Recent Stories
F&I Blog
Training strength lies in the details

Finance managers are tasked with understanding the relationships among various components of a customer's background, from the details of a trade-in to the credit standing. F&I training should pay special attention to those factors.
Finance & Insurance
Auto lenders take varied approaches to technology investments

Top executives from lenders including BMW Financial Services, Chase Auto and Ford Motor Credit have divergent approaches to innovating, emphasizing the benefits of testing promising technology early or taking a slower approach to adoption.
Dealers
Lithia plans for growth year in 2019

While being cost-conscious remains valuable to the company, Lithia executives say they aren't afraid to spend money to make money.
Dealers
Lithia gets Q4 lift from used cars

A double-digit percentage rise in used-vehicle sales and higher finance-and-insurance income helped give Lithia Motors, the country's fourth-largest dealership group, a boost in fourth quarter revenue and adjusted earnings. But net income dropped on a comparison with the year-earlier quarter that included a large one-time tax benefit.
F&I Blog
Break the rules? Expect the consequences

Dealerships should document the penalties for violating store policies. If an employee can plead ignorance to the consequences of breaking a rule at a dealership, there's something missing from the compliance standards.
Finance & Insurance
Retiring F&I Express CEO to assist in transition

Brian Reed, CEO of F&I Express, has retired about four months after Cox Automotive acquired the business. Reed for more than a decade has been an advocate for online car-buying and electronic contracting for F&I products.
Dealers
Public retailers focus on fixed ops talent

Group 1, Asbury and Penske — the three public dealership groups that reported fourth-quarter earnings last week — showed that they share a common mission: Ramp up recruitment and retention in the service department.
Finance & Insurance
Dealers take a hard look at F&I managers' pay

A drastic pay disparity between F&I managers and their management peers could disrupt the traditional career path and make dealers question the value of the F&I position. Still, slashing or minimizing F&I pay could drive away talent.
Dealers
Asbury's Q4 net income slips, but revenue rises

Asbury Automotive's revenue rose in the fourth quarter of 2018, but the dealership group's net income slipped, in part because year-ago results were boosted by a one-time tax break.
Finance & Insurance
Cash-strapped customers keep 2018 used-vehicle prices low, Cox says

Used-vehicle loan payments stayed relatively steady in 2018, mostly because of customers' cost restrictions and availability of older vehicles, according to Cox Automotive.
Finance & Insurance
Educating shoppers on credit freezes can smooth in-store transactions

The law requiring credit bureaus to offer consumers free credit report freezes can help prevent fraud, but customers who don't lift the freezes before entering a dealership to buy a vehicle could face longer transaction times.
NADA Show
Volvo to dealers: We are committed to you

Anders Gustafsson, CEO of Volvo Car USA, told dealers at the NADA Show to "take a breath" over the subscription service that has sparked controversy between the automaker and its retailers.
Finance & Insurance
Ally's originations rise on used vehicles, fall on new

Ally Financial's used-vehicle originations continued to grow in the fourth quarter, driven in part by loans to Carvana, DriveTime and CarMax customers, while total auto originations fell.
F&I Blog
With online tools, let customers dictate the process

For some car shoppers, a veil of anonymity is one of digital retail's perks. They appreciate configuring a deal on their own, without pressure from the dealership -- at least at first.
NADA Show
Volvo to dealers: 'Take a breath' over subscription services

The company's top North American executive opened Saturday's make meeting with a message: Volvo isn't backing away from its commitments to dealers then implored them to "take a breath" over subscription services.