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NADA Day 3: A Final View from Las Vegas

As I was leaving Las Vegas yesterday, it occurred to me that I hadn’t shared much on new vehicle market conditions and what they may mean for dealers. Of course, everyone knows the industry will...

Understanding The New Math of Today’s Used Car Business

There was a time not long ago when selling used vehicles and making money were synonymous. Those were the days when you could take a used vehicle into inventory, price it to achieve your gross...

Independent Dealer Realizes His Car Business Dream

It’s been a bit of a dream come true for independent dealer Dan Oakes in Kansas City. In 2010, Oakes acted on his curiosity and interest in the car business. His job as an energy trader provided...

3 Keys To More Efficient New Vehicle Inventory Management

Perhaps it’s telling that, as of today, no one has commented on the Automotive News piece that discusses how dealers will face a “tough slog” in the months ahead in new cars. The reason, I...

Margin Compression Takes A Bite—How Will You Bite Back?

For many dealers, margin compression in used vehicles has been a bit like a leaky water line. The truth is, the line’s been slowly dripping for years. But no one really noticed it until now—after...

4 Used Vehicle Fundamentals To Help You Stay Strong As Fall Unfolds

There appears to be good news and bad news on the horizon in used vehicles. The good news first: The healthy pace of used vehicle sales, particularly in near-new segments with good-credit buyers,...

A Market-Minded Path To Improved New Vehicle Inventory Profitability

It’s here—the slowdown in new vehicle sales that many dealers and industry observers have expected to arrive for some time. As one analyst puts it, “the new car market is no longer growing, which...

3 Factors That Impede New Vehicle Sales, Market Share Growth

  For many dealers, the new car business is increasingly all about volume.  This reality doesn’t hold for every new vehicle—particularly in cross-over and truck segments that continue to be...

3 Ways To Increase New Vehicle Pricing Efficiency, Profitability

  I’ve been getting requests from dealers recently to help them evaluate their performance in new vehicles. The inquiries follow dealer concerns about ever-smaller margins on the new vehicles they...

Tackling The Problem Of Older-Age New Vehicles

I’m seeing far too many 2014, even 2013, model-year new vehicles in dealers’ current inventories. Yes, those cars. The ones nobody wants to talk about. The ones that mean tens, if not hundreds, of...