January 24, 2018 — Over the last several months, numerous automakers and dealers have launched flexible ownership models creating a new means of interacting with customers beyond the typical loan or lease. The question is whether flexible ownership and vehicle subscriptions will move beyond being a novel and cool idea to becoming an accepted method of…
January 9, 2018 — The Asbury Automotive Group acquired Terry Lee Honda in Avon, IN this week and renamed it Hare Honda. The acquisition follows Asbury’s purchase of Hare Chevrolet in Noblesville, IN in 2017. The two acquisitions indicate Asbury, the country’s seventh largest dealer group with more than $6.5 billion in annual revenue and… Continue Reading
January 8, 2018 — As 2017 came to a close, two seemingly innocuous announcements hint at the pending impact LiDAR technology may have on automotive retail in the near future. First was AutoNation’s agreement with Waymo to provide maintenance and repair services to its fleet of self driving vehcles. And second was an under-the-radar press release…
January 8, 2018 — Eight of the 10 antitrust-related lawsuits filed against Reynolds and Reynolds and/or CDK Global in 2017 may be headed to multi-district litigation (MDL) this year. The cases include five dealer class action lawsuits that were filed the final two months of 2017 and three of the five third-party vendor lawsuits that…
December 11, 2017 — This afternoon, Cox Automotive and several of its subsidiaries filed a $200 million lawsuit against CDK Global alleging ongoing antitrust and unlawful competition. The suit is the latest in a series of legal actions taken against CDK and Reynolds and Reynolds since February this year by competitors and dealers complaining about… Continue Reading
November 21, 2017 — Kia Motors introduced “Kian” this week, an extension of its chatbot NiroBot, which launched last year during the Super Bowl. Kian is an artificial intelligence-powered virtual assistant designed to help shoppers wade through the data stacks of information in the car buying process – from pricing, payments, special offers, vehicle images, competition,… Continue Reading
November 21, 2017 — Earlier this week, Indiana-based Kelley Automotive Group announced plans to purchase Tomkinson BMW. The acquisition will expand Kelley’s employee base to more than 600, and add BMW to its selection of brands which include GMC, Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, Ford, and Volvo. Other than more staff, the addition of another brand, and a… Continue Reading
November 7, 2017 — Score this as a big win for Reynolds and Reynolds and CDK Global in the antitrust lawsuit filed against them by Authenticom. Late yesterday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit out of Chicago vacated the preliminary injunction the lower district court in Wisconsin had awarded Authenticom in…
November 2, 2017 — AutoNation executives aren’t buying into the hype that the autonomous vehicle era threatens auto retailers’ existence. Instead, the nation’s largest dealer group is getting into the self-driving game, announcing a few minutes ago that it is partnering Waymo, Alphabet Inc.’s autonomous driving company, to “offer strategic capabilities to maximize the life… Continue Reading
October 28, 2017 — CDK Global acquired enterprise reporting company Dashboard Dealership Enterprises (“DDE”), the company announced this week. The integration of DDE’s flagship product, Executive Eye, into the CDK platform will help CDK customers better measure their efficiency and profitability, the company says. As part of the acquisition, DDE CEO Josh Blick and COO William… Continue Reading