(Republished from LinkedIn) March 21, 2018 — There’s a narrative being pushed at conferences, in headlines, on social media, in studies or customer surveys and in investor meetings that the dealership model is not long for this earth. And this mindset is starting to take hold within the industry itself — consultants, vendors and even… Continue Reading
March 6, 2018 — Despite industry perception that dealership consolidation is on the rise, buy-sell activity of U.S.-based stores declined in 2017 for the second consecutive year, based on data compiled by The Banks Report. Even with the downward trend the last two years, the buy-sell market has been vibrant since 2013 as the industry… Continue Reading
February 26, 2018 — We’re still not through February but there have been 14 investments, acquisitions and mergers already this year with vendors in the automotive retail space, up from two in the first quarter of last year. Seven of the deals have been in the online transaction space where investments have continued a frenzied…
February 14, 2018 — Cars.com announced this morning it is acquiring the Chicago-based automotive retail technology firm Dealer Inspire and its digital advertising agency Launch Digital Marketing (LDM). The acquisition, which is expected to close this month, is the first for Cars.com since it became a stand-alone company after completing its public spinoff from media…
February 6, 2018 — The hot rumor late Friday afternoon has the Carlyle Group and Silver Lake closing in on an acquisition of CDK Global. Company shares jumped in after hours trading Friday night on the news from $66 to $73 so the rumors likely have some teeth. It is possible a deal might not… Continue Reading
Februrary 9, 2018 — Welcome to our fourth annual TBR Automotive Retail Vendor M&A Report. Our M&A reports on vendor acquisition and investment activity are published quarterly along with an annual year-end report. The reports provide insight and analysis of each acquisition, investment and IPO from the previous year including an outlook for the upcoming…
February 5, 2018 — One of the splashier stories coming out of this year’s Detroit Auto Show is the prospect of the Guangzhou Automotive Co. Group (GAC) entering the U.S. market sometime in late 2019. And in a few weeks, representatives from GAC Motor will be in Las Vegas at the National Automobile Dealers Assn.… Continue Reading
January 25, 2018 — The Banks Report research has found 21 companies that offer some type of online vehicle transaction solution. In the last four years, companies offering such solutions have exploded onto the scene attracting more than $1 billion in investment money — more than $200 million since July (Not including Fair’s $1 billion… Continue Reading
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 15, 2018 — For the second time in the last week, CDK Global shares have spiked to record highs due to rumors of a potential sale. Fueling the most recent spike was chatter last week (later confirmed to TBR by sources familiar with the process) that at least three groups are submitting second round…