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NADA Headlines (Nov. 9, 2010)

Advance Registration for the NADA Convention Up 14%

Expo floor has sold out and 12 hotels are already completely booked

McLEAN, Va. – New-car and truck sales aren’t the only thing that’s surging this fall. The growing level of interest in the NADA Convention & Expo in San Francisco, Feb. 5 to 7, is another sign that the auto industry is making a comeback. “Participation in the NADA convention is often a bellwether for the overall health of the auto industry,” says Jack Caldwell, chairman of NADA’s convention committee and a Toyota-Scion dealer from Conway, Ark. “Advance registration for the convention is up more than 14 percent compared to the same time last year,” Caldwell added. “In addition, exhibit space on the expo floor has sold out, and 12 hotels in San Francisco are already completely booked.” Read more from NADAFrontPage.com.

Chrysler CEO Says ‘Successful Transformation’ Is Under Way

Chrysler Group LLC, the U.S. automaker operated by Fiat SpA, has laid the “groundwork for a successful transformation,” the companies’ chief executive officer said (Monday). Sergio Marchionne, CEO of both Chrysler and Fiat, addressed workers in a message obtained by Bloomberg on the day the U.S. automaker raised its operating profit forecast for the year and said its net loss narrowed to $84 million in the third quarter. "The changes we are bringing about are beginning to enter into the DNA of the company,” Marchionne said in the message. “You can tell by how the language and tone of conversations have changed, by the long hours people are working, and by the way teams form and function." “We knew when we began this reconstruction process that the road back would be a long one,” Marchionne said. “We’ve hit some key milestone and we’ve made progress in important areas. We have laid the groundwork for a successful transformation. I ask you to continue to have faith in your leadership.” Read more from Bloomberg.

Dealers Urged to Help Small Business Owners Reap Tax Benefits

Dealers are urged to let local small business owners know they can deduct taxes on new- and used-vehicle purchases. The maximum deduction for cars bought and placed in use before Dec. 31 is $11,060. After that, the cap drops to around $3,000. For more on how your sales staff can help customers understand these tax benefits, click here. For more details from NADA Regulatory Affairs, click here.

GM Lays Off Mr. Goodwrench

NEW YORK -- General Motors has given the tall, hunky Mr. Goodwrench his walking papers, announcing it would drop the Goodwrench name on its dealership auto service and repair programs. Instead, in more traditional fashion, dealership service customers will be treated to Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac Certified Service. "This is more than a name change, it is a declaration of our commitment to raise the bar on the ownership experience," Steve Hill, GM's vice president for North American parts and service said in a statement. GM will begin phasing out the Goodwrench name in February. Read more from CNNMoney.com

Ford CEO's Vow: We'll Rebuild Lincoln Lineup

Alan Mulally wears his heart on his sleeve. Well, sort of. He does wear the word "Ford" embroidered on the cuff of his white dress shirts. "My dream is you'll walk away and believe I'm about accelerating Henry Ford's original position," Mulally says. Since taking over as CEO in 2006, Mulally, 65, has been steering the automaker's turnaround. Ford Motor Co. has reduced its debt by $10.8 billion this year and has reported six consecutive quarters of profits despite a U.S. economy that's still recovering. Staff Reporter Jamie LaReau, News Editor Charles Child and Publisher Peter Brown spoke with Mulally at his office in Dearborn, Mich., about what's next for Ford as it closes Mercury and looks to rebuild Lincoln. Read more from Automotive News.

NADA AppraisalPRO Optimized for Smartphone

Enhancement is another step to increase access to NADA Used Car Guide products

McLEAN, Va. – NADA Used Car Guide announces that NADA AppraisalPRO® has been optimized to work on Smartphones, including iPhones, iPads, Androids and Palm Pre/Pixies, in another step to provide clear mobile access to its products. NADA AppraisalPRO is the only used-vehicle appraisal product on the market that taps the resources and data of six industry leaders: AutoTrader.com, J.D. Power and Associates/PIN, Manheim Market Report, NADA, vAuto and Experian AutoCheck. “We listened to dealers and responded to their needs by making our data and values more readily accessible,” said Mike Stanton, vice president and chief operating officer of NADA Used Car Guide. “There’s no room for error when making buying and selling decisions on the go.” Last month, NADA Used Car Guide optimized its NADA Online online valuation product for Smartphone, as part of its ongoing efforts to increase mobile access to its products. NADA AppraisalPRO subscribers simply use their mobile browser to go to http://mobile.nada.com/MobileWeb, log in to their NADA AppraisalPRO account and use the same credentials as always. Read more from NADAFrontPage.com

Dallas-Area Auto Dealerships Bolster Internet Sales Staffs Amid Boom in Online Business

Fingertips tapped furiously on laptop keys on a recent weekday at Pat Lobb Toyota of McKinney, filling a sun-dappled corner of the showroom with the sounds of e-commerce. A few years ago, most dealerships' Internet sales departments were stuffed into gloomy backrooms so showroom space could be reserved for shiny new cars and trucks. But as consumers continue to text and tweet and Google, Internet sales are getting a lot more visibility and priority, competing equally at some dealerships with traditional salespeople prowling the showroom for "ups" – car-dealer lingo for walk-in customers. The trend is likely to grow even faster as youthful Internet-junkie millennials continue to fill the mainstream, dealers say. At Pat Lobb, for example, nearly half of the dealership's recent sales came from the Internet. "Three out of the last four months, the top salesperson here was an Internet person," said Lobb, owner of one of the largest Toyota stores in the area. Nationally, Internet sales – in which customers contact the dealership by e-mail and work through the sales process online – account for about 25 percent of retail activity, industry officials say. But virtually all area dealerships mine the Internet and say those sales are growing far more rapidly than business from showroom walk-ins, hinting that momentum is shifting away from the boomer-traditionalists and toward Gen Y Internet users. Read more from the Dallas Morning News.