Recent Stories
Fixed Ops Journal
Apps drive into the service lane
Smartphone apps are breaking into the automotive service business. The question is: Whose apps should service departments embrace -- those from independent app developers, those from automak
Sales
American Honda gets boost from cars, HR-V
Honda Motor Co. reported a 9.4 percent increase in U.S. sales last month, bolstered by strong car shipments and gains at both its Honda and Acura divisions. Volume jumped 11 percent at the Honda division with 123,369 sales in March, and edged up 1.2 percent at Acura with 14,852 deliveries.
ACCESS F&I
First, take auto finance course, then get the loan
Picking out and financing a vehicle for the first time can be a tricky task, but one used-car dealership in Michigan is rolling out a program that makes the process a little less daunting.
NADA Show
As talk of sales slide revs, focus shifts to service, parts
Maintaining a healthy service department will be more important than ever as the industry nears a possible new-vehicle sales plateau. Some dealership groups already are paying more attention to their service and parts departments, even if they don't necessarily agree that sales will soon turn south.
ACCESS F&I
First, take auto finance course, then get the loan
Picking out and financing a vehicle for the first time can be a tricky task, but one used-car dealership in Michigan suburban Detroit is rolling out a program to that makes the process a little less daunting.
Fixed Ops Journal
Competition in the palm of your customer's hands
Dealership service departments now have to compete against Uber-like mobile mechanics driving up the street to consumers' doorsteps. Here's how one of those rivals works.
Dealers
Flexible schedules aim to keep stores strong
The automotive retail sector is gradually embracing a more flexible workweek. Stores on this year's Best Dealerships To Work For list are staying one step ahead of this trend with creative and innovative scheduling.
Suppliers
T.RAD, Fujikura settle U.S. price-fixing civil litigation
T.RAD and Fujikura are the latest to agree to civil settlements linked the ongoing U.S. criminal antitrust investigation into automotive supplier fixing. Attorney Hollis Salzman of the Robins Kaplan law firm in New York represented a group of more than 50 individuals who purchased or leased a new vehicle containing auto parts at issue in the federal litigation.
Regulation & Safety
Acura, Mercedes, Mazda get top rating in IIHS collision prevention tests
Acura, Mercedes and Mazda made an impressive showing in the most recent IIHS testing of vehicles with front collision prevention technology. More than a dozen of the 19 vehicles tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety earned a “superior” rating -- the highest rating offered in this test.
Regulation & Safety
Jeep Grand Cherokee being probed by NHTSA for rollaway risk
An estimated 408,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees are the subject of a preliminary NHTSA investigation after drivers complained that newer models rolled away after being put in park.
Marketing
Lexus rises to No. 1 in customer satisfaction study
Lexus overtook Mercedes-Benz to come out on top in a recent U.S. customer satisfaction study while recalls and rising prices across the industry are driving down average new-vehicle customer satisfaction scores.
Automakers & Suppliers
GM ignition switch defects tied to 124 deaths, 275 injuries, Feinberg review finds
Attorney Kenneth Feinberg has completed its review of all 4,000-plus compensation claims related to General Motors' faulty ignition switches. The switches, which prompted the recall of more than 2.6 million vehicles last year, now have been linked to 124 deaths and 275 injuries, 17 of which were serious.
Regulation & Safety
GM recalls Impalas for airbags flaw involving infant seats
General Motors is recalling 8,989 Impalas for passenger-side airbags that can fail to turn off if an infant seat is in the front seat.
Marketing
Mercedes to hang 3-pointed star on new home of Atlanta Falcons, report says
Mercedes-Benz is poised to secure the naming rights to a new stadium for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons, according to a report.
Cars & Concepts
Ford patents autonomous vehicle with 'reconfigurable seats'
Ford received a U.S. patent on its plans for an “autonomous vehicle with reconfigurable seats” earlier this month. The seats can swivel and fold all while the vehicle is in motion, and the steering wheel can even retract into the dashboard to create more space in the vehicle cabin.