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Though dealership trade groups have opposed the Federal Trade Commission's proposal for new auto sales regulations, majorities of retailers polled by Cox Automotive said the agency should keep key transparency provisions in the plan.

Concepts such as online cost disclosures, a guaranteed universal price, clear consent for finance and insurance products and true advertising found favor among retailers. The FTC's plans for record-keeping and banning valueless F&I products, however, were accepted by less than half of the dealers polled.

Cox didn't delve into the results and had no analysis to share, spokesman Mark Schirmer said last week.

An F&I consultant and a compliance expert who works with dealerships explored the data with Automotive News last week.

Some of the findings might indicate dealership leaders think their stores already are practicing the behavior prescribed by the FTC "when in fact they're not," said Becky Chernek, presiden…

Automotive News has added two retail reporters in Detroit.

Gail Kachadourian Howe will cover the finance and insurance industry and other retail topics. Howe, 50, has been a freelance reporter for Automotive News and was a staff reporter at Automotive News 16 years ago.

She holds a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree in advertising from Michigan State University.

Julie Walker will cover dealership mergers and acquisitions and other retail topics. Walker, 40, spent the last two years as a freelance writer and copy editor for Automotive News, Catena Media, BridgeDetroit, Planet Detroit and the Detroit Free Press. Before that, she worked for nearly a decade at The Detroit News as a reporter, copy editor and lead sports designer.

Walker holds a master's degree in liberal and interdisciplinary studies and a bachelor's degree in communications/print journalism, both from the Uni…

New technology from Point Predictive and a CreditMiner-TransUnion partnership allow dealerships to take a more active role in preventing borrower fraud.

BorrowerCheck for Dealers is "the first in a planned series of products for dealers" leveraged from the fraud analytics firm's vast database of records including income reports, loan applications, fake employers and fraudulent loans. It is a resource previously only available to lenders.

Dealerships can check the customer's name, address and Social Security number and see if more proof is necessary, according to Point Predictive. The company also has created a new phone verification mechanism.

CreditMiner's new "Identify" software leverages TransUnion's ability to check a customer's driver's license image against a selfie and the records on the person ostensibly described in the license. It also evaluates the credibility of the customer's phone. Ken Luna, CreditMiner strategic partnerships vice preside…

One of the biggest attractions at this year's reborn Detroit auto show stemmed from a grassroots movement that began as a way to spread cheer among Jeep owners during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After watching the social media-fueled phenomenon known as "ducking" spread rapidly, Jeep embraced it by setting up the world's largest rubber duck, a six-story bright yellow inflatable, outside the convention hall's front entrance last month.

But Jeep, which collaborated with auto show organizers to bring the duck to Detroit and give it prime real estate, has no intention of ruining the trend by commercializing it, said Marissa Hunter, Stellantis' senior vice president of marketing. The movement has spread organically among Jeep owners, a testament to the tight-knit nature of the off-road brand's community, and will remain a movement that's of the people, Hunter said.

"We've seen the sharing of the duck among the fans and the followers, and think…

Slowing sales helped inventory levels recover further to 1.32 million vehicles in September, a significant jump over where they were a year earlier but still historically low, according to Cox Automotive and the Automotive News Research & Data Center.

Cox said the figure — the highest since June 2021 — represented a 42-day supply, based on its practice of using the selling rate from the last 30 days.

It was nearly a half million vehicles higher than where inventory stood at the same point last year and about 90,000 higher than where it stood a month earlier.

But inventory remained more than 2 million vehicles down from the same month in 2019, before the pandemic.

Mass-market and luxury brand inventories collectively rose from the previous month, Cox said. Within individual segments, stocks of compact and midsize cars remained tight, along with minivans and electrified vehicles, while selections were best among full-size pickups and high-end …

Hyundai Motor America didn't run a Super Bowl spot this year, but it still grabbed some attention from the sidelines for its Ioniq 5 electric crossover.

The Korean automaker instead opted for an expansive digital strategy by leveraging TikTok, the video-sharing social hub known for its daily frenzy of people dancing to catchy music and using the plethora of editing tools to express themselves.

Automakers including Hyundai and Toyota and numerous dealerships have descended on TikTok to tap into its diverse user base, build up their brand and move some metal.

A March study from consumer-intelligence platform Suzy that found 44 percent of TikTok users are planning to buy or lease a car within the next six months, said Jodi Porter, U.S. vertical director of auto, dining and multicultural for TikTok Global Business Solutions. TikTok released a dealer playbook this month to help retailers tap into that consumer pool.

"We kn…

Pressure continues to build on Hyundai Motor America and Kia America to solve a design glitch that makes millions of their older models easy to hotwire and steal. This comes as the automakers continue to attempt to steer customers to an aftermarket fix.

Owners and attorneys have filed 26 class action lawsuits in courts around the U.S. against Hyundai and Kia, seeking monetary damages for owners and a nationwide recall. That is an increase from 15 class action suits last month.

An estimated 10 million Hyundai and Kia vehicles on the road lack engine immobilizers, which would deter theft.

Instead of initiating a recall, which one attorney estimates could cost as much as $5 billion, the automakers have turned to the aftermarket.

Hyundai tapped aftermarket remote-start maker Firstech to pull together a bundle of suitable off-the-shelf components from its Compustar line of security systems that would protect certain trim leve…

Stellantis multicultural advertising chief Juan Torres wants the automaker to be in tune with the "majority of tomorrow."

The U.S. Census Bureau projects that minority groups will make up a majority of the population by 2045, and Torres says it's a competitive advantage to engage these audiences now with messaging that is culturally relevant. Authenticity, Torres says, is key when trying to connect with minority shoppers.

Torres, 51, spoke with Staff Reporter Vince Bond Jr. about how the automaker tailors content for multicultural viewers, recent campaigns aimed at African-American and Hispanic consumers, and how the marketing space has changed over the past decade.

Torres, who also oversees advertising in international markets, was born in Colombia and split time between that country and the U.S. while growing up. This upbringing, with a Colombian father and American mother, helped shape how he approaches multicultural marketing. Here are edited excerp…

NEW YORK - Nikola Corp founder Trevor Milton on Friday was convicted by a U.S. jury of fraud in a case alleging he lied to investors about the electric vehicle company's technology.

The jury found Milton guilty on one count of securities fraud and two counts of wire fraud after deliberating for around five hours. Milton was acquitted on an additional count of securities fraud.

During the trial in federal court in Manhattan, prosecutors depicted Milton, 40, as a "con man" who sought to deceive investors about the electric- and hydrogen-powered truck maker's technology starting in November 2019.

Milton, of Oakley, Utah, was indicted in July 2021. He left Nikola in September 2020 after a report by short seller Hindenburg Research called the company a "fraud."

Prosecutors accused Milton of using social media and interviews on television, podcasts and in print to make false and misleading claims about Nikola's trucks and technology.

They said Mi…

Lincoln says its dealers will have to invest up to $900,000 on chargers and other upgrades in order to sell the brand’s EVs. BMW and Amazon collaborate on vehicle data software. Toyota offers a 10-year free trial on connected safety services. Plus, a conversation about a new report that says dealership F&I offices are doing surprisingly well this year.

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WASHINGTON -- The U.S. unit of Stellantis will pay $5.6 million to resolve a California investigation into violations of air quality regulations, the state said on Thursday.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) said the 30,600 vehicles involved in the settlement include 2012-2018 model year Ram 1500, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles that were equipped with 5.7L gasoline engines and did not comply with certification emission standards.

The automaker will pay a $2.8 million civil penalty and $2.8 million to bring more electric school buses to schools in the South Coast Air Basin. CARB said Stellantis cooperated with the investigation into the emissions issue discovered during state testing.

"This case is a perfect example of why CARB's compliance testing is so important in protecting the state's air quality and public health," said CARB Executive Officer Steven Cliff.

Stellantis said Thursday: "While we accept responsibility, this…