E-NEWSLETTER

The euphoria over the positive first quarter results from U.S.-based carmakers should be tempered by the recessionary situation in Europe, two Kelley Blue Book analysts warned.

Tags: Chrysler, European Crisis, Ford, General Motors, Kelley Blue Book

Total light vehicle sales were up 10.3 percent from a year ago and 14.9 percent vs. March, according to AutoData, which put the seasonally adjusted annual rate at 14.42 million units.

Tags: Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Jeep, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Nissan, SAAR, smart, Toyota, Vehicle Sales, Volkswagen

Ford has certified its first group of dealers to sell the automaker’s first all-electric car, the 2012 Ford Focus Electric.

Tags: Ford, Ford Focus Electric

Ford and Dow engineers and researchers will combine efforts to develop low-cost carbon fiber and component-level manufacturing processes.

Tags: Carbon Fiber Components, Dow Automotive Systems, Ford

Ford Motor Co. is expanding the reach of its customer service agents, who will now be accessible on such social media sites as Facebook and Twitter.

Tags: facebook, Ford, Social Media, Twitter

TrueCar predicted Tuesday that new light-vehicle sales in March will increase 13.7 percent from the year-ago period to 1.417 million units.

Tags: Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, TrueCar, Vehicle Sales, Volkswagen

A recent uptick in gas prices pushed consumers toward fuel-efficient vehicles rather than back to the sidelines, with the annual sales rate jumping to 15.1 million vehicles, according to Autodata.

Tags: Acura, Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, monthly sales, New-Vehicle Sales, Nissan, retail sales, SAAR, Toyota, Vehicle Sales, Volkswagen

FordDirect announced the launch of its new website solution for Ford and Lincoln Dealers, DealerConnection Elite.

Tags: automotive SEO, dealer websites, Ford, FordDirect, Internet leads, inventory, lead generation, Lincoln, mobile solution, Web tools

FordDirect, a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and its franchised dealers, launched DealerConnection Vehicle Showroom (VSR). The solution is based on SiSTeR's Technologies' VSHOC and Publisher platform.

Tags: Ford, FordDirect, Lincoln, online reputation management, Social Media

Retail sales rose 11.4 percent in January, with the industry pacing at a 14.18 million seasonally adjusted annual sales rate — the highest rate since the government’s Cash for Clunkers program in August 2009, according to AutoData.

Tags: Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Infinity, Jeep, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, monthly sales, Nissan, Ram, Toyota, Volkswagen

NADAguides.com reported that domestic brands, led by Chevrolet, saw the biggest increase in overall brand share with a 1 percent gain in consumer interest.

Tags: Chevrolet, Ford, NADAguides, Web traffic

Ford Motor Company took top honors for the second year in a row during the 16th annual Polk Automotive Loyalty Awards.

Tags: brand loyalty, Ford, Polk

Ford was selected as the most innovative automaker by 38 percent of AutoTrader.com shoppers surveyed in December.

Tags: Ford

Autodata Corp. estimated that U.S. auto sales reached 12.8 million units last year, marking the best year for auto sales since 2008 if the stat holds. Big winners were General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, with GM reclaiming the top spot in world vehicle sales two years after it emerged from its U.S.-backed bankruptcy.

Tags: Audi, Autodata Solutions, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, monthly sales, New-Vehicle Sales, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen

Edmunds.com’s review of 2011 car sales revealed that the Ford F-150 is the top-selling new vehicle of 2011, while the Honda Accord is the best-selling used car of the year.

Tags: Edmunds.com, Ford, Honda, New-Vehicle Sales, Nissan, used-vehicle sales

November proved to be another strong month for automakers, with light vehicle sales pacing at a 13.63 million SAAR — the highest rate this year, according to Autodata Corp.

Tags: Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, monthly sales, New-Vehicle Sales, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen

Ford Motor Credit appointed Bernard Silverstone as the company’s new COO. Silverstone is a 32-year veteran of the company and currently serves as the captive’s president of marketing and sales.

Tags: finance, Ford, Ford Credit

Ford Motor Credit Company announced the launch of Lincoln Automotive Financial Services (LAFS), a new captive established to serve Lincoln customers.

Tags: captive finance, F&I products, Ford, Ford Credit, Lincoln, Lincoln Automotive Financial Services

Automakers enjoyed their best October since 2007, with U.S. auto sales rising about 8 percent from last October to 1.02 million, according to Autodata Corp.

Tags: Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, monthly sales, New-Vehicle Sales, Nissan, Toyota, Vehicle Sales, Volkswagen

The American Financial Services Association announced that John Noone, Ford Motor Credit Company president, was appointed AFSA 2011-2012 chair.

Tags: American Financial Services Association, Ford, Ford Credit

Industry sales jumped out to their strongest pace since April, with the industry recording a 10 percent sales increase in September, according to AutoData Corp. Leading the way were Chrysler, Mazda, Nissan and Volkswagen.

Tags: Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, monthly sales, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen

NADAguides Top Recommended Current Buys list for the third quarter includes models from Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Hyundai, Land Rover, Toyota and Volkswagen.

Tags: Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Hyundai, Land Rover, NADAguides, Toyota, Volkswagen

AutoTrader.com's Trend Engine report for August indicated that the decline in gas prices over the summer has driven consumers back toward large trucks and SUVs, particularly in the new-vehicle arena.

Tags: AutoTrader.com, Chevrolet, consumer confidence, Dodge, Ford, Gas Prices, Honda, Toyota

FordDirect has launched a new mobile service that allows dealers to deliver Ford-branded advertising to their customer’s mobile devices.

Tags: Ford, FordDirect, mobile applications, mobile leads, mobile solution

A number of automakers experienced double-digit sales increases in August, with Chrysler leading the pack with 31 percent year-over-year increase in sales. Toyota and Honda, however, continued to grapple with supply issues.

Tags: Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, monthly sales, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen