Jackie Charniga

ESI Trends and the Center for Automotive Diversity, Inclusion and Advancement have formed a coalition to tackle the problem of creating DE&I programs accessible to megadealers and single-store operators alike.

F&I managers and product experts say wraparound products that complement CPO programs add value — and profitability — to the transaction.

Despite the added challenges of the pandemic on sourcing inventory and original equipment parts for reconditioning, certified preowned sales are climbing, which is adding value and profitability to dealership F&I offices.

The resolution of the Federal Trade Commission's case against the southwest dealership group displayed some hard bargaining on the part of its staff and persistence to obtain relief.

The federal agency originally had pursued a $7 million settlement, which failed to materialize following bankruptcy proceedings of the dealership group last year.

The public dealership group selected KJR Consulting, a Connecticut-based firm that's worked with Coca-Cola, Papa John's, and Harvard Business School, to create its Diversity and Inclusion Initiative.

Debt is mounting in the U.S., a positive indication of recovery in consumer credit, according to two reports released in the past week.

AutoFi CEO Kevin Singerman says that the rash of acquisition activity in the software space gives his tech platform an edge.

Fox Auto Group in El Paso, Texas, has deployed a certified pre-owned product that has raised the retailer's average finance-and-insurance profits per vehicle sold.

The tool, which will undergo pilot testing with select dealerships in the fall, will formally launch in 2022.

Tanya Sanders, who has more than 20 years of financial services experience, joined Wells Fargo in 2019 to lead the auto division's underwriting and fulfillment group.

Asbury's results continue a streak of landmark earnings among the public dealership groups galvanized by higher vehicle profits during the microchip shortage.