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News and features on automotive retailing and dealership management.

Internet Spurs More Cross Shopping

Consumers can start out planning to buy one brand and end up purchasing another because of their online research.

Read and Discuss

May 21, 2013

blog

Dealers Object to Sales Leads Routed to Competitors

Some dealers think they are paying for exclusive leads when, in fact, they are getting ones that are passed around and re-sold....More
May 21, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

Used-Car Demand Reflects Spain’s Depressed Economy

Industry officials expect this year’s proportion of used-car to new-car buyers will match last year’s record of 2.3:1, more than double the ratio in the pre-recession year of 2007....More
May 21, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

Ford Dealership Group Packs a Punch

Sam Pack, a former Ford Credit employee, has become a legendary multiple-store dealer in Texas....More
May 21, 2013

User Submitted Content

Word to the Wise on Addressing Customers

Dealership service advisors need to slow down, choose the right words and listen to concerns....More
May 20, 2013

User Submitted Content

Avoid Going Into Compliance Overload

The majority of legal problems dealers face result from customers who register complaints but don’t obtain satisfaction....More
May 17, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

Sometimes Oddly, Used-Car Prices Vary by Source

Perception may trump reality when values fluctuate based on used-car sources....More
May 16, 2013

User Submitted Content

Don’t Let Expenses Gnaw Into Profits

There still are real gross-profit opportunities available to dealers....More
May 16, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

Some Auto Makers Miss Apple’s Point, Consultant Says

Glenn Mercer says standardization is good, but certain auto makers wrongly take it to an extreme by insisting all of a brand’s dealerships must look like clones....More
May 15, 2013

User Submitted Content

Marketing Spots Should Hit Shoppers While They’re Hot

Today, dealer advertising must be a “real-time” experience for potential customers....More
May 14, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

Ford Uses Videos to Enhance Car-Delivery Experience

The program is designed to fulfill customer interest while avoiding the potential of a buyer going into information overload....More

Related

2012 Ward's Mega Dealer 100

2012 WardsAuto e-Dealer 100

2011 Driving Sales Executive Summit

2012 NADA Conference & Exposition

Ward's 2011 Dealer 500

Ward's 2011 Dealer F&I 150

Industry Voices

May 22, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

New Patent Rules Change Game, Harmonize U.S. Auto Industry With Rest of World

With almost the entire world playing by the same rules, the process from invention to filing will have to be quick, or else one runs the risk of losing patent rights to another company or individual filing first....More

May 21, 2013

User Submitted Content

Word to the Wise on Addressing Customers

Dealership service advisors need to slow down, choose the right words and listen to concerns....More

May 20, 2013

User Submitted Content

Avoid Going Into Compliance Overload

The majority of legal problems dealers face result from customers who register complaints but don’t obtain satisfaction....More

May 16, 2013

User Submitted Content

Don’t Let Expenses Gnaw Into Profits

There still are real gross-profit opportunities available to dealers....More

May 15, 2013

User Submitted Content

Marketing Spots Should Hit Shoppers While They’re Hot

Today, dealer advertising must be a “real-time” experience for potential customers....More

More Industry Voices - Insight, observation, and advice from WardsAuto readers.

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MegaDealer 100

Full Coverage: WardsAuto's annual ranking of dealer groups.

May 1, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

Megadealers Strong, Not Omnipotent

The players on the WardsAuto Megadealer 100 are all-stars, but they don’t fill the entire lineup....More

May 1, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

AutoNation CEO Likes Green, Green Cash of Home

Michael Jackson tells why he sees 2013 as a banner year for his company and the auto industry in general....More

May 1, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

Megadealer Uses Concentrated Firepower

Ed Tonkin sees a collective race to prosperity as automotive market conditions improve....More

May 1, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

Group 1's Earl Hesterberg: The Transformer

Former Ford executive leaves his mark as CEO of dealership chain....More

Apr. 19, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

Lithia Founder Lauds Son for Dealership Group’s New Direction

Megadealer Sid DeBoer talks about his new role and the new direction Lithia has taken....More

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Editor's PIcks

May 20, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

Hyundai Output Losses Total $1.43 Billion as Korean Workers Refuse Weekends

Union rank-and-file workers have criticized their own negotiators, saying they rejected an April 26 deal because Hyundai was demanding a productivity increase in return for a small pay raise....More

May 21, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

Brazil Sees Auto Plant Boom as Vehicle Importers Rethink Strategies

OEMs that ignore the government’s incentive programs do so at their own risk, says an executive from the association of vehicle importers. In practice, companies that do not adhere to the program will have their IPI tax hiked 30% on imports....More

May 20, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

GM Pickup Inventories, Sell-Down Going Smoothly, Reuss Says

The auto maker needs stocks to remain above the industry average of roughly 80 days, because it has been idling assembly plants to changeover tooling for the ’14 models trickling in to dealers now....More

May 20, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

GM Thailand Powertrain Plant Earns Zero Landfill Status

The achievement makes the auto maker a leader in local environmental responsibility, which is especially important as the heavily industrialized Rayong region is suffering the effects of growing pollution....More

May 17, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

April Vehicle Sales Hint at European Market Recovery

Despite last month’s uptick, the sales pace must gain speed if auto makers’ forecast of a 5% decline this year is to be reached....More

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WardsAuto editors' blog offering insights
on the global auto industry.

Data Analysis

May 20, 2013

blog

Dynamics in Surging Large Pickup Segment Mostly Point to More Market Share

Supporting the production rise are large-pickup sales in the U.S., which could top 1.9 million in 2013 and shoot past 2 million next year....More

May 17, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

North American Light-Vehicle Production Up 13.7% in April

Detroit Three output grew 11% in the month, compared with year-ago. Ford enjoyed the biggest gain, up 19.7%, with 263,553 cars and trucks....More

May 16, 2013

video

WardsAuto

WardsAuto AutomotiveCompass Global Update: May 2013

Video brief highlights updates to future product and production plans from the Wards/AC global forecast....More

May 13, 2013

Video

WardsAuto

WardsAuto Outlook: Are We On Pace for a 15.5 Million Year?

March sales prompted some analysts to raise their 2013 forecast, but were the heightened projections too much too soon?...More

May 10, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

Mix Shifts, But April U.S. Fuel Economy Remains at Record Level

For the second consecutive month, U.S. light vehicles attained record fuel efficiency even as sales continued to shift toward traditionally less-efficient segments....More

May 7, 2013

Article

WardsAuto

Record First-Quarter North American Capacity Utilization; 12-Month Average to Climb

Ford and Nissan are the two biggest reasons industry capacity utilization is running at 100% or more, but they are getting a lot of help from manufacturers with only one or two facilities, nearly all of them on 3-shift/crew schedules....More

Click here for more Data Articles

WardsAuto/AutomotiveCompass Global Vehicle & Powertrain Forecasts.

Interest in autonomous vehicles continues to grow, but technical, legal, regulatory and cost hurdles remain. When will true driverless cars reach the U.S. market?

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