September 5, 2022 – General Motors’ strategy to buy out Buick dealers not wanting to transition to an all-electric future is good news for the brand and its dealers. The automaker introduced its plans to Buick dealers on Friday (kudos to Mike Colias of the Wall Street Journal for breaking the news). The move follows Buick’s announcement… Continue Reading
August 23, 2022 — President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law a week ago. The new law enacts several changes to the tax credit available for new electric vehicles. As we noted prior to the law’s signing, many of the changes are confusing and needed clarification from the government. In the last week,… Continue Reading
October 27, 2021 — As the auto industry continues to manage an ongoing chip shortage, a looming magnesium and silicon shortage is threatening to erode vehicle production even further. Magnesium and silicon are key ingredients in the production of aluminum alloy, which is used in numerous vehicle parts. Silicon also is a main component in…
(Photo Source: Shutterstock, Photographer: Jaguar PS) July 28, 2021 — Hollywood actor and noted comedian Kevin Hart sees the upside in automotive digital retailing and has decided to ride along with a group of investors putting $18 million into Rodo, a mobile app that lets customers lease, purchase, or sell a vehicle online. Hart’s investment… Continue Reading
July 21, 2021 — Following a scuttled SPAC attempt earlier this year for portfolio company Solera Holdings, Vista Equity Partners now is planning for an initial public offering later this year or early next year. The original strategy called for partnering with special purpose acquisition company Apollo Growth Strategic Capital, which had raised $817 million…
July 7, 2021 — After more than $200 million being invested in automotive digital retailing firms the last few years, two large strategic transactions in June signaled the sector has entered the acquisition/consolidation phase. A third deal, set to be announced this morning, pushes the total amount spent on purchases of firms offering digital retailing…
May 15, 2020 — Despite recent speculation the government will enact a “Cash-for-Clunkers” type deal to help spur car sales as it did in 2009, there are several reasons why a similar play this year likely will not happen. The “Cash-for-Clunkers” program — its official name was the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) — was…
April 14, 2020 — Online used-vehicle retailer Carvana share price jumped nearly 23% yesterday to $75.28 and is up nearly another $7 in early trading this morning. That’s a 228.6% increase from just over three weeks ago when its stock price hit its 52-week low of $22.91. Each of the eight public dealer group stocks…
April 7, 2020 — Add collision repair to the list of businesses that will be decimated by the COVID-19 virus over the next couple of months. Even though vehicle service and repair shops are deemed “essential businesses” in each state, the collision business likely will plummet as vehicles are staying parked in driveways due to… Continue Reading
March 19, 2020 — Earlier this week, the Asbury Automotive Group (ABG) filed an 8-K document with the SEC informing investors it “intends to continue to evaluate alternatives,” regarding its pending acquisition of 10 dealerships from the Park Place group in Texas. The announcement is not a surprise given what the entire country — and…