July 7, 2016 — The automotive retail technology world is dominated by three players today — Cox Automotive, CDK Global and Reynolds and Reynolds. On the CRM side, the major players are DealerSocket and ELead1One. Meanwhile, Salesforce is hovering around the industry. The question is, will this power structure continue over the next two to…
July 3, 2016 — The long term effects on the auto industry resulting from Great Britain’s vote to exit the European Union may well be determined by how amicable the divorce proceedings are. Early indications are that the breakup could be ugly. But it’s only been a week since the Brits shocked the world so…
June 13, 2016 — The collateral damage resulting from the Takata airbag disaster likely will start affecting dealership buy-sell activity at the public group level for the near future. The issue is the number of used vehicles that currently are in inventory at the public dealer groups that cannot be sold because of the recall. The…
June 10, 2016 — Cox Automotive is still working to properly align its pieces following the $4.1 billion acquisition of DealerTrack last fall. As of NADA, it appeared that the restructuring was complete, but today, executives are announcing internally a series of moves realigning some its most visible pieces. The big move Cox is making…
June 9, 2016 — (UPDATED June 18) — CDK Global activist investor Elliott Management followed up its letter from May 4 with a second letter yesterday urging the tech firm to move faster in implementing its capital return plan while being more transparent with shareholders. Five hours later, CDK announced it is accelerating its $1…
May 31, 2016 — With only 86 transactions through May of 2016, the dealership buy-sell market appears to be slowing down from the record-setting pace in 2015 in which The Banks Report recorded 107 transactions over the same period. The number of rooftops changing owners is also down significantly with 149 this year compared with 222…
May 30, 2016 — UPDATED — A swift kick in the butt from an activist investor followed by a company-wide restructuring has CDK Global’s stock price climbing while possibly signaling the technology firm could be sold within the next several months. This report analyzes the opportunities and challenges presented by the new restructuring and what it…
May 16, 2016 — FordDirect announced today that industry veteran Mike Jurecki will be its new CEO effective June 6. Jurecki previously served as CEO of RouteOne for 14 years where he led the formation of the joint venture of the financial services firm. He replaces Stacey Coopes who left FordDirect in early December (Big… Continue Reading
April 20, 2016 — Greg Miller, the former CEO of the Larry H. Miller Automotive Group, announced last week that he has acquired Bob Baker Toyota from the Bob Baker Automotive Group in San Diego. According to media reports, Miller’s new venture is separate from the Larry H. Miller Automotive Group, the mega dealer group, he… Continue Reading
Last week’s announcement that Holman Automotive is acquiring the Kuni Automotive Group is significant on numerous levels. The Banks Report, which broke the news of the deal, estimates that it is the biggest dealer acquisition since Warren Buffett’s purchase of the Van Tuyl Automotive Group in March of 2015. So what does the deal mean for…
