Being able to interact with some of the leading minds in automotive retail is one of the perks of what I do that I probably value the most. About two weeks ago I wrote a column on LinkedIn about one of those people — Steve Anenen, the former CEO and President of CDK Global. He retired… Continue Reading
March 10, 2016 — It’s back to the drawing board for Sergio Marchionne’s grand strategy for Fiat’s return to the U.S. Five years after the Italian brand began its comeback in the U.S., Marchionne’s retail strategy is floundering. Sales are down 15% through February this year, even with the recent launch of the much-awaited 500X, whose…
February 12, 2016 (UPDATED February 15 – in bold) — The U.S. junk-bond market may be giving the folks at Vista Equity Partners and Solera Holdings some heartburn this week. According to a report in Reuters this morning, Solera is having trouble convincing investors to participate in $4 billion debt sale to back its acquisition…
January 15, 2016 — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles came out fighting late yesterday in a strongly worded release rejecting the allegations of falsifying sales made in a civil lawsuit filed this week by dealer Ed Napleton. In the statement, FCA called the lawsuit “nothing more than the product of two disgruntled dealers who have failed to perform… Continue Reading
January 14, 2016 — (UPDATED JAN. 15, 2016 7:10 AM — FCA’s Response Below) Hang on to your seats — the latest automotive scandal is beginning to erupt, and this one is going to rock the automotive industry. The news broke yesterday that the Napleton Automotive Group filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Illinois… Continue Reading
January 13, 2016 — Volkswagen quickly is becoming a textbook example of how not to manage a PR crisis. This week — during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, arguably the industry’s biggest stage — the bad news just keeps coming at the German automaker. What’s troubling is that Volkswagen is showing no ability to… Continue Reading
January 6, 2015 — Automaker shares took a hit yesterday as December’s auto sales were much softer than analysts projected. Predictions of a December SAAR (Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate) being the fourth straight month exceeding 18 million missed by nearly a million units. But this is where you have to dig into the numbers. The softer… Continue Reading
January 4, 2016 — General Motors is jumping into the ride sharing world investing $500 million in three-year old start up Lyft, reports Bloomberg Business. Meanwhile, GM’s president Dan Ammann will be on the company’s board. The investment is part of a $1 billion fund raising effort from Lyft which raises the company’s valuation to $5.5… Continue Reading
December 1, 2015 — Apparently, someone recently declared it to be open hunting season for the media on car dealerships. Recent stories include claims of racism (in the Huffington Post) due to dealers fighting against the CFPB’s efforts to curtail financing profits to claims yesterday in the Daily Signal that removing the dealership monopoly from… Continue Reading
October 18, 2015 — Record automotive sales the next two years? If IHS Automotive analysts are right, there will be. They do have a track record of sorts — a few years ago, as the industry was on the back end of the recession, most, if not all analysts were predicting a prolonged period of depressed auto… Continue Reading