Retail

Dodge banks on Fast & Furious 6 tie-in to rev up Dart sales

4:02 pm U.S. ET | May 23, 2013
Can the coattails of Fast & Furious 6 and its young, devoted male fans give a boost to Dodge Dart sales? Chrysler Group is counting on it.... Read More »

 

Lasorda, Penske launch venture fund for tech startups

1:00 pm U.S. ET | May 23, 2013
Tom LaSorda, the former CEO of Chrysler and Fisker Automotive, has started a new venture capital fund -- with investors that include auto racing and retailing executive Roger Penske -- that will invest in startup companies in health care, clean energy, transportation, information technology, software and applications.... Read More »

 

Experian vehicle history reports to appear in AutoTrader.com starting in September

3:46 pm U.S. ET | May 23, 2013
Starting in September, dealers will be allowed to post used vehicles on AutoTrader.com with Experian Automotive's AutoCheck vehicle history reports in addition to reports from Carfax.... Read More »

 

Ally to pay ResCap $2.1 billion to settle creditor claims

2:30 pm U.S. ET | May 23, 2013
Ally Financial, the auto lender majority-owned by the U.S. government, agreed to pay $2.1 billion to avoid lawsuits related to its bankrupt mortgage unit, Residential Capital.... Read More »

 

NY court bedevils Nissan's taxi deal

2:17 pm U.S. ET | May 23, 2013
Five months before Nissan is to begin rolling its yellow taxis onto the streets of New York City, the state's supreme court has ruled one element of the deal "null, void and unenforceable."... Read More »

 

MAY U.S. AUTO SALES

U.S. auto sales will bounce back this month, forecasters say

11:55 am U.S. ET | May 23, 2013
May auto sales in the United States are expected to rebound from an April slowdown, easing concerns of another spring swoon, forecasters said. The light-vehicle seasonally adjusted annual selling rate for this month will be 15.2 million, both LMC Automotive/JD Power and Associates and TrueCar.com predicted today.... Read More »

 

European carmakers shares decline on weakening China manufacturing

May 23, 2013 11:04 CET
Volkswagen, PSA and Renault shares all dropped 5 percent or more after preliminary data showed Chinese manufacturing is unexpectedly contracting.... Read More »

 

GM prices Chevy Spark EV below $20,000 after tax credits

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 23, 2013
GM will price its new Chevrolet Spark electric vehicle at $27,495, including destination charges and before federal tax credits, placing it among the cheapest EVs on the market.... Read More »

 

JIM HENRY

Are worries over slower, smaller tax refunds overblown?

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 22, 2013
Some lenders complained in first-quarter earnings reports about smaller and later tax refunds. IRS refund statistics weren’t down by much, but any change is important because tax refunds contribute to the annual peak in subprime financing, according to dealers and subprime lenders.... Read More »

 

JAMIE LaREAU

For happier customers, sales and F&I need to talk

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 22, 2013
Good communication between sales and finance staff cannot be overstated. That’s my takeaway from reading a recent chat on a Facebook page shared by finance managers.... Read More »

 

Daimler may sell company-owned German dealerships to cut costs

May 22, 2013 13:19 CET
Daimler may sell four company-owned Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Germany to cut costs and help close a profitability gap with rivals BMW and Audi. Daimler owns 98 Mercedes car showrooms that account for about half of its car sales in Germany, the brand's second-biggest market after the United States.... Read More »

 

VW to modify late-model diesels in N. America to prevent improper fueling

May 22, 2013 06:01 CET
Volkswagen plans to refit more than a quarter million 2009-12 diesel cars to prevent North American customers from mistakenly pumping gasoline into the fuel tanks.... Read More »

 

Opel keeps Bochum logistics center open to fulfill contract

May 22, 2013 06:01 CET
Opel will keep a spare-parts distribution center open until 2016 at its plant in Bochum, Germany, as long as two years after car production ends at the site. The plant, which makes the Zafira minivan, is scheduled to close by the end of 2014 after workers rejected a restructuring plan in March that would have extended manufacturing there for another two years.... Read More »

 

NADA, automakers reach out with aid for tornado victims

7:23 pm U.S. ET | May 21, 2013
The National Automobile Dealers Association and several automakers are reaching out with assistance to dealers and victims affected by Monday's tornado in Oklahoma.... Read More »

 

VW to modify late-model diesels to prevent improper fueling

4:36 pm U.S. ET | May 21, 2013
Volkswagen plans to refit more than a quarter million 2009-12 diesel cars to prevent North American customers from mistakenly pumping gasoline into the fuel tanks.... Read More »

 

Subaru Forester tops Honda CR-V in small SUV review

9:38 am U.S. ET | May 21, 2013
The Subaru Forester small SUV beat the Honda CR-V and other rivals in testing by Consumer Reports, which ranked the model as its top pick in that segment.... Read More »

 

LUCA CIFERRI

U.S. and Brazil bright spots for Fiat-Chrysler as Europe declines

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 21, 2013
Global April sales for Fiat-Chrysler show how much the Americas, especially the U.S. and Brazil, are supporting the automaker as deliveries in Europe fall.... Read More »

 

LUCA CIFERRI

U.S. and Brazil bright spots for Fiat-Chrysler as Europe declines

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 21, 2013
Global April sales for Fiat-Chrysler show how much the Americas, especially the U.S. and Brazil, are supporting the automaker as deliveries in Europe fall.... Read More »

 

Automakers, dealers remain opposed to bill preventing rental firms from renting recalled vehicles

6:34 pm U.S. ET | May 21, 2013
Major automakers and auto dealers told a Senate panel Tuesday that they remain opposed to legislation that would prohibit rental car companies from renting or selling vehicles that are subject to a federal safety recall.... Read More »

 

Auto dealers escape worst of tornado's wrath

3:06 pm U.S. ET | May 21, 2013
Car dealers were recovering from damage and organizing aid to survivors today after a two-mile-wide tornado ravaged an Oklahoma City suburb, but there were no reports of the massive twister directly hitting dealerships.... Read More »

 

2 congressmen ask Treasury for details on 2008-09 dealership closures

2:36 pm U.S. ET | May 21, 2013
Two congressmen -- one a former Ohio auto dealer and the other a Pennsylvania new- and used-car dealer -- have asked the U.S. Treasury Department to release materials detailing how General Motors and Chrysler dealerships were selected for closure during the 2008-09 restructuring.... Read More »

 

French car orders fall 0.5% in April, survey says

May 21, 2013 15:06 CET
The decline in French car orders slowed to 0.5 percent in April, showing signs of stabilization in the auto market, according to a dealership survey by trade publication La Lettre Auto K7. The survey said orders were helped by the launch of several new models last month.... Read More »

 

Dongfeng-PSA sales rise 37% in April on new models

May 21, 2013 08:49 CET
PSA's China joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Corp. said it increased sales 37 percent last month to 45,303 units helped by strong demand for its stretched Citroen C4 and Peugeot 3008 models.... Read More »

 

WACKY, LIKE A FOX

Goofy ads, variants help Mini rule its own little world

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 20, 2013
BMW, Mini's parent company, had forecast U.S. sales of 20,000 units of the original two-door in 2003, but 36,000 were sold. That was the beginning of Mini's surprising journey. And they quickly settled on an irreverent, even wacky, persona suited to buyers of what one dealership general manager calls "a happy car."... Read More »

 

BMW counts on new models to keep U.S. luxury lead

May 20, 2013 06:01 CET
Mercedes-Benz led the U.S. premium-brand sales race through April of 2013, but BMW of North America CEO Ludwig Willisch expects BMW to repeat as No. 1 for the year. Willisch says help is on the way in the form of three models debuting later this year: the 3-series GT crossover, 4-series coupe and a redesigned X5 crossover.... Read More »