire stories about electric vehicles no longer selling in the United States, 2023 was the year more than 1 million EVs were sold here. Cox Automotive forecasts electric vehicles will account for more than 10% of total sales in 2024. But, said Cox, “dealers and manufacturers alike are realizing that selling more EVs will […] [Read More]