dealer


Going for Gold: Toyota dealers reportedly price gouging on 2010 Prius

The last time we heard about gouging on the Toyota Prius was, oh, just last summer when gas prices put the frugal flyer at the top of shopping lists. Things were so bad then that used Priuses were going for more than new models because dealers couldn't keep the fresh stuff in stock. Cash-for-Clunkers appears to have had the same affect on some Toyota dealers this summer. Even though cars like the Ford Fusion and Toyota Corolla grabbed the top slots and headlines, the Prius was so popular as a swap-car that dealers again ran short on ... Read more →

Dealer accidently unveils Audi R8 Spyder in classified ad? Jonathon Ramsey

Stafford Audi, a U.K. Audi dealer, placed an advertisement on the popular website Pistonheads for the forthcoming R8 Spider. For a picture of the car, they used an uncamouflaged picture of an R8 ...

GM grants reprieve to 30 dealers, reviewing more Jonathon Ramsey

General Motors wants to shrink its dealer network by around 2,500 outlets and has sent closure notices to more than a thousand already. Still, the General has left a door open that allows affected ...

Under Fire: GM targeting metropolitan Cadillac dealers for closure? Jonathon Ramsey

Cadillac is one of the core brands that will form the new General Motors, but the dealership network can't continue in its current guise, according to GM sales head Mark LaNeve. There are 1,422 ...

Dealer Bailout: Chrysler to redistribute all new inventory Jonathon Ramsey

After the suggestion of Congressional hearings on the matter, Chrysler's Jim Press assured Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) that Chrysler dealers with leftover inventory after June 9 would ...

Dealer still pitching cars from the afterlife? 5 months ago on Autoblog

On April 8, 50-year-old Charles P. Dimmick died doing what he loved to do: watching his favorite driver, Jeff Gordon, run in the Phoenix round of NASCAR. Dimmick was also the marketing manager at Lund Cadillac Hummer Saab in Phoenix, and if you believe the person who wrote his obituary, he also ...

REPORT: GM preparing to give more dealerships the axe 5 months ago on Autoblog

On top of the 1,124 General Motors dealers that will be closed next year, the ailing automaker is reportedly going to announce another round of dealer closings on Monday when its bankruptcy declaration is expected. According to two Automotive News sources, 450 dealers will not see their dealer ...

BREAKING: GM reportedly set to confirms it will pink-slip 1,100 dealers [*UPDATED] 5 months ago on Autoblog

According to Bloomberg News, General Motors is set to send some 1,100 notices today to U.S. dealers detailing the manufacturer's plans to sever their relationship. The move comes on the heels of yesterday's news detailing fellow beleaguered automaker Chrysler's announcement that they are firing ...

Speculation: Chrysler to cut loose 800 dealers on Thursday 5 months ago on Autoblog

Chrysler has a lot of work to do in bankruptcy court to be eligible to receive another $6 billion in loans from the U.S. government. Among the many tasks requiring completion is the reduction of its dealer body. Chrysler hasn't set a timetable or announced how many dealers will be cut, but one ...

REPORT: GM won't pay dealers for franchises, will buy back parts, vehicles 6 months ago on Autoblog

In a special broadcast to dealers yesterday, General Motors' sales chief, Mark LaNeve, explained that the automaker would buy back unsold new vehicles and parts from dealerships slated to be phased out by the end of 2010, but GM wouldn't pay off dealers for their franchises. As reported earlier ...

REPORT: Ford offering dealerships for $1 6 months ago on Autoblog

Ford's dealer development program works to help people become dealer principles who might not otherwise have the chance. The 64 members of the program, most of them black or Hispanic, are set up with stores by Ford and then buy out Ford's interest in the dealership with revenues. To give them a ...

GM reportedly accelerating the closure of 1,700 dealers 6 months ago on Autoblog

June 1, 2009 is turning into the equivalent of General Motors' D-Day, and every day seems to bring new events that are being planned in advance of it. GM had more than 6,000 dealerships at the end of last year, and in the initial viability plan it offered to the government, the automaker pledged to ...

Three Nebraska auto execs disappear... along with 81 cars 8 months ago on Autoblog

Perhaps it began as an innocent experiment among dealer personnel: what would happen if three dealership executives all disappeared on the same day and 81 of the dealership's cars showed up at auto auctions in two other states? The answer to that question is that the FBI went bird-dogging on the ...

Audi partners with PDM to create 'Holographic Virtual Assistant' 8 months ago on Autoblog

The woman you see in the picture above isn't an actual human -- she's a life-sized hologram. PDM, an Australian out-of-home digital media company, created the hologram to present "customers an entertaining way to gather product knowledge and information about Audi's offering." A load of tech and a ...

GM plans to trim 400 dealers per year until 2012 9 months ago on Autoblog

Dealership rationalization was something General Motors was looking at well before the economy went pear-shaped. GM still has more than 6,300 dealerships in the U.S., and it is even more important now to start shedding some of that financial burden. That is why The General told dealers at the NADA ...

Motor Trend getting into the used car business? 9 months ago on Autoblog

Motor Trend is lending its name and brand to a certified used car program at Planet Honda in Union, New Jersey. The program is actually "powered by" EasyCare, a company that provides a suite of contract services like maintenance and repair warranties and GAP insurance to new owners. (EasyCare was a ...

MINI dealers abroad asked to create separate stores 12 months ago on Autoblog

European MINI dealers are being asked to distinguish their stores from the BMW brand by creating a separate showroom for sell the British/Bavarian small-car. This entails new main entrances, and dedicated reception and service desks. While most of the dealers in the United States currently ...

U.S. Army declares Arizona car dealer a no-go zone 1 year ago on Autoblog

If you believe the Johnston family, owners of Wildcat Mitsubishi in Tucson and Ideal Automotive in Sierra Vista, Arizona, they have a little communication and paperwork problem. If you believe the soldiers at the Army base in Fort Huachuca, the Better Business Bureau, the Arizona Department of ...

Hyundai pushing dealers upmarket abroad 1 year ago on Autoblog

Hyundai is shaking its money makers, spending €60 million to upgrade its dealer network in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Each of 2,500 dealers will spend at least €24,000 on improving their facilities, with matching funds coming from both distributors and the ...

Volvo to trim 30-percent of U.S. dealers by the end of next year 1 year ago on Autoblog

Volvo hasn't been doing too hot lately, posting a $1.73 billion loss over the past five years as it flails to find its niche. Sales of almost every Volvo product have declined in 2007, with the S60 falling by 28.1 percent, the XC90 dropping 5.6 percent and the V70 station wagon losing 7.7 percent. ...

2009 HUMMER H2 and H2 SUT will be E85 compatible 1 year ago on Autoblog

In Dallas, a businessman has spent half a million dollars to install nine pumps that dispense E85, E10, and biodiesel. The catch: the businessman is a HUMMER dealer, and the pumps are next to his dealership. The station is called Classic Clean Fuels, and it is intended to make a statement for next ...

Last Mercury stand-alone dealership closes 1 year ago on Autoblog

A paucity of hot product, and an unintentional buyer boycott has claimed the last Mercury-only dealership. Dealerships trading singularly in Mercury products were always few and far between; the brand was usually paired with Lincoln, but Community Motor Company in Canonsburg, PA has sold only new ...

Audi, Porsche set to expand dealerships 2 years ago on Autoblog

Porsche's recent growth and Audi's plan for world domination are well underway, but beyond the product push both automakers have in store, the other part of the equation is dealerships. Audi currently has around 2,700 dealerships worldwide and according to the automaker's sales exec, Ralph Weyler, ...

Edmunds corrects itself on Tundra incentive spending 2 years ago on Autoblog

Earlier today we referenced Toyota disputing Edmunds.com claiming that the Tundra was sold in July with $6,861 of incentives per vehicle. That would've been the highest amount of incentives for any full-size pickup sold last month, but it turns out Edmunds made an error and last Friday printed a ...

Rolls-Royce finds Provenance for its used cars 2 years ago on Autoblog

You're at the showroom, looking over the Rolls-Royce Phantom you've had your eye on for a while, and not sure whether you can trust the used car dealer or the wrinkled Carfax report you're holding. For you discerning buyers, the double-R has come to the rescue by offering "new car peace of mind" ...

Mazda begins selling cars right on website 2 years ago on Autoblog

Back in the Jacques Nasser days, Ford Motor Company decided to cut the dealer middleman and sell its own vehicles online. Considering that's Ford's dealer network was probably too big even when SUVs were selling like hotcakes, it's easy to understand why the Blue Oval's dealers would be angry. ...

Buy a VW Rabbit, get a bike... if you live in Chicago 2 years ago on Autoblog

Volkswagen has been down this road before with the Jetta Trek back in the late '90s. This time, though, they're putting a green spin on it. Lime, to be exact. Chi-town Volkswagen dealers are giving buyers a bicycle and roof rack for the next month. The premise is that the dealer will encourage you ...

Would you like fries with that? Toyota discovers how Americans buy trucks 2 years ago on Autoblog

Toyota's learning that in the case of the Tundra, American buyers won't just pick from the selection of trucks the dealer has left. It's a role reversal for the automaker used to people accepting whatever Camry they can get. Former VP of Marketing Jim Farley said Tundra buyers "have a ...

Domestics cut down the number dealerships 2 years ago on Autoblog

One of the issues ailing domestic automakers is a bloated sales network, which sometimes includes pitting two dealers of the same brand against one another within the same market. Chrysler, Ford and General Motors have been trying to make inroads into this problem over the past year, and while ...

Welcome to the family: Ford Edge gets first rebate 2 years ago on Autoblog

The arrival of the Edge CUV is now complete with word that Ford has just put some cash on the hood of its golden child for the first time. In reality, the incentive is being offered only for base SE models and is paid to the dealer to use how he or she feels fit. So it's not like you'll be seeing ...

Toyota puts first incentives on the Prius 2 years ago on Autoblog

Though not many noticed, Toyota employed the use of incentives to increase sales of its Prius hybrid for the first time ever in January. The incentives varied around the country and included low lease payments, cheap financing and cash back to dealers for each unit sold. Automotive News reports ...

Automatic for the People: Maserati delivers first 70 Quattroporte Automatics 2 years ago on Autoblog

Not unlike other exotic Italian marques, Maserati has a tendency to dramatize the offering of any slight variation of its cars just a bit. It's somewhat excusable when you consider that, aside from the MC12 supercar, their line-up consists essentially of two models. But while it'd be all too easy ...

Want to own a Shelby Mustang GT-H? 113 being auctioned to Ford dealers 2 years ago on Autoblog

An anonymous tipper has just informed us that Hertz will be auctioning off a large batch of its very exclusive rental car, the Shelby Mustang GT-H, to Ford dealers from Thursday, December 7th through December 21st. If we understand our source correctly, six auctions will occur around the country ...

War declared on Ohio dealership for declaring Jihad in ad 3 years ago on Autoblog

Columbus-area car dealership Dennis Mitsubishi (shown) has drawn the ire of many for producing a radio spot that declares "a jihad on the automotive market". Oh how we wish it ended with just that. The spot also proclaims that salespeople wearing burqas, the traditional head-to-toe garb of Islamic ...

Ford dropping 600 dealerships 3 years ago on Autoblog

It is well known that one of Ford's biggest problems on the consumer front is a bloated dealer network that saps resources from the mothership. In an effort to streamline things on the street, Ford is trying to eliminate at least 600 dealerships throughout the country. Much of the issue centers on ...

Ford to shrink dealer network over three years 3 years ago on Autoblog

Reuters is reporting that Ford will be shrinking its dealer base over the next three years in order to better align its distribution network with a market share that is smaller than it has been in the past. Dealers were told of the planned reduction at the dealer meeting in Las Vegas last month. The ...

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Autoblog Podcast #151: With Car and Driver's Eddie Alterman

Eddie Alterman wades in with Sam, Chris, Dan, and Jonny to talk about SEMA and other recent events.

 
 

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