Auto Retail News

The Village Automotive Group in Massachusetts first jumped on the Internet wave in 1999. They were even posting inventory online as early as 1999. E-commerce Director Chris Fousek recounts some of those early days, and shares with Digital Dealer what

A 40-year veteran of the retail business, Charles Oglesby has worked in every area of the dealership climbing his way up from the showroom floor to becoming the CEO and president of the Asbury Automotive Group. Asbury, one of seven publicly traded de

Hyundai is the latest import manufacturer to insist that dealers provide a number of specific items at dealerships before the dealer will be eligible for allocation of the new Equus luxury vehicle.  In particular, Hyundai requires dealers to meet th

As all of you are aware for 28 years I have been teaching you in class that “every used car has a story, but if you can’t tell it, you can’t sell it.” The importance of having a customer involved in their trade in is vitally important to the

I find that most disappointments in the monthly financial statement come from a lack of daily reporting. In fact, I’ve been a long-time hater of our whole month end process. We basically shut down all accounting operations for three to five days wh

What is your dealership real estate worth today? That is a very good question, and not one that is easily answered. Most dealers and their lenders order an MIA appraisal to determine real estate value. Unfortunately, during the recent real estate bub

I discovered a well-written, easy to read, instructional paperback written by Gary Vann, the VP of Sales and Marketing for Mighty Auto Parts, a nationwide aftermarket maintenance parts distribution company located in the Atlanta area. Mr. Vann is obv

The entire history of auto sales has been defined by the dealer’s quest to control the selling process. Pre-Internet, that was straightforward: the customer walked in the door, the music started, and the Four Square Dance began. Today, the customer

A friend of mine bought a vacuum cleaner and was proudly touting the features and benefits over a beverage the other night. To hear him talk, it was the Mac-Daddy of all vacuum cleaners. I think it even discards the junk it collects by itself. His en