Trade News

Two of the largest privately held dealership groups in the country, as well as two small companies — including a Canadian duo who bought their first U.S. store — grew their footprints with second-quarter acquisitions.

Here's a look at the deals involving import and domestic dealerships in New York, Arizona, Illinois and Colorado.

Two transactions involved an auto retailer ranked on Automotive News' top 150 dealership groups list.

Expanding West Herr Automotive Group bolstered its automaker portfolio with this month's purchase of a Mazda dealership, the group's first.

West Herr on June 13 bought Ontario Mazda in Canandaigua, N.Y., from Dan Richards. The dealership was renamed West Herr Mazda of Canandaigua.

Canandaigua is southeast of Rochester and west of Syracuse.

The Mazda store is West Herr's third dealership purchase in less than a month. West Herr bought a Honda store in Canandaigua on May 25 and a Chevrolet dealership in Roch…

“No one will ever buy those online.” That used to be the conventional wisdom about clothes and home furnishings, yet eCommerce sales of both apparel and furniture increased by more than 20% in 2021.1 Consumers who used to feel strongly about seeing, touching, and trying out these items before purchase chose convenience (backed by reasonable return policies) and made the leap to online shopping.

For those who think financed vehicles are too big and complicated of an investment for eCommerce purchase, look at the residential real estate industry. Today, consumers are increasingly purchasing homes online, cross-state or even in-state, without seeing them in-person—and arranging their mortgage financing online as well.2

The reality is that consumer preferences are driving a major shift in automotive retail as well, toward eCommerce vehicle transactions. Research shows that 76% of today’s car buyers are open to buying completely online,3 although consumers still ne…

Paulo da Silva from Cox Digital Commerce discusses online car buying trends, automated experiences, machine learning, and how organizations can optimize these technologies to meet customer needs

Lawmakers must press for a more reliable and resilient electric grid to support the millions of electric vehicles slated to arrive on the nation's roads.

That's the conclusion of a report issued last week by a pair of nonprofit organizations that say policy and legislation are needed to provide and expand the possibilities offered by vehicle-to-grid technology, or V2G.

V2G tech shows emerging promise in offering a range of benefits and services to EV owners. It can also be used to store energy that feeds the grid and provides emergency power in times of need.

The 21-page report, titled "Advancing Vehicle to Grid Technology Adoption" and written by Securing America's Future Energy, or SAFE, and the Electrification Coalition, outlines the benefits of vehicle-to-grid and gives specific policy recommendations for federal, state and local governments.

SAFE and the Electrification Coalition are both focused on promoting and enabling electric transportat…

The old guard of European automakers has a new member, one focused on electrification, forward-looking technology and manufacturing efficiency.

No, it's not Tesla.

The automaker that is quietly disrupting Europe's auto market is Geely, the Chinese conglomerate founded by billionaire Eric Li that now owns or collaborates with more than a dozen European companies.

In doing so, Li, who started his career making refrigerator parts, has created a web of interdependent enterprises that form the foundation of a vertically integrated mobility business that engages with a variety of partners.

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, headquartered in Hangzhou, China, is the umbrella company for an expanding empire with four business divisions: passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, technology and mobility services. Revenue in 2021 was $47.2 billion, with 2.2 million vehicles sold, according to Geely.

Starting with the 2010 acquisition of Volvo Cars from For…

A California man has sued BMW, claiming the automaker improperly kept nearly $25,000 in equity owed him after the M5 he leased in 2019 was totaled amid this year's hot used-vehicle market.

Alexander Russell's lawsuit in the U.S. Central District of California seeks class-action status for himself and other BMW lessees experiencing similar circumstances. It estimates the class could span more than 1,000 plaintiffs.

Russell took out a 36-month lease on a $115,816 2019 BMW M5 Competition from Sterling BMW in Newport Beach, Calif., in October 2019. On Feb. 14, 2022, he was involved in an auto accident that left the M5 a total loss.

The lease's residual value was $81,589.57, the lawsuit states. However, Russell's insurer, Safeco, set the vehicle's market value at $106,178.97. Russell's lawsuit alleged this would leave him with $24,589.40 in equity after the balance of the financing was repaid.

"However, despite numerous attempts by Plaintiff's attorn…

GM is trying to capture a sizable slice of the delivery market with BrightDrop electric vans. BrightDrop Chief Product Officer Rachad Youssef hints at BrightDrop's plans for the future and the opportunity within the delivery and logistics market.

How do I subscribe?

Apple Podcasts: “Shift: A podcast about mobility” is available on the iTunes Store and through the ‘Podcast’ app pre-installed on all iOS devices. Click here to subscribe.

Spotify: "Shift: A podcast about mobility" can be streamed through Spotify on your desktop, tablet or mobile device. Click here to subscribe.

Google Play: "Shift: A podcast about mobility" is available on Android devices through the Google Play store. Click here to subscribe.

Ford Motor Co. celebrated its 119th anniversary last week by launching an online database that lets the public sift through the venerable archives documenting its first century.

The Ford Heritage Vault lets anyone view and download artifacts for their personal use, at no charge. The company described it as the U.S. auto industry's most comprehensive online database.

The collection features more than 5,000 photographs and product brochures from Ford and Lincoln vehicles, spanning from the automaker's founding in 1903 to its 2003 centennial.

"We're opening up in a way we've never done before," Ted Ryan, Ford archive and heritage brand manager, said in a statement. "Our archives were established 70 years ago, and for the first time, we're opening the vault for the public to see. This is just a first step for all that will come in the future."

Ford's archives team curated the material over the past two years, and it piloted the collection with the h…

Tesla, General Motors and Ford Motor Co. say they have enormous waiting lists for their electric pickups. But each list likely contains many of the same names, as consumers place multiple refundable reservations to keep their options open, according to a survey conducted by battery health analysis firm Recurrent.

The study, released last week, surveyed more than 200 consumers who had at least one pending EV reservation between April and May and found purchasers tended to over-order electric trucks because of concerns over whether the manufacturer would actually fulfill the purchase. Eighty-nine percent of Tesla Cybertruck reservations overlapped with another truck preorder, and all Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV preorder customers also had reserved another vehicle, according to the results.

"There's just a ton of pent-up demand for an electric pickup truck," Recurrent CEO Scott Case told Automotive News. "The pickup is this ico…