Automotive News, Press Releases, and Events

AutoRevenue, a division of Dominion Dealer Solutions, announced a new 360-degree reputation management suite for auto dealers at NADA 2011. The solution aims to go beyond traditional review solicitation by giving dealers tools to track, manage, and actively influence their online reputation. The post reads as a press release announcement with limited discussion content visible in the thread.

Dominion Dealer Solutions announced the merger of two of its website subsidiaries, Dealerskins and XIGroup, under the Dealerskins brand to offer a unified website, CRM, and inventory solution for auto dealers. A community member raised a pointed question about which company culture and technology stack will dominate, noting that overlapping talent and tools make consolidation inevitable. The thread is brief but surfaces a recurring concern in vendor mergers: whether the combined entity will improve the product or simply absorb and diminish one of the two brands.

eCarList announced a partnership with Carfax in January 2011 to offer dealers free access to its TrueTarget Mobile app, which had previously required a paid subscription. The app allows dealers to appraise, price, and merchandise vehicles from their mobile phones, now enhanced with Carfax vehicle history data. The key development is that Carfax subscribers can access this award-winning tool at no additional cost.

Jeff Kershner published DealerRefresh's annual 'Best of 2010' recap, highlighting standout threads like Jerry's Phone Skills post and mobile reputation topics, while previewing ambitious plans for 2011. Community members responded with strong praise, reinforcing that DealerRefresh's value lies in the quality of engagement rather than raw membership numbers. The thread reflects a tight-knit professional community that views the forum as the automotive industry's top resource for marketing and digital strategy.

Carfax announced a free year-long webinar series called 'PowerUp' aimed at helping dealers improve used car sales, operations, and profitability. The thread includes details on two sessions: the first covering wireless technology for vehicle acquisition, and the second featuring vAuto founder Dale Pollak on using internet transparency to drive sales. The content is promotional in nature, with no dealer debate or critical discussion.

The thread discusses a free eight-week automotive SEM education program offered by Brian Pasch of PCG Digital Marketing, covering paid search campaign setup, execution, and measurement across Google and Facebook. A question arises about the recommended $1,000 monthly budget, with clarification that the figure is tied to generating enough traffic for effective A/B landing page testing rather than a hard requirement. A dealer who completed Pasch's prior SEO study vouches for the program's quality and encourages others to enroll.

The thread announces a Dale Pollak webinar scheduled for December 15th focused on the concept of 'Engineered Inventory,' a sourcing strategy for used vehicle acquisition. Pollak argues that while dealers struggle to find the right cars at the right price, top dealers are succeeding through a 'free agency' approach, and the webinar promises a live demonstration using a real dealer's market data. The key insight is that inventory sourcing challenges are a matter of strategy rather than market impossibility.

The thread announces a 2010 partnership between Kia Motors America and eBay Motors, launching kia.ebay.com as the first nationwide OEM new-car shopping experience on eBay, with over 345 Kia dealers listing their full inventory. Consumers could search across all participating dealers and submit offers using eBay's 'Best Offer' feature. The initiative represented a notable early experiment in OEM-level digital retailing through a major third-party marketplace.

A promotional thread announcing a vAuto webinar hosted by used car expert Dale Pollak, focused on replacing traditional price negotiation with documentation-based strategies to improve gross profit without sacrificing volume. The follow-up reply confirms the webinar was recorded and made available for on-demand viewing. There is no community discussion, making this primarily a resource announcement rather than a debate or conversation.

Contact At Once! and Motortrak announced a partnership in November 2010 to integrate dealer chat software into Motortrak-powered websites for Mercedes-Benz dealers. The integration allows Mercedes-Benz dealers to quickly add live chat functionality to their existing Motortrak digital retail marketing sites. The partnership reflects growing momentum toward embedding real-time customer engagement tools directly into OEM-aligned dealer website platforms.

Dealix, a division of Cobalt, announced the relaunch of Usedcars.com in January 2009, featuring Kelley Blue Book price comparisons to help shoppers identify fair deals from dealers. The redesign was built around consumer research showing used car buyers split into those open to multiple models and those with specific vehicles in mind. A commenter from Ireland noted a similar initiative that adds warranty info and vehicle history checks to build buyer confidence.

ActivEngage announced the launch of ActivConnect, a dealership website toolbar allowing consumers to interact via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, DealerRater, and live chat without leaving the dealer's site. The tool addresses a key pain point: previously, social media links drove shoppers away from dealership websites. The thread generated minimal discussion, with only a brief positive guest comment acknowledging the tool's usefulness.

The thread announces a free Cars.com webinar featuring successful GMs sharing strategies for building an internet sales culture and boosting dealership profitability. Replies show genuine enthusiasm for panelist Andrew DiFeo, whose eCommerce-driven approach to running a Hyundai store drew praise from attendees familiar with his Digital Dealer presentation. A follow-up reply provides a link to the archived session for those who missed the live event.

Attendees and panelists from the Auto Remarketing CPO Forum in San Diego share takeaways on certified pre-owned vehicle marketing, with a strong emphasis on the internet as the primary channel for CPO discovery. A key insight from the conference is that while roughly 75% of CPO shoppers are aware of the category, most don't understand what certification actually includes — pointing to a clear opportunity for dealers to better educate buyers online. Participants praised the conference format, particularly its interactive Q&A style, and highlighted best practices like detailed photos, manufacturer-backed programs, and compelling vehicle descriptions.

DealerRater announced its full integration with Google Maps in November 2010, allowing certified dealer customers to display review star ratings directly in their Google Maps listings to boost visibility and click-through rates. Replies affirm that online reviews are impossible to ignore, with the broader takeaway that dealers who embrace these digital tools outperform those who resist them.

The thread covers Dataium's 2010 launch of the Automotive Shopper Intensity (ASI) Index, a metric designed to help dealers and OEMs measure not just traffic volume but the quality and purchase intent of online automotive shoppers. The only reply draws a brief comparison to similar work done by Trilogy, suggesting the concept wasn't entirely new to the industry.

The thread celebrates DealerRater reaching 2,000 certified dealers in its Certified Dealer Program, a milestone that represented a doubling of membership in just six months as of November 2010. Community members offer congratulations, highlighting DealerRater's growing role as a trusted online reputation management tool for dealerships across North America. The thread signals broad dealer adoption of user-generated reviews as a core part of managing dealership reputation online.

The thread is a congratulatory pile-on celebrating Alex Jefferson's feature in Digital Dealer Magazine, with colleagues, clients, and industry peers praising his digital marketing passion, warm personality, and sharp style. The consensus from those who know him is that the recognition is well-deserved, with several attendees from Digital Dealer 9 sharing personal encounters that highlight his approachable, enthusiastic character.

A press release announces the 2010 relaunch of Joe Verde's training company website, joeverde.com, built on ASP.NET with a design borrowed from his JVTN virtual training network. The redesign aimed to improve navigation speed and content delivery for automotive sales training customers. There is no community discussion — the thread consists solely of the promotional announcement.

A thread ostensibly about 2010 Vegas automotive conference rumors (Digital Dealer 9, DSES, JDP AIRT) quickly became a candid airing of personal grievances, rivalries, and grudging respect among prominent digital automotive figures, centered on criticism of Digital Dealer organizer Mike Roscoe's conference networking policies. The thread veered into a public back-and-forth between DigitalRalph and Layton Judd — trading insults that ended in an awkward truce — before concluding with a call to embrace disagreement as a sign of passion in the industry.

The thread reacts to AutoTrader's acquisition of Kelley Blue Book, following closely on its purchase of vAuto, as part of a broader Cox-backed consolidation strategy. Community members debate whether the deals benefit dealers through integration and data synergy or harm competition and creativity, with Cars.com and newspapers seen as clear losers. A controversial Hitler analogy by one commenter drew sharp pushback, including a defense from vAuto's Dale Pollak arguing the acquisitions would reduce duplicative dealer workflows.

Alex Snyder previews the 2010 J.D. Power Automotive Internet Roundtable, held October 20-22 at Red Rock Resort, highlighting its panel-driven format with 900+ OEM and dealer group attendees that tends to spark candid, unscripted responses. The thread draws minimal engagement, with one attendee simply asking where to find presentation copies afterward.