Inside Automotive
2024 NADA show updates: schedule changes and video contest — Bobby Sight | NADA Show Committee
The highly anticipated 2024 NADA show is quickly approaching, starting February 1st in Las Vegas. On this episode of Inside Automotive, host Jim Fitzpatrick sits down with the managing partner of Rob Sight Ford and NADA Show Committee Chairman Bobby Sight to discuss the upcoming event and what dealers can expect to see. Read More
Top Stories
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is conducting an investigation into Ford Escape SUVs after receiving complaints of defective door brackets. The NHTSA notes that 118 consumers have submitted reports claiming that the doors opened while they were driving. On 25 occasions, vehicle occupants sustained injuries related to the issue. Although the regulator has yet to reach a decision, Ford could be potentially forced to repair the 346,000 Escape SUVs made between 2020 and 2021 if a recall is deemed necessary. Read More
Ford has completed the first delivery of electric pickups to the U.S. Army as the military looks to transition away from gas-powered vehicles. The car manufacturer dropped off 25 F-150 Lightning trucks at Fort Carson in Colorado, where the trucks will be used for expanding and maintaining the base. While the first batch is small, Ford expects to build many more electric pickups for the Army as the U.S. military begins to replace its gas-powered work fleet with battery-powered units, a transition expected to take four more years. Read More
Auto loans became easier to access in June as lenders began to loosen restrictions placed after the sudden collapse of several banks. On July 10, Cox Automotive reported a slight increase of 0.8% on the company’s Dealertrack Auto Credit Availability Index, indicating that credit access improved. While the movement was only slight, the June gain arrives after the index’s worst-performing month since February 2021, during which loan availability declined 0.4%. Read More
Six individuals, including a respected dealer and his spouse, perished in a plane crash in Riverside County, California on July 8. All six occupants of the Cessna C550 business jet that crashed early Saturday morning in Murrieta, California, outside the French Valley Airport, perished in the accident. The aircraft reportedly descended around 4:15 a.m., sparking a brush fire on impact. According to Riverside County Fire Department officials, the fire torched nearly an acre of vegetation before firefighters contained it around 5:35 a.m. Read More
For Dealers
It’s time to mystery shop your dealership’s online car buying process
While you may use mystery shopping to assess your dealership’s in-person sales, do you take the same measures for online car buying? Failing to do so could be costing you business. Keep reading as we walk you through how to mystery shop your online operations and customer service. These tips can provide guidelines if you’re hiring an outside service or are recruiting among family and friends. Read More
Should you trust AI with your digital ad dollars?
Artificial intelligence has a variety of uses in the automotive industry. While many dealerships use artificial intelligence in a marketing and customer service capacity of writing content and offering assistance with chatbots, artificial intelligence can also help you determine the who, what, and where of advertising. We’ll go into more depth about current and future cases of how to use artificial intelligence within automotive advertising. Read More
