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Like the root system anchoring a growing tree, Toyota Motor North America's SmartPath and the Monogram digital retailing tool by Lexus are spreading out across the automaker's 1,500 retailers.

After starting with new-vehicle sales and later moving to used vehicles and then service, Toyota's homegrown digital ecosystem for its dealerships will grow this year into another major revenue area for most stores: finance and insurance.

And it's doing so with more than one-third of Toyota and Lexus dealerships already running SmartPath or Monogram, with about two dozen more being switched on each month, said John Myers, who succeeded Tim Bliss as general manager of retail transformation for Toyota Motor North America.

"If you look at all of those products together — sales, digital F&I and service — you've got an infinity loop for not only the customer, but also the vehicle," Myers said. "And it's not just the first customer; it could be…

California dealership executive David Long didn't want to have to hop on a plane to brainstorm with other retailers, so he created an interactive virtual network instead. Now, hundreds of dealers connect each week.

Long, executive general manager of Hansel Auto Group in Santa Rosa and Petaluma, launched a Clubhouse audio chatroom called "All Things Used Cars" in November 2021. The room is like an interactive podcast or call-in radio show, with Long as host and a rotating cast of industry leaders as co-hosts. Long has led more than 100 episodes, which take place every Friday at 6 a.m. Pacific time, and keeps a running list of the most helpful tips.

"I'm trying to take at least one thing away from each episode so that I can come in and turn that insight into action," Long told Automotive News last month while thumbing through a stack of more than 100 auto retail how-tos and best practices he has gleaned.

Long's listeners are doing …

Stellantis' U.S. sales rose 6.4 percent in the second quarter, the first gain it has reported in two years, and the automaker aims to build on that positive momentum in the remainder of 2023.

Dodge, Chrysler and Ram each achieved sales gains in the quarter, with Dodge attaining a 37 percent increase as Durango sales more than tripled. Dodge sales were up for a fourth consecutive quarter.

Ram, with flat pickup sales and higher van sales, ended a streak of seven quarterly declines. On the luxury side, Maserati sales rose 7 percent.

Chris Glenn, Stellantis' vice president of U.S. dealer relations and retail strategies, said the plan is to maintain an "aggressive nature at retail, stay close with our business center, stay close with our dealers, communicating out our plans.

"We just launched this month a 60-day retail campaign, which will be carried and supported at Tier 1 and Tier 2," Glenn told Automotive News. "We're …

The number of new electric nameplates that will launch by decade's end continues to grow. Each encouraging monthly sales and registration report emboldens an automaker somewhere to revise its EV strategy upward or push ahead with schedules.

The industry knows EVs are coming. And manufacturers everywhere have big long-term production plans for them. About 40 EV models of all types are on the market in the United States, but that number could triple over the next two to three years, according to automaker announcements and production forecasters. General Motors alone has said it expects to have more than 20 available in North America by the end of 2025.

But getting factories in place to produce them is a slow process, involving potentially billions in capital spending, hiring and training workers, and simultaneous product development programs. Multiple factory preparations are underway around North America to put EVs into production. These auto…

With all the attention ChatGPT has generated since its explosive debut last fall, Jason Bickford felt intrigued enough to experiment with it at work.

Bickford, vice president of sales and operations at Bickford Ford, in Snohomish, Wash., was curious about what he could accomplish with the artificial intelligence-driven conversational chatbot. It turned out to be plenty, even at the start. The dealership began to use ChatGPT in January to automate sales correspondence, compose memos and write job postings complete with better wording and grammar. It even helped measure customer sentiment.

"We're definitely happy with it," Bickford said. "The content is getting better, and the support is getting better. It helps people realize ... there is a better way to work."

Since ChatGPT's by San Francisco private research laboratory OpenAI, the technology has wowed the world with its ability to converse on human terms and learn from its mistak…

In a memo to U.S. retailers obtained by Automotive News, McLaren said deliveries of its plug-in hybrid, the Artura, are delayed on average about four months as the British automaker institutes "enhanced testing procedures" to improve quality.

McLaren said the measures provide "additional checks and testing in our quality control procedure."

Spokesman Roger Ormisher confirmed the delay.

"To implement these quality control procedures, we have temporarily slowed production," he said.

A McLaren retailer said customers planning to take delivery in May can now expect to do so in September.

It's the latest setback for the Artura, originally scheduled to arrive in fall 2020.

Buggy software and supply chain delays pushed the sales start to late last year. Shortly after, faulty nuts on high-pressure fuel pipes triggered a recall.

The latest hiccup is frustrating some retailers. One said multiple customers had canceled orders, put off …

Tesla is rolling out offers of cash and other perks for buyers who get referred by existing customers. Mercedes joins Tesla's charging network. Plus, Pied Piper CEO Fran O’Hagan talks about enhancing retail customer loyalty with frictionless service call processes.

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When a customer calls to make a service appointment at a Group 1 Automotive dealership, there's a roughly 95 percent chance their call will be answered within 20 seconds and only a 2 percent chance the call will go unanswered.

Stats like that explain why the nearly 150 participating Group 1 stores ranked first in handling service appointment calls in a study by Pied Piper Management Co. from January to May. The study relied on "mystery shoppers" who posed as customers while calling 1,739 stores owned by 17 of the largest dealership groups in the U.S. to schedule service appointments.

The secret sauce for Group 1's success? A dedicated call center in Houston that employs 160 phone agents. They typically handle 130,000 to 150,000 calls a month, said Mike Jones, senior vice president of aftersales.

Group 1 created the phone center in 2011. At that time, service advisers answered the phones. But because advisers are so busy, about 30 …

There are many reasons why I love working in the automotive industry, but among the top ones is the way it is constantly transforming. From autonomous vehicles to new energy sources and beyond, innovations are ushering in an exciting new era.

Of all the ways our industry is evolving, though, there's one in particular I find especially exciting: Everywhere you look, automotive professionals are becoming increasingly diverse.

As a proud Canadian of Pakistani descent, helping with the growth of diverse representation in this industry is a goal I'm deeply passionate about. But supporting diversity isn't just the right thing to do — it's also the best thing for your business.

As an automotive dealer, you have options when it comes to the partners you work with. From parts suppliers, to marketing services, to mergers and acquisitions partners, collaborating with diverse teams can benefit your business.

Curious to learn more? Here are five ways choosin…

Automotive in-cabin technology and occupant monitoring systems are set for a major expansion with the development of software-defined vehicles.

Smart Eye's Driver Monitoring System is already counting on that. A recent update of its system, which is installed in more than 1 million vehicles globally, will remotely monitor drivers' heart rates and respiration rates.

That and similar technologies will become as common as airbags and seat belts, according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology transportation researcher Bryan Reimer.

Vehicles with head-up displays featuring holographic technology, sensors that could detect if a driver left a baby in a car or mirrors that can sense if a driver is drowsy are among the many in-cabin sensors unveiled by automakers in recent years and are just a sampling of what will become available, Reimer said.

Reimer said he could even envision a sensor that warns someone not to drive…

<!--*/ */ /*-->*/ Plug a non-Tesla into a Supercharger? It's not so simple

From the wiring to the sheet metal to the software, automakers that plan to adopt Tesla's plug for their own EVs have bigger design and engineering challenges than just changing the receptacle in the charge port.

So far, General Motors, Ford, Rivian and Volvo have committed to adopting Tesla's North American Charging Standard plugs. Stellantis and Hyundai have said they are considering making the same move. Those plug receptacles are scheduled to start appearing on non-Tesla EVs in 2025.

While Tesla's smaller North American Charging Standard receptacle easily fits behind the charge port doors on other brands' vehicles, engineers have some work to do. And onboard software enabling non-Tesla vehicles to communicate with Tesla chargers has to be created, tested, validated and integrated.

The goal, said Sam Abuelsamid, principal research analyst at Guidehouse Insights,…

General Motors' electric Hummer — a nameplate with military roots — is the foundation for GM Defense's Electric Military Concept Vehicle.

The GM subsidiary introduced the vehicle,, based on the GMC Hummer EV pickup, in June at the Modern Day Marine expo in Washington, D.C. Built on GM's Ultium battery platform, the military vehicle has a 24-module double-stacked battery pack that provides more than 200 kilowatt-hours of power and a GM-estimated range of more than 300 miles, according to the automaker.

A three-motor propulsion system offers two rear motors and a single motor in the front and produces a GM-estimated 1,000 hp and 11,500 pound-feet of torque — similar to the 2023 Hummer EV pickup for retail buyers.

The vehicle is equipped for off-road use, including performance shocks, 37-inch tires and improvements in approach and departure angles. It offers an onboard 12-kilowatt diesel generator, which GM says can generate electricity…