Online Consumer-generated Dealer Reviews I keep reading that dealer ratings/reviews are becoming important, and that dealers should encourage their customers to go online and fill them out. While I agree that consumer-generated dealer ratings may someday become an integral part...

Hello, my name is Alex and I've been handling Internet specials for one automotive group since 2001. Every month there are 10 or more franchises I have to create sets of specials for, and I really enjoy it! However, I...

It's been awhile since we've had a weekly refresh. So let's get started! New Study: Decrease Days in Stock for Pre-Owned Units by Nearly One-Third Homenet performed a solid study showing dealers that had great multiple photos, comments and pricing...

How do I grow and evolve my dealers Internet sales department from 10-15 trackable sales a month to 20, 30 and more? I know people are going to the site and looking, then just coming to the dealership and not...

Great news for DealerSkins and BZ Resuts (maybe). Dealer websites built with Flash has always been a topic of conversation here on DealerRefresh. Having a dealer website designed in flash has been one of the biggest drawbacks for getting your...

Okay, maybe not the golden secrets, but the philosophies posted last week by Google Fellow Amit Singhal on the Official Google blog are actually a pretty good primer.

Singhal expounds on three main Google philosophies in his blog post:

1. Best locally relevant results served globally
2. Keep it simple
3. No manual intervention

NADAGuides just made it easier for shoppers looking for new or used vehicles to access vehicle pricing data via their iPhone while perusing lots this summer. With a couple of short key strokes, users can go to the customized NADAGuides site, iphone.nadaguides.com. There they'll find pricing information for both new and used vehicles spanning from 1989 to 2009 models. New car prices can be customized to specify interior and exterior color as well as options. iPhone users searching for used car prices can enter the car's mileage and options to obtain trade-in and retail prices.

Dealer Communications announces an engaging session on returning to the ABCs of selling at the 5th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition in Grapevine, Texas on October 6-8, 2008.

In this session we will discuss going back to the ABCs of selling and follow up. While we get caught up in all of the numbers this will be a great chance to get a refresher on how important a true Internet salesperson is. We will dive into how we should consult the customer correctly and follow them forever. Also, how all of this new technology can really help us do it. In short, having all of the new technology tools is great, but we must keep the customer as the focus.

Dealer Communications announces an engaging session on the power of the newest mass media today at the 5th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition in Grapevine, Texas on October 6-8, 2008.

The mobile phone has quickly emerged as the most powerful media format for reaching consumers, surpassing both TV and the Internet. The paid adoption of text messaging and use of the mobile web presents auto dealers with a unique opportunity to connect with in-market buyers any time and anywhere to display their showrooms, inventory and promotions.

Dealer Communications announces an interesting session on setting up a winning online strategy at the 5th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition in Grapevine, Texas on October 6-8, 2008.

In this session Internet sales expert Cory Mosley will reveal to attendees techniques and "thought starters" to immediately increase closing ratios, create predictable sales results, and leverage technology at any dealership. This session will also show attendees how to customize their department to fit their brand, location, or selling demographic for maximum results. Attendees can expect to leave this session with "new school" ideas and tools that will help them keep pace with the ever changing Internet landscape.

Internet shoppers are four times more likely to contact you by telephone than by email. Are you ready to take the call?

Would New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning – the most valuable player in Super Bowl XLII -- be as successful on the field without head coach Tom Coughlin? What about Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan and his coach, Phil Jackson? These famous duos achieved results with a collaborative approach, and the same can work in your internet department. David Kain, of Kain Automotive, recommends that internet personnel and sales management team up to drive more sales.

With the economy stagnating, fuel prices soaring and sales at his store stalling, Joe Mallette questioned whether he could stay in the truck business. The answer seemed to pull him toward a new retail strategy until he realized that what he needed to do was refocus on the fundamentals, not shift gears.

David Kain, Kain Automotive Today you probably go online at your desk, home or just about anywhere to shop for something or to research something with the expectation that the sites you visit will have the information you seek. When the sites you select do not have the information, you likely just click on another and keep clicking until you find something that meets your needs. Consider yourself a focus group of one and apply what you learn in your own experience to what you would want if you were visiting your own dealership online.

By Tony Albertson, Ward's Dealer Business If you are like many dealers, you wrote down some used-vehicle inventory at the end of the year. As a result, you may have instituted a mandatory turn policy that, when a unit hits a certain age, it must be disposed of.

The Van Tuyl Group Inc. manages the largest group of privately held automotive dealerships in United States. With offices in Arizona, Kansas, and Texas, the management group works with approximately 65 independently operated dealerships nationwide.

.com Offers Advice to Consumers Looking for Efficiency on a Budget Chicago—July 18, 2008—High sticker prices and long waiting lists for popular fuel-efficient vehicles like the Toyota Prius have some consumers looking for cheaper alternatives to save money at the pump. Economy cars that were built in the mid- to late ’90s have seen a dramatic increase [...]

Chicago—July 8, 2008—Cars.com today announced a webinar focused on helping internet sales managers drive more business for their stores and be more successful in their careers. The free, hour-long event, “The ISM Survival Guide,” begins at noon EDT on July 11 and is designed for new and veteran ISMs. The workshop is part of Cars.com’s [...]

Ford F-150 Claims Top Spot for Fifth Time Chicago—July 3, 2008—With the Fourth of July upon us, Cars.com has unveiled its semiannual American-Made Index, which ranks the most-American vehicles based on percentage (by cost) of parts made domestically, location of vehicle assembly and how popular each car is with U.S. buyers. For the fifth time in [...]

  Automakers Step Up Internet Marketing to Keep Pace With Car Buyers’ Interest Chicago—July 1, 2008—Cars.com announced today an expansion of its certified used-vehicle advertising program through partnerships with Infiniti, Saturn and Subaru. In-market car buyers searching Cars.com can now access basic listings for the automakers’ complete inventory of certified vehicles available nationwide at local dealerships. Eighteen [...]

The price of gas and the economic downturn have hit Chrysler hardest of all Detroit automakers. This is in large part due to the automaker's emphasis on full size trucks and powerful engines. Now Chrysler has a plan to fight back. They plan to add standard features to mid and lower-trim levels which typically are equipped with 4-cylinder engines in the hopes of attracting more buyers.

Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) has introduced the Drive America on Natural Gas Act to promote the use of Compressed Natural Gas and Liquefied Natural Gas to fuel vehicles. The bill calls for refueling options right in peoples' garages, and says this technology is available now.

Honda admits it missed the initial hybrid wave, but is planning on riding the next one all the way to the beach. Honda's hybrid sales have been far outpaced by rival Japanese automaker, Toyota. Honda even discontinued sales of the Accord hybrid last year. In the coming years, Honda will play catchup introducing a hybrid-only Prius fighter next year with other hybrid models to follow. By early next decade the automaker plans to be selling 500,000 hybrids a year.

São Paulo, Brazil — (BUSINESS WIRE) — The board of directors of General Motors Brazil and MWM International Motores, an affiliate of Navistar Inc., have signed a strategic agreement to manufacture 420,000 units of a completely new diesel engine to serve GM's new vehicle line to be launched by 2011. The engines will be supplied for GM in Brazil [...]

© GM Corp. London — As workers hauled a 4.7 meter-diameter orb from Potters Fields Park, a massive object fell 45 meters in six seconds and was caught at the last minute, revealing an intact car never seen before by the public — the Opel Insignia. More than 300 invited guests were on hand to watch the new car plunge from [...]

© Mitsubishi Motors Corp. Tokyo — Mitsubishi Motors Corporation will unveil its new Pajero Sport¹ SUV model at the Moscow Auto Salon 2008 (The Moscow Motor Show) to be held at the Crocus Expo in Moscow between August 26 and September 7 (opens to the public on August 29). The new Pajero Sport will be phased in selected [...]

© Kia Motors Corp. Seoul — Kia Motors Corporation has confirmed that its all-new production model, the Kia Soul, will be marketed globally with a choice of three highly efficient engines (depending on individual markets), when it goes on sale in early 2009. The most powerful engine will be a 2-liter gasoline unit. A smaller capacity 1.6-liter gasoline engine [...]

© Kia Motors America Cle Elum, WA — Kia Motors America (KMA) continues to broaden its product line-up with the arrival of the all-new seven-passenger Borrego midsize SUV. Proving you don't have to sacrifice sophistication, convenience, quality or size for impressive value, Borrego enters the North American market offering unmatched power capabilities and luxury at an unbeatable price. “Kia [...]

© Group Lotus Plc Eagerly anticipated and making its official global debut at the British Motorshow in London on July 22nd, the first all-new car from Lotus since the iconic Elise in 1995, will enter the sportscar market as the only mid-engined 2+2 in production. The new car, which is known only by its project name ‘Eagle’, [...]

© Hyundai Motor Co. Seoul, Korea — In an era of soaring gasoline prices, Hyundai Motor Co. is helping frugal-minded drivers meet the challenge of affordable transportation with its newly developed Kappa engine. “The world is thinking small like never before: Smaller fuel consumption, smaller CO2 footprint, smaller overall emissions. Today small is beautiful and Hyundai is ready to [...]

© Mazda Motor Corp. Hiroshima, Japan — Mazda will unveil a sporty, compact crossover concept vehicle, Mazda Kazamai, at the Moscow International Automobile Salon (MIAS) on August 26. Kazamai, which means “swirling crosswinds” in Japanese, expresses the powerful yet nimble image of a stylish and compact crossover. The concept is based on Mazda's long-term vision for technology development, [...]

© American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Torrance, CA — The all-new, completely redesigned 2009 Acura TL employs dramatic new styling along with a luxurious interior that includes more driver relevant technology than ever. Featuring the most powerful Acura engine ever, the 2009 TL will be available in two distinctive versions including the first ever application of Super Handling [...]

© Automobiles Peugeot A proven track record… As the pioneer of “folding roof cars” with its elegant 401, 601 and 402 “Eclipse” models from the 1930s, Peugeot has never lost its desire to give motorists the freedom to drive in either the coupé or cabriolet configuration through the “magic” of a rigid roof that folds into the [...]