Recent Stories
Dealers
AutoNation looks outside for next CEO

The next leader of AutoNation Inc. will be a fresh face for the company as the CEO search focuses outside.
Dealers
AutoNation trims top exec ranks, launches $50M restructuring plan

Less than four months after AutoNation began a search for a new CEO, four top-level executives — including its COO — are leaving the company.
F&I Blog
Innovation, efficiency more important than ever

As interest rates rise and margins continue to tighten, the F&I department bears the last-stop burden, the dealership's last chance at profit.
Finance & Insurance
Auto finance regulation dominates best-read F&I stories of 2018

Of all the F&I stories published in 2018, Automotive News readers were most interested in auto finance regulation and the role of the F&I manager.
Used Cars
CarMax Q3 net income jumps 28% on tax gain

CarMax's profit jumped in the fiscal third quarter, partially boosted by a decrease in the corporate tax rate. The company also expanded its store count.
Retail
Fair lands $385 million investment led by SoftBank

Fair, a used-vehicle leasing subscription service led by auto retail heavyweights, is the latest company to catch SoftBank's eye. The Japanese technology giant led Fair's latest $385 million funding round. Scott Painter, Fair's CEO, said the funding will help accelerate its year-old partnership with Uber. 
Dealers
Key AutoNation board member steps down

Michael Larson, the director who was leading the effort to find a replacement for Mike Jackson as AutoNation's CEO, abruptly stepped down Monday.
Dealers
Plant closures! Subscriptions! Why should dealers upgrade?

Facility improvement gripes are perennial complaints, but dealers wonder: Why invest in their own brick and mortar, especially as automakers close plants and launch vehicle subscription models?
ACCESS F&I
After years of growth, auto loan balance at banks drops
After at least six years of steady growth, banks' third-quarter auto loan balance decreased from the same period a year ago as credit unions' loan balance continued to grow, according to Experian.
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Dealerships and their F&I departments make strides toward a culture rooted in ethics

Ethical practices in automotive finance have evolved significantly in recent decades, with a boom in automotive retail regulations. Automotive News explores this evolution in this special section.
ACCESS F&I
How F&I ethics have evolved
Today, unethical behavior at dealerships is more difficult to get away with than in the past. Dealers set policies to weed out unethical characters, and social media and consumer resources often shed light on unethical business practices.
ACCESS F&I
Ethics and F&I compliance go hand in hand
The relationship between compliance and ethics is especially acute in the F&I department.
ACCESS F&I
Subprime auto lending hits 11-year low
Despite an increase in subprime loan volume in the third quarter, subprime market share hit its lowest level in more than a decade, according to Experian.
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Some lenders say no to extending terms — even if it means losing the deal
Affordability has become a more prominent issue as the industry's average interest rate and transaction price rise month after month. But despite consumers' drive to get to their ideal payment, lenders are staying disciplined.
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As sales slow, approach lending with a wider lens
Will affordability pressures put lenders and dealers at odds? In a volume-driven environment, maybe.