» NADA Convention
Blogs from the NADA Convention

The dealer, F&I vendor disconnect

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, Feb. 13
blogs Jim Henry is a special correspondent for Automotive News
 
There’s a disconnect in the F&I space that’s getting more obvious.
Many dealers, including some of the big publicly traded dealership groups, say they’re limiting their F&I menus to three or four items: extended-service contracts, GAP policies, prepaid maintenance and perhaps another.
Continue reading "The dealer, F&I vendor disconnect" » Feb 13, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


Why Chevy's new advertising road looks promising

Posted 11:22 am U.S. ET, Feb. 11
blogs Mike Colias covers General Motors for Automotive News.
 
ORLANDO -- Opinions on what flavors and themes should infuse Chevy's brand messaging are as diverse as its sprawling vehicle lineup.
Play on heritage, and you signal that your best days are behind you. Identify Chevy with technology like the Volt, and risk appeasing the greenies at the expense of your core pickup owners. Some ...
     Continue reading "Why Chevy's new advertising road looks promising" » Feb 11, 2013 11:22 am U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


AutoTrader: Only 2 of 3 of dealership Web visits are for vehicle shopping

Posted 11:42 am U.S. ET, Feb. 11
blogs David Barkholz is a reporter for Automotive News.
 
ORLANDO -- After reviewing nearly 3 million dealer Web site visits at 3,000 dealers recently, AutoTrader found that 32 percent of dealer Web visitors go to the site for something other than shopping.
One ...
     Continue reading "AutoTrader: Only 2 of 3 of dealership Web visits are for vehicle shopping" » Feb 11, 2013 11:42 am U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


Why 'Back to the Future' resonates at NADA

Posted 9:01 am U.S. ET, Feb. 11
blogs Edward Lapham is executive editor of Automotive News.
 
ORLANDO -- It caught my eye immediately.
Parked at a booth in the NADA exhibition hall was a DeLorean time machine. It looked as if it had just blown in from the "Back to the Future" movie trilogy -- complete with blinking dashboard lights and a flux capacitor.
M5 Management Services Inc. a ...
     Continue reading "Why 'Back to the Future' resonates at NADA" » Feb 11, 2013 9:01 am U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


Look for innovation overdrive in the service drive

Posted 5:12 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 10
blogs Jason Stein is associate publisher and editor of Automotive News.
 
ORLANDO -- The location is unknown at this point (let’s get crazy and assume it’s Las Vegas). The state of the industry is unclear (here’s hoping it’s healthy). But when the 2025 National Automobile Dealers Association convention rolls around, the vision for retail is: The big winners will have service as their middle name.
Continue reading "Look for innovation overdrive in the service drive" » Feb 10, 2013 5:12 pm U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


Some dealers look past facility programs to sales, profits

Posted 4:30 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 10
blogs Amy Wilson covers auto dealer issues for Automotive News
 
ORLANDO -- What a difference a year makes.
While facility programs continue to cause great concern -- and consternation -- among dealers, the intensity surrounding the issue has subsided since 2012's National Automobile Dealers Association convention.
You could see it at the press conferenc ...
     Continue reading "Some dealers look past facility programs to sales, profits" » Feb 10, 2013 4:30 pm U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


Why Mini’s make meeting was so important

Posted 3:13 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 10
blogs Diana T. Kurylko covers various U.S. import brands for Automotive News.
 
Mini boosted U.S. sales 15 percent to a record 66,123 vehicles last year, more than Jaguar, Land Rover, Mitsubishi and Porsche -- and a few thousand units short of Volvo.
And all of those brands have their own make meetings at NADA. But Mini USA and parent company BMW weren’t ready for that until this year.
Continue reading "Why Mini’s make meeting was so important" » Feb 10, 2013 3:13 pm U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


An NADA booth isn’t for everyone, but the convention is

Posted 2:30 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 10
blogs Jamie LaReau covers auto dealers for Automotive News.
 
ORLANDO -- Meeting up with EasyCare’s CEO at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention is not easy.
I tracked him down at the NCM Associates booth.
That’s because EasyCare is boothless.
And that’s just how CEO Larry Dorfman ...
     Continue reading "An NADA booth isn’t for everyone, but the convention is" » Feb 10, 2013 2:30 pm U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


Three generations at NADA

Posted 2:15 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 10
blogs James B. Treece is industry editor for Automotive News.
 
ORLANDO -- Three generations of the family behind Colussy Chevrolet in Bridgeville, Pa., outside of Pittsburgh, are at this year's NADA convention: Tim, 55, the dealer principal; his father, Skip, 84, who remains part owner; and Tim's son, Dan, 22, who is learning the ropes in the parts department.
Skip is no stranger to NADA ...
     Continue reading "Three generations at NADA" » Feb 10, 2013 2:15 pm U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


This year’s buzz: Dealer apps

Posted 10:13 am U.S. ET, Feb. 10
blogs Lindsay Chappell is the Mid-South bureau chief for Automotive News.
 
ORLANDO -- Was it all of three or four years ago that the buzz at the auto retailers convention was all about dealer Web sites? Who was doing them well? Who was missing the boat? Who was making sure they met standards, and what bright new promise did they held for the auto industry?
And suddenly last year the buzz shifted to ...
     Continue reading "This year’s buzz: Dealer apps" » Feb 10, 2013 10:13 am U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


Farley accumulates fascinating facts over the years

Posted 6:11 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 9
blogs Bradford Wernle covers Ford for Automotive News.
 
ORLANDO -- Jim Farley didn't join Ford Motor Co. until November 2007. But Ford's executive vice president of global marketing, sales, service and the Lincoln brand has already amassed a wealth of historical knowledge and trivia about the company and its dealers around the world.
Holding court with journalists at Ford's Salute ...
     Continue reading "Farley accumulates fascinating facts over the years" » Feb 9, 2013 6:11 pm U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


Mood swing in Orlando: This year, deals are everywhere

Posted 6:43 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 9
blogs Jason Stein is associate publisher and editor of Automotive News.
 
A lifetime ago -- like, way back in the bad old times of early 2010 -- you could have shot a cannon down one side of the Orange County Convention Center and not hit a soul.
This convention's last trip to Orlando was a wake. Deals were being made, but with admittedly hushed tones. General Motors wasn’t here. And nearly 2 ...
     Continue reading "Mood swing in Orlando: This year, deals are everywhere" » Feb 9, 2013 6:43 pm U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


Heavy snow won’t stop auction action, NAAA president says

Posted 6:22 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 9
blogs Arlena Sawyers covers remarketing for Automotive News.
 
ORLANDO -- The roads are blocked, businesses are closed and people have hunkered down in their homes as the Northeast rides out the great blizzard of 2013.
But come Monday morning auto auctions located in the snow-covered Northeast will be ready for business, predicts Paul Lips, president of the National Auto Auction Associat ...
     Continue reading "Heavy snow won’t stop auction action, NAAA president says" » Feb 9, 2013 6:22 pm U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


Newborn Chrysler Capital shows up at NADA

Posted 3:42 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 9
blogs Larry P. Vellequette is a reporter for Automotive News.
 
ORLANDO -- There are lots of young companies on the expo floor at the NADA convention pushing this product or that service to help dealers.
But as far as I can tell, there's only one so young that it ought to be wearing diapers.
Chrysler Capital, the new financing venture between Chrysler G ...
     Continue reading "Newborn Chrysler Capital shows up at NADA " » Feb 9, 2013 3:42 pm U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


How the NADA and EPA want to save energy at dealerships

Posted 2:17 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 9
blogs Gabe Nelson is the Washington reporter for Automotive News.
 
ORLANDO -- The National Automobile Dealers Association and the EPA may not always see eye to eye, but they are collaborating on some common ground: saving energy at car dealerships.
With their brightly lit parking lots, climate-controlled showrooms and repair equipment, dealerships can use quite a bit of electricity.
...
     Continue reading "How the NADA and EPA want to save energy at dealerships" » Feb 9, 2013 2:17 pm U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


Why millennials are a double-edged sword for dealers

Posted 12:24 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 8
blogs Mike Colias covers General Motors for Automotive News.
 
ORLANDO -- There's been a lot of ink spilled about why car dealers must go out of their way to court young people.
So-called millennials -- people in their teens to early 30s -- are more fickle. They're not necessarily turned on by cars. And oh yeah, there are 80 million of them in the U.S., more than the baby boom generation ...
     Continue reading "Why millennials are a double-edged sword for dealers" » Feb 8, 2013 12:24 pm U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


Gross memories of 2009

Posted 2:26 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 8
blogs Lindsay Chappell is the Mid-South bureau chief for Automotive News.
 
ORLANDO -- Before we get around to cheering for the growth in vehicle sales, let us wax nostalgic for the good old days of 2009 and 2010.
Even though it was cataclysmic on most counts, it wasn’t too shabby on at least one point. Dealership gross profits were better then.
Since the mon ...
     Continue reading "Gross memories of 2009" » Feb 8, 2013 2:26 pm U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


No softballs at the Power roundtable

Posted 11:36 am U.S. ET, Feb. 8
blogs Mark Rechtin is West Coast editor of Automotive News.
 
ORLANDO -- Most Q&A sessions at industry conferences are loaded with softballs, easy questions lobbed for the on-stage executive speaker to knock out of the park.
But making AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson the grand inquisitor -- especially when his target is Honda exec John Mendel -- changes the scenario in a big way. There ...
     Continue reading "No softballs at the Power roundtable" » Feb 8, 2013 11:36 am U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


How's business? Dazzling -- but we're keeping an eye on it

Posted 5:47 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 8
blogs Jason Stein is associate publisher and editor of Automotive News
 
The year is off to a sizzling beginning, jump-started by a hot January for sales. Profits are near all-time highs across the dealer landscape. And, if you listen closely to those who escaped the winter blizzard and made it to Orlando, business is downright rocking.
"The industry is in a very healthy place," said AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson at Friday's J.D ...
     Continue reading "How's business? Dazzling -- but we're keeping an eye on it" » Feb 8, 2013 5:47 pm U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


New Chrysler council chairman slips in a sale wherever he can -- or bottle

Posted 12:00 pm U.S. ET, Feb. 8
blogs Larry P. Vellequette is a reporter for Automotive News.
 
The difference between regular auto dealers and successful auto dealers is simple: successful auto dealers never stop selling, even when they're hundreds of miles from home.
Gary Brown, the incoming chairman of the Chrysler National Dealer Council lives this philosophy. And if you're near a place where beverages are served th ...
     Continue reading "New Chrysler council chairman slips in a sale wherever he can -- or bottle" » Feb 8, 2013 12:00 pm U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


Sky’s the limit for AutoNation F&I

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, Feb. 6
blogs Jim Henry is a special correspondent for Automotive News
 
It looks like AutoNation Inc. has upped the ante once again in F&I revenues per vehicle, having reached a record $1,307 in the fourth quarter of 2012.
AutoNation is typically No. 1 among the six biggest publicly traded new-vehicle retail groups in F&I revenue per vehicle. AutoNation made $1,200 the number to beat in 2 ...
     Continue reading "Sky’s the limit for AutoNation F&I" » Feb 6, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


Subprime lenders court Orlando magic

Posted 12:01 am U.S. ET, Jan. 23
blogs Jim Henry is a special correspondent for Automotive News
 
Dealers shopping for subprime lenders could wear out some shoe leather at the upcoming NADA Convention & Expo in Orlando next month.
Two years ago, I wrote that the list of NADA Expo exhibitors on the nada.org Web site that were subprime specialists was a little thin. That improved last year. It’s early yet, and thi ...
     Continue reading "Subprime lenders court Orlando magic" » Jan 23, 2013 12:01 am U.S. ET
Comments [0] | Recommendations [0]
Post Comment  |  Permalink


Staff blogs
 
 
LINKS TO OTHER BLOGS
              »SUBMIT