May 19, 2016 — Here’s some potentially good news for those of you sitting on patents that you’ve done nothing with — someone may want to buy those old patents. Over a two week period from May 25th to June 8th, patent owners can submit their patents to a special portal set up by Allied Security… Continue Reading
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
Most dealerships today are configured to yesterday’s processes and experiences. The environment hasn’t kept up with the digital age. While most dealerships have effective websites and Internet processes, their store images often don’t reflect the new realities of today’s society – touch screen mobile devices; interactive and personalized digital signage and virtual reality (VR) applications. But… Continue Reading
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
April 5, 2016 — Despite a relatively quiet first quarter, the hot merger and acquisition pace among automotive retail vendors the last couple of years should continue well into 2016. From January 2014 to December 2015, the industry saw 47 IPOs, acquisitions and investments totaling an estimated $37 billion in capital changing hands. (Read TBR’s recap…
March 31, 2016 — Fraser McCombs Capital (FMC) announced last night it is launching a second automotive-focused investment fund, FMC Fund II. The Banks Report will have more on this story in the next couple of days. Below is the press release the company issued last night. FMC was founded by Billy Joe “Red” McCombs and Chase… Continue Reading
March 28, 2016 — When Chip Perry took the helm at TrueCar last December, his mission was clear — create a more dealer-friendly company while regaining the trust of investors. The first part of the mission is well on its way as the company announced last night the launch of a revamped business model designed… Continue Reading
March 4, 2016 — After several weeks of uncertainty created by a tanking junk bond market, Vista Equity Partners completed its acquisition of Solera Holdings, a global firm that provides risk and asset management software for the automotive industry. Vista led an investment group comprised of Koch Equity Development and Goldman Sachs in the approximately $6.5… Continue Reading
March 3, 2016 — Cox Automotive made a series of executive changes this week as part of the continued integration resulting from last year’s $4 billion purchase of DealerTrack. The Atlanta-based firm also extended its global reach with the purchase of Dealer Solutions, a technology firm in Australia, in a move that could herald further acquisition activity in the area.… Continue Reading
February 25, 2016 — CDK Global made it official yesterday announcing it has acquired the product portfolios of NewCar IQ and Red Bumper from Pearl Technology Holdings LLC. NewCar IQ is a new vehicle inventory management system while Red Bumper helps dealers manage their used vehicle inventories. CDK will combine the two products to create a solution…