This week, APCO Holdings announced it has merged two of its brands — EasyCare and National Auto Care — into a unified F&I “force” under the EasyCare brand. The merger follows the acquisition of National Auto Care last January. With a combined legacy spanning more than 40 years, APCO highlighted the brands are recognized for their F&I solutions, award-winning products and their ability to drive significant results for dealerships nationwide. “The fusion of National Auto Care and EasyCare enhances our ability to support our ever-increasing dealer portfolio, allowing us to offer a broader ..read more

This feature is part of Auto Remarketing’s upcoming “Beyond the Transaction” edition, which is the May print issue of the magazine. It is available for Cherokee Media Group Premium subscribers now. As technology continually reshapes the automotive industry, the evolution of inspections and condition reports stands out as a pivotal chapter.  With artificial intelligence taking the wheel, there is a transformative shift in how both consumers and auto dealers navigate the often complex and sometimes opaque world of vehicle inspections. Gone are the days of relying solely on TO READ THE FU ..read more

Another state and federal tax filing season closed this week unless consumers asked for an extension. According to the latest data from the IRS, the average refund came in at just above $3,000, which could be great for buy-here, pay-here operators who are looking to turn vehicles or work with customers who might be a bit behind on payments. In its March Industry Insights Report, Cars Commerce noticed used-car market supply increased by almost 5% year-over-year, with average retail prices softening to a 32-month low of just over $28,000, representing a 5% decrease. After seeing shopping activit ..read more

“Approved this message” is likely a phrase we’ll all see, hear and read often for the foreseeable future since it’s an election year. The message EFG Companies looked to reinforce to retail automotive and powersports dealers and finance companies was to focus on the overall strength of the economy and revenue generation opportunities even while politicians pitch their platforms and reasons for winning their race for elected office. Applying their history of enabling clients to hit F&I profit stretch goals through 11 presidential elections, 22 Congressional elections, and countless state an ..read more

After running the program at its Anchorage, Alaska, location since January, McConkey Auction Group has launched EBlock’s LiveLanes simulcast solution at its sites in the lower 48 states this month. The auction group conducted the LiveLanes event last week in conjunction with its MAG Now digital auction. It plans on bringing it to additional MAG Now lanes in the near future. “Incorporating EBlock’s LiveLanes simulcast solution with its powerful digital auction platform is a win for our dealers,” MAG Now general manager Brian McConkey said in a news release. “The energy, momentum, and relationsh ..read more

For the second time this month, Orbee finalized an integration with the intention of benefiting its dealer clients. The one announced on Wednesday involved EMG, which generates streaming advertising measurements and optimization solutions for the automotive industry. The customer experience middleware provider highlighted the goal of its integration with EMG. It’s meant to make it easy for dealership groups with internal agencies to bring these burgeoning channels in-house and to activate complex advertising audiences and journey-based advertising through streaming campaigns on connected telev ..read more

This feature is part of Auto Remarketing’s upcoming “Beyond the Transaction” edition, which is the May print issue of the magazine. It is available for Cherokee Media Group Premium subscribers now.  For consumers, the greatest concern when it comes to buying a car can be summed up in one word. Affordability. While the price of cars has dropped over the past year, they remain substantially elevated compared to before the COVID pandemic. Currently, the average price of a used vehicle is in the $25,000-$28,000 range, depending on which analyst’s data you’re looking at — well above the ..read more

It was March momentum for the retail used-car market. In a month were days-to-sell plummeted (more on that later), franchised and independent dealers combined to sell an estimated 1.66 million used vehicles, which was a 10.9% gain from March 2023 and up 18.5% from February, according to Cox Automotive. Through three months of 2024, dealers have sold approximately 4.38 million used vehicles, compared to 4.29 million the same period of 2023, Cox data shows. The company bases its sales estimates on Live Market View data from its vAuto business unit. “As we move into spring, sales for used vehicle ..read more

During its annual event this week, FICO gave out its Decision Awards to recognize organizations that are achieving remarkable success using FICO solutions. The analytics and technology company said a panel of independent judges with deep industry expertise evaluated nominations based on measurable improvement in key metrics demonstrated use of best practices project scale, depth and breadth and innovative uses of technology. Given in 10 categories, the awards went to: Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning & Optimization Presented to an organization that has used FICO AI, machine l ..read more

AutoPayPlus recently expanded its enterprise solution for F&I managers with the launch of AutoPayPlus Reporting, powered by VisionAST. The tool can provide real-time reporting and analytics, empowering decisionmakers with precise data integration into their DMS. AutoPayPlus said the move reinforced its commitment to delivering tech-driven solutions by offering a SaaS platform so F&I managers can gather proactive insights. Those insights can help dealership personnel manage trends before they impact business negatively or capitalizing on positive trends for increased profitability. Unli ..read more