News

Turnover and Compliance

November 26, 2025

Some dealerships experience a complete turnover of sales staff within 18 to 24 months, and therefore many newly hired staff haven’t been trained on their dealership compliance responsibilities.Pexels/Yaowaluck Promdee In ancient Rome, one of the legal maxims was, “Ignorantia juris non excusat,” or ignorance of the law is no excuse. This rule required that citizens…

Missouri Store Debuts Fresh Ford Experience

November 26, 2025

The new dealership is equipped with electric vehicles (EVs) with charging stations, certified Ford technicians, and cutting-edge tools and equipment.  Clement Auto Group Clement Auto Group in Wentzville, Mo., held a grand opening Nov. 21 for the first Ford dealership to feature the company’s Signature 2.0 customer-experience design. The new design represents a $45 million…

Toyota Gets New North American Exec

November 26, 2025

Masahiro Seri will assume oversight of Toyota North America’s production, engineering and manufacturing operations starting Jan. 1. Toyota’s North American subsidiary is about to get a new leader in a longtime company executive. Masahiro Seri replaces Takefumi Shiga, who’s filled the lead production, engineering and manufacturing role for nearly three years. Shiga is taking a “new leadership…

Black Book: Weekly Market Update

November 26, 2025

Dream Motor Group Acquires Alabama Dealerships

November 24, 2025

The sale marks the first Toyota and Lexus stores Dream Motor Group has acquired. Pinnacle Mergers & Acquisitions Luxury and performance-focused Dream Motor Group acquired two Alabama auto dealerships in a $151 million deal brokered by Pinnacle Mergers & Acquisitions. Toyota of Montgomery and Lexus of Montgomery were sold by Sutherlin Automotive Group, which has…

Dealers Seeing Blue Skies

November 24, 2025

Many of the smaller dealers see the opportunity to exit the industry ‘with the wealth they accumulated during the pandemic,’ Kerrigan said. Pexels/John Guccione Auto dealerships’ ability to not only weather storms but emerge from them in better shape than before has made them all the more coveted by buyers in an accelerating industry consolidation.…

Q3 Auto Recalls Spike Doesn’t Tell Full Story

November 19, 2025

Backup crash-prevention systems led to the recall of more units than any other category, both in the third quarter and year to date.  Pexels/Erik McIean The volume of recalled vehicles jumped 25% in the third quarter, despite the number of recall events declining. Sedgwick data shows about 9.2 million units called back over the period,…

Louisiana Auto Group Trades Hands

November 19, 2025

The acquired auto group represents 15 franchises across a dozen stores. Kerrigan Advisors A leading Louisiana auto group has been acquired by one of the biggest groups in the country, ending a nearly 40-year local family business run. The Baton Rouge-area All Star Automotive Group of 15 franchises across a dozen stores changed hands to…

Unearthing the Gold in Your Dealership Data

November 18, 2025

There are ways to merge logic and the data already in your dealer management system. Pexels/Yan Krukau After decades in this business, I can tell you one thing with absolute certainty: The buzz around “there’s gold in your data” isn’t just hype. It’s real, and it’s finally hitting home for dealer principals and general managers…

Ford Now Selling on Amazon

November 17, 2025

Customers in Los Angeles, Seattle and Dallas can browse and buy Ford CPO vehicles within a 75-mile radius of their locations.  Ford certified preowned vehicles can now be bought on e-commerce giant Amazon as the second major automaker taps the site for sales. Hyundai joined the automotive marketplace last year. Now, customers in Los Angeles,…