Automotive News, Press Releases, and Events

A 2010 press release from Contact At Once! announces an iPad chat application allowing car dealers to respond to website chat leads via WiFi or 3G iPads, highlighting features like a streamlined interface and rich shopper context on the high-resolution screen. The single reply is an off-topic question from a guest asking for car dealer recommendations in Louisiana, offering no relevant discussion or insight.

DealerRefresh was awarded the AWA Lighthouse Award for best online content and community by PCG Digital Marketing, voted on by the automotive dealer community. Joe Pistell accepted the award on behalf of the community at the 3rd annual Automotive Website Awards ceremony in Las Vegas. The thread is largely a celebration, with community members, PCG CEO Brian Pasch, and industry peers praising DealerRefresh for its peer-driven, unselfish approach to advancing automotive knowledge.

Kevin Frye's recap of Digital Dealer 9 sparks a lively thread of congratulations and commentary from attendees, speakers, and organizers. Participants praise the conference as the best Digital Dealer yet, highlight standout sessions on ROI modeling, Google Places, mobile, and video, and credit Cliff Banks and the Dealer Communications team for elevating the event. The thread offers a warm insider's view of the community's collegial culture and the growing emphasis on dealer practitioners as speakers.

Alex Snyder previews the 2010 Driving Sales Executive Summit, held October 18-20 at the Encore at the Wynn in Las Vegas, highlighting its intimate format as ideal for networking and engaging with industry thought leaders. A guest reply briefly expresses excitement about the Innovation Cup competition. The thread is minimal in depth but serves as a pre-event announcement for a well-regarded automotive digital marketing conference.

The thread is a pre-conference buzz discussion among DealerRefresh members preparing for the 9th Digital Dealer Conference in Las Vegas on October 12, 2010. Members shared session picks, warned against generic social media presentations, and organized an informal happy hour at the Mirage. The key takeaway was the community's advice to map out the agenda carefully to avoid low-value sessions and catch the strongest speakers.

iPerceptions released its Q2 2010 Automotive Industry Report, highlighting that website convenience — specifically how well a site saves visitors time — is the single biggest driver of customer satisfaction among the ten measured automotive website attributes. The report notes that as economic recovery begins to take hold and consumer interest in luxury purchases returns, automakers and dealers must prioritize their digital experience to capitalize on renewed buying intent. The key takeaway is that convenience, not content or design alone, is what moves the needle on overall site satisfaction.

A 2010 press release announces a strategic partnership between DealerFire.com and AULtec/AutoUpLink USA, integrating DealerFire's Engine 5 website platform into AutoUpLink's inventory management solutions. AutoUpLink, which serves dealerships in 38 states, plans to offer a private-label version of DealerFire's website product to its existing clients. The thread is essentially a vendor announcement with no additional discussion or dealer commentary.

Dealix announced the expansion of the Certified Pre-Owned center on UsedCars.com to include Nissan and Infiniti CPO vehicles, adding to an already robust multi-brand CPO offering. The move was driven by growing shopper demand, with 14 million CPO searches recorded on the site in 2010 alone. The thread is essentially a press release with no notable discussion or dealer commentary following it.

The thread started as an unconfirmed rumor about AutoTrader.com acquiring vAuto, with an anonymous vAuto source initially denying it, before a forum member confirmed the deal was done ahead of an official press release. Alongside the vAuto speculation, a report surfaced that Kelley Blue Book was also up for sale with AutoTrader named as a lead bidder, prompting broader discussion about widespread M&A activity across automotive vendor space. A key insight from Dennis Galbraith was that dealer-focused acquisitions are neither inherently good nor bad — what matters most is whether dealers can measure vendor value effectively.

The thread covers AutoTrader.com's Vehicle Purchase Program pilot, a trade-in service tested in Kansas that provides consumers with guaranteed actual cash value offers redeemable at participating dealerships. Dealers raised skepticism about customers misrepresenting vehicle condition and the difficulty of negotiating trades when an ACV is already locked in, while AutoTrader also had to warn a commenter that Craigslist sellers invoking the program were likely running scams.

The thread covers the confirmed acquisition of vAuto by Autotrader.com, originally rumored and then made official, with congratulations extended to vAuto founder Dale Pollak. Pollak himself joined the discussion to defend the deal, citing Autotrader's improved dealer relations and a three-year freeze on price increases as reasons he was comfortable with the sale. Key debate centered on whether Autotrader would dilute vAuto's value over time versus unlock new data synergies, with rough back-of-napkin math suggesting a ~5-year break-even on a reported $180-200M price tag.

The thread introduces Dennis Galbraith's book 'Sales Integration,' which examines the shift from online advertising to actual selling in automotive retail, drawing on his background at JD Power and Cars.com. Commenters largely agree that meaningful change will be driven by vendors rather than dealers, and that consumer expectations shaped outside the auto industry will ultimately define the future of car retail. Galbraith himself emphasizes that understanding the consumer's control over the shopping process is the central challenge for dealers, vendors, and manufacturers alike.

OneCommand, an automated multi-channel marketing company serving the automotive industry, announced it has made Inc. Magazine's Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies for the fourth consecutive year. The recognition highlights sustained growth through a challenging economic period, with Inc. noting the 2010 honorees demonstrated resilience during the longest recession since the Great Depression. The thread is essentially a press release with no additional discussion or community commentary.

Autobase, a CRM provider under Dominion Dealer Solutions, announced a joint presentation at the 9th Digital Dealer Conference featuring their VP of Sales and an internet sales director from Germain Motor Company. The session, focused on integrating CRM data with digital marketing strategy for 2011 and beyond, emphasized using existing CRM insights to drive multi-channel marketing efforts. The announcement positions CRM not just as a sales tool but as the data foundation for a broader digital strategy.

DrivingSales announced its first annual Innovation Cup Awards, recognizing the most innovative vendor solutions and dealership strategies of 2010, with winners chosen exclusively by auto dealers. The awards were set to be presented at the DrivingSales Executive Summit in Las Vegas in October 2010, co-presented with WardsAuto.com. The dealer-driven selection process was the distinguishing feature, positioning the awards as a peer-validated recognition in the automotive industry.

AutoUSA issued a press release announcing 110% growth in dealer participation for used vehicle lead generation services between June 2009 and June 2010, along with a 14% increase in dealers joining the Edmunds.com Premier Dealer Program. The growth signals that auto dealers are returning to diversified lead mix strategies after a period of consolidation. The announcement positions AutoUSA as a key beneficiary of dealers re-investing in third-party internet lead sources as the market recovers.

A 2010 press release from Selig Technologies announces the launch of VIN Viper, a handheld mobile device with a built-in VIN scanner designed for car dealers, brokers, and auction houses. The device promises instant access to real-time vehicle valuation data from major sources including Black Book, NADA Guides, Kelley Blue Book, and AuctionNet. The thread appears to be a vendor announcement with no visible dealer discussion or community response captured in the content provided.

PCG Digital Marketing CEO Brian Pasch announced an expansion of the PCG Automotive Website Awards (AWA) program for 2010, broadening it into three categories: Search, Design, and Technology. The existing Automotive Search Marketing Awards (ASMA) will be folded into the Search category, while new Design awards will recognize dealership, manufacturer, and third-party advertising websites. The thread introduces the expanded framework as an industry benchmark for evaluating automotive website platforms.

Dealers are discovering their video content and SEO assets being scraped and redistributed across unrelated or spam sites, surfacing visibly through Google's Realtime Search. A key concern is that this content hijacking doesn't link back to the originating dealership, potentially cannibalizing their own search rankings. Participants largely agree the fix must come from search engines themselves, and one commenter warns dealers that chasing broad content distribution at the expense of their core website focus is what makes this problem worse.

Cars.com has extended its license agreement with Contact At Once!, continuing a partnership that began in January 2009 to provide live chat software to franchise and independent dealers on the platform. The key development is a new mobile chat application allowing dealers to respond to chat leads directly from smartphones, aimed at improving lead conversion. The announcement positions mobile responsiveness as a growing priority for dealership chat tools.

DrivingSales announced that social media analyst Jeremiah Owyang will keynote the second annual DrivingSales Executive Summit (DSES) in October 2010 at the Encore Wynn Las Vegas. The event, presented with WardsAuto.com, focuses on helping dealerships innovate their profit centers during the recovery economy. Owyang was highlighted for his expertise in making social media and new media strategies actionable for businesses.