Automotive News, Press Releases, and Events

AutoUSA issued a press release announcing a 500% increase in email and phone leads for dealers from its pay-per-lead Inventory Listing Network, powered by Vast.com, since April 2009. The network had also seen dealer participation growing at 20% per month. The post appears to be a straightforward press release with no notable discussion or debate from the community.

The thread announces the Fourth Annual Synergy Sessions conference in Atlanta (October 5-6, 2009), themed 'Restructure to Maximize Performance,' featuring industry speakers from vAuto, VinSolutions, CarsDirect, and ADP. A contest was held across multiple industry sites to win a free trip, with a DealerRefresh contributor named Mitch winning for his creative 'sales league' accountability concept. Mitch attended and posted a brief live update calling it one of the best conferences he had attended, with a full review promised afterward.

Dealers and consumers collide in this Cash for Clunkers (C.A.R.S.) program thread, covering payment delays from NHTSA, document submission headaches, and the financial risk dealers absorbed by fronting rebate money. A key tension emerges between frustrated consumers who felt misled by dealerships and dealers defending the operational complexity of processing nearly 700,000 government-backed transactions while waiting months for reimbursement.

ContactAtOnce! announced a 2009 licensing agreement with CarsDirect to integrate its live chat service into the CarsDirect automotive shopping platform, enabling real-time conversations between online car shoppers and dealers. The partnership aimed to deepen consumer-dealer engagement beyond traditional lead forms by moving shoppers into live interactions. The thread appears to be a press release share with no significant community discussion noted.

A MailChimp-backed eMarketer study found that Gmail users have higher open and click rates than users of Yahoo Mail, AOL, or Hotmail, likely because Gmail's strong spam filtering builds trust in inbox content. Jeff Kershner suggests dealers specifically ask customers for their Gmail address to improve email marketing engagement. Replies reinforce the point, noting Gmail's rapid growth and superior deliverability for business use.

AutoUSA announced a partnership with TARGUSInfo to implement on-demand lead verification for new and used vehicle leads delivered to automotive dealers. The integration aims to ensure leads are reachable and contactable before being sent to dealers, positioning it as part of a broader quality improvement initiative. The thread is a press release with no dealer discussion or commentary.

The thread covers a 2009 FTC ruling requiring dealers and telemarketers to obtain prior written consent before sending prerecorded robocalls to consumers, effective September 1, 2009. Participants discuss how vendors like One Command, CIMA Systems, and Autoloop — which rely on call-blasting — face major business disruption, and raise questions about how dealers will realistically get customers to opt in. The key concern is that opt-in rates will likely be very low, effectively gutting voicemail marketing as a viable channel for dealers.

A 2009 AutoTrader.com press release touts 15 million monthly visitors driven by the Cash-for-Clunkers program, while noting that shrinking dealer inventories pushed new-car asking prices sharply higher — Ford F-150s up 16%, Fusions up 13%. Dealers in the thread pushed back skeptically, pointing out it was a self-serving press release, noting that new-car leads didn't materialize as expected (one dealer reported zero new-car inquiries on Honda during the program), and warning that AutoTrader might use the traffic spike to justify future price increases.

Dealix announced its Quality Pledge program in September 2009, positioning itself as the first automotive marketing company to guarantee every new and used car lead it sells to dealers. The program includes a Hassle Free Lead Return feature that lets dealers remove non-qualifying leads from their bill and have them replaced. The core pitch is that dealers only pay for leads meeting specific quality criteria, theoretically improving ROI and monthly sales opportunities.

DealerRefresh community members, led by Marketing Director Joe Pistell of Sun Auto Group, launched a crowdsourced dealer survey to calculate the real-world environmental impact of the Cash for Clunkers (C4C) program, with results showing an average MPG jump of over 8 miles per gallon and projected annual savings of 232 million gallons of gas. Skeptics in the thread raised valid counterpoints, including increased driving behavior among more fuel-efficient vehicle owners, environmental costs of scrapping cars, and the likelihood of a post-C4C sales lull in Q4. The thread captures a split between dealers optimistic about the program's environmental and sales benefits and critics who viewed it primarily as a short-term stimulus with questionable long-term impact.

A DealerRefresh thread explores the value of live website analytics tools like Woopra for car dealerships, with Alex Snyder sharing his enthusiasm for real-time visitor tracking at Checkered Flag. The discussion takes a detour into a technical dispute over whether Woopra's tracking code follows users across the entire internet, with Woopra's owner stepping in to firmly deny the claim as technically impossible. The thread ultimately underscores both the addictive educational value of live analytics for dealers and the importance of understanding the privacy and technical realities of the tools they deploy.

Cars.com hosted a free webinar on using social media platforms like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter to drive dealership sales through customer engagement and relationship building. The session, featuring contributor Alex, drew positive feedback from attendees who found the content practical and worth sharing with their dealer networks. Recording and presentation links were made available shortly after the live event.

AutoTrader.com announced a 2009 partnership with Nissan to host and power all Certified Pre-Owned listings across Nissan's 1,070 U.S. retailers, including on NissanUSA.com itself. AutoTrader receives a daily data feed from Nissan North America and enriches it with dealer contact details and inventory specifics. The deal signals a growing role for third-party marketplaces in powering OEM-level CPO programs directly on manufacturer websites.

The thread covers a 2009 press release announcing a joint eBay Motors and General Motors promotion allowing California consumers to browse, negotiate, and purchase new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Pontiac vehicles entirely online through gm.ebay.com. A commenter quickly raised skepticism, questioning whether the initiative was a genuine digital retail push, a tactic to pressure auction companies on fees, or simply a distressed inventory clearance effort — while noting GM was already facing steep discounting pressure from imports in California.

EasyAutoSales.com announced the launch of version 3.0 of its classified service, combining vehicle research, peer reviews, and premium listings with integration into Craigslist and social networking platforms. The platform aims to bridge the gap between early-stage online research and active car shopping, allowing dealers to reach buyers earlier in the purchase funnel. The thread appears to be a press release share with limited additional discussion.

A Dealix survey of hundreds of dealers during the early days of the Cash for Clunkers program found that 30% had already made a sale using the voucher, though nearly 90% reported low or moderate consumer awareness and widespread confusion over program rules. Dealers debated how to market the program proactively, with one commenter noting that customers would look to local dealers for answers rather than the government. A skeptical reply questioned whether the program's success would be measured by genuine economic impact or simply by participation numbers driven by media and political spin.

Alex Snyder uses the 2009 Iranian election protests — where citizens bypassed government media blackouts via Twitter and Facebook — as a real-world case study for the power of social media. Commenters broadly agree that social platforms surface breaking news faster than traditional outlets and that car dealers should embrace them for top-of-mind awareness, though skeptics note that without clear ROI metrics, many in the industry will tune out the message.

The thread shares a video message from AutoTrader.com's CEO Chip Perry and SVP Alan Smith addressing difficult times and internal changes at the company, prompting dealers and industry insiders to weigh in on AutoTrader's value and direction. Commenters debate walk-in traffic attribution versus measurable lead generation, with several comparing AutoTrader unfavorably to Cars.com on ROI metrics like impressions and form submissions. The thread reveals widespread skepticism about AutoTrader's effectiveness and corporate culture, though some acknowledge the company is attempting to become more dealer-focused.

Jeff Kershner posted a promotional announcement for a free Cars.com webinar scheduled for July 10, 2009, focused on helping dealers capitalize on the 'Cash for Clunkers' (CARS) program before its late July launch. The webinar aimed to guide dealers on updating their merchandising and sales processes to attract new-car buyers entering the market through the government incentive program. The thread's only reply came from a consumer mistakenly asking about their Malibu trade-in value, highlighting how public confusion around the program was already driving consumer engagement.

Dealix announced a partnership to power the car quote and dealer selector platform on Yahoo! Autos, giving dealers access to the site's 6.5 million monthly unique visitors. The press release highlights mutual benefits: car buyers get faster quotes from qualified dealers, while dealers gain a new channel to reach in-market shoppers. The thread appears to be a straightforward industry announcement with no significant dealer debate or commentary.

The thread began before the Cash for Clunkers (CARS) program was signed into law, with Alex Snyder urging dealers to get ahead of the trend by building landing pages and preparing staff to capture early interest. As the thread progressed, vendors pitched digital advertising solutions and microsites, while the program was officially signed by Obama. The key takeaway was that proactive dealers stood to win market share early, though some commenters cautioned against overcomplicating offers, and Hyundai emerged as a manufacturer stepping up by advancing dealers $4,000 per qualifying sale ahead of official NHTSA registration.