The start of the summer driving season is expected to be a bit of a mixed bag, based on feedback from a Swapalease.com Memorial Day Driving Survey conducted during the first two weeks of May. More people feel that gas prices aren’t negatively impacting their decision to travel compared with last year. However, fewer people plan on traveling during this year’s holiday weekend.…

Here is the latest used car market report from Black Book. Each week as we look at the most recent overall market changes, we are trying to identify any movements or consistencies in the market that will support the dealers, lenders and remarketers in their next steps in business. Is there a segment showing strength or weakness or a changing trend? This past week we saw a…

Here is the latest used car market report from Black Book. As the feedback arrived from the Black Book survey personnel who attend the auctions across the country every week, what a variety of opinions were presented. From slow, to many no-sales, to a couple indicating a flat market with the other side of the spectrum described as buyer interest being up, pickups with strong activity and older units selling better. After…

All too often when we sit at the computer, we aren't writing, we're typing. It's a subtle distinction but it's an important one. Do you ever stare at your screen and know you need to get something down so you just hammer it out? Worse yet, do you ever stare at the screen, knowing you need to get something down, and then open a new tab and start reading the news or something?…

The latest car lease credit approvals data show 2013 has started out with the strongest credit health since the recession. According to credit approvals data from Swapalease.com, the nation’s largest automotive lease marketplace, 77.3% of customers were approved during April, up from 70% during the previous month.



Credit remains the lifeblood of car leasing, and lenders must approve each individual…

Here is the most recent used car market report from Ricky Beggs and Black Book. A few months back we talked about the effects on the used auction activity, especially on the physical lanes, when we have a fifth week of the month of auctions. While attending a manufacturer related meeting this past week I had a remarketer say the reason for more no sales during this past week was due to the extra week of activity for the month. We did have several …

Thanks for checking out the first ever Wikimotive Podcast!

We talk about the cars.com debacle with Jim Ziegler. The Alpha Dog sheds some light on the current situation and makes a few new revelations along the way.

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We sat down with Jim Ziegler (you may know him as the Alpha Dog!) to talk about the cars.com debacle. 

Check it out tomorrow morning at 8am EST on our new Podcast Network. 

Here is this week’s Used Car Market from Ricky Beggs and Black Book. As the calendar is about to put April in the history books, one might be wondering how much of the spring market remains. With the various comments from the Black Book survey personnel around the country indicating a more stable market in most cases, the only questionable retention and more hesitant interest was focused around the remarketing of the rental cars. Several reports mentioned …

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding what could possibly be dubbed "The Cars.com Debacle of 2013." I know, understatement of the year, right? In usual dealer advocate fashion, Jim Ziegler has brought to light a shockingly bad business practice recently instituted by the automotive marketing juggernaut, a…