Auto Dealer News

Veteran Gulf Coast business and civic leader James B. "Jim" Estabrook, Jr., will assume responsibilities as Chairman of the Board of Hancock Holding Company, the parent of Hancock Bank.

Hyundai is piling on additional incentives to boost its Assurance program as the industry heads into the dog days of summer.

DETROIT - The latest numbers on auto sales show that Chrysler needs to quickly figure out how to navigate the car market as deftly as it did bankruptcy court.

General Motors Corp would be forced into liquidation if its proposed asset sale were not approved despite urging from dissident bondholders that another course be pursued, the company's lead bankruptcy lawyer said on Thursday.

Last Thursday, President Obama signed a new car sales stimulus bill into law. If you have an old gas guzzler in the driveway, it may now be worth a lot more than you think.

U.S. auto sales in June again failed to reach a 10 million annual pace as General Motors Corp.

A picture of Fusion sales were a bright spot for Ford in June. Fusion sales were a bright spot for Ford in June.

Ford drove its Canadian auto and light truck sales higher in June as most of its major competitors retreated, resulting in the company rising to the industry's top spot for the first time in decades.

DETROIT - Chrysler's former financial arm said Tuesday that it will reduce its work force by 9 percent, or more than 300 employees, as it restructures operations after losing its preferred lender status with the automaker.

Auto dealer Tom Ganley today officially announced that he's running for the Republican Party's nomination for the U.S. Senate.

Citing better-than-expected sales and traffic at dealerships, Ford Motor Co. said Monday it plans to increase third-quarter production by 25,000 units - marking the automaker's second production hike in recent weeks.

U.S. car and truck sales showed signs of stabilizing in June after a year of sharp declines, but every major automaker except Honda Motor Co.

California faces a $24 billion budget shortfall, an eye-popping amount that dwarfs many states' entire annual spending plans.

The NHTSA is advising consumers and car dealers to wait until all the rules and procedures are in place for the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS). The July 1st start date in the Cash for Clunkers bill is not a practical date to get a new national system in place.

The NHTSA has not started the online dealer registration process. A start date of July 23rd is a more realistic expectation according to NHTSA documents. Transactions completed before the rules are in place are at risk.

ABC MotorCredit in Ohio specializes in affordable used cars for consumers with challenged credit. Often the car that these consumers can afford are under $5,000 in value. When the Cash for Clunkers program goes into effect on July 1st, many consumers will trade in their vehicle worth $4,500 or less for a new, more fuel efficient vehicle.

The downside of the Cash for Clunkers program is that the used cars that are turned in will be crushed, leaving less available inventory for buy here pay here and used car dealers in Ohio to make available to their customers. ABC MotorCredit predicts that if the Cash for Clunkers program is popular, some of the Ohio used cars that they typically carry will be crushed. The net effect is that for many used car buyers in Ohio, auto prices will go up $1,500 – $2,000. This will present a challenge for credit strapped consumers looking for cheap but reliable transportation.

An independant website tracking consumer interest in the Cash for Clunkers bill releases data that shows Toyota cars lead the way in consumer interest for new cars sales provisioned under the NHTSA CARS program.

California regulators expanded a state car-scrapping program Friday to provide incentives of as much as $4,000 to motorists who surrender high-polluting vehicles and replace them with cleaner cars.

The Cash for Clunkers bill has now been handed over to the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the official website for the program is www.CARS.gov. The website is an acronym for Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) and the program should be implemented in late July accord to the NHTSA website.

Consumers and car dealers who will be participating in the CARS program are warned not to mess with Uncle Sam. According to a new page added to the official CARS website (www.CARS.gov) the NHTSA is advising consumers and car dealers to play by the rules.

With up to a $4,500 cash rebate on the line, some people may be thinking of ways to defraud the government by falsifying documents or not crushing cars that are meant to be taken off the road. Our advice is to stay away from anyone suggesting that they can beat the system. Penalties can be as high as $15,000 per offense.

The top complaint expressed by US consumers over the Cash for Clunkers program, which is now called CARS, is that the EPA miles per gallon estimates that NHTSA will be using to qualify their cars are not practical or accurate based on their actual gas mileage.

From hundreds of emails and calls to the Cash for Clunkers Facts website (CashforClunkersFacts.com ) consumers are disappointed that the combined MPG ratings for their car, as shown on http://fueleconomy.gov , are nowhere close to what they are getting.

Consumers tell stories that they own cars get 16 mpg when the Federal website says that the same car gets 4-6 miles per gallon higher, which disqualifies them from receiving a cash voucher. Consumers feel cheated that they are locked out of a cash voucher based on data that is not reflective of their situation.

Read consumer comments: CashForClunkersFacts.com

Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has opened another rowdy question time in parliament by trying to broaden the scope of the coalition's OzCar attack on the prime minister.