Autoblog’s Leroy Marion reports on the “full replica” of a Georgia Lexus dealer’s online presence that convinced a would-be customer to pay $77,300 for a nonexistent vehicle. +
Ford’s Dealer Technology division has added myKaarma as a preferred partner, giving service departments a factory-endorsed suite of AI-based video inspection tools. +
Big-ticket acquisitions helped Penske Automotive Group move ahead of former No. 2 AutoNation in Automotive News’s rankings of America’s biggest new car retailers. +
Multiple sources report Carvana has acquired Avon Lake (Ohio) Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram from Elliot Schor and Scott Zuckerman, who owned the suburban Cleveland dealership for less than a year. +
Agents in attendance at last week’s Agent Summit witnessed the reveal of Nation Safe Drivers’ OnRamp product lineup and NSD360, a new agent- and dealer-facing learning management system. +
Vehicle Management Systems has launched Virtual Fleet Manager, a fleet- and dealer-facing AI-first platform designed to provide an intelligent operating layer for connected vehicles and fleets. +
Optimism is down and pessimism is up among U.S. franchised dealers — as well as manufacturers and suppliers — in Automotive News’s latest quarterly Auto Industry Confidence Index. +
Customer data management and advertising solutions provider PureCars has acquired AutoAlert, a leading data mining and customer engagement firm. +
Sales of full-size SUVs and pickups — and a decreased appetite for small cars — pushed the average U.S. new vehicle transaction price to $49,275 in March. +
Cox Automotive analysts say higher prices and longer purchase cycles helped dealers secure service business from 80% of new car buyers last year. +
