Consumer Reports Exec Joins Nissan

Nissan announced the hiring of former Consumer Reports auto test center senior director, David Champion, for the newly created position of executive adviser, competitive assessment and quality.

Champion will report to Steve Monk, director, vehicle evaluation and testing and chief marketability engineer for Nissan Technical Center North America, and he will be based at its Arizona testing center. His work also will align closely with customer satisfaction efforts overseen by Carla Bailo, senior vice president, research and development.

Champion's hiring marks his return to Nissan, where he served as a quality assurance engineer from 1994 to 1997, working to identify and correct customer dissatisfiers.

Prior to his roles at Consumer Reports and Nissan, Champion was a principal engineer at Land Rover of North America, where he established remote test facilities throughout the United States and Canada. Champion earned dual bachelor's degrees at University of Aston, Birmingham, England, in mechanical engineering and metal and material science.
Champion joins Nissan on Sept. 10.

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Vehicles on Road Grow Older

Experian Automotive announced that there were 17.3 million more light-duty vehicles seven years and older on the road in the United States than there were three years ago.

According to its Q1 2012 Vehicles in Operation (VIO) market analysis, Experian Automotive also found that there were more than 245 million vehicles on U.S. roads, and that the age of vehicles increased when compared to the first quarter of 2011, up 1.9 percent to an average age of 11 years.

Additional data from the report showed Ford as the most prevalent make on the road in first quarter, followed by Chevrolet, Toyota and Honda for both Canada and the United States. At the model level, the U.S. analysis showed that the Ford F-150 had the largest volume on the road, followed by the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Chevrolet Silverado.

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Hertz Finally Lands Dollar Thrifty

Hertz Global Holdings Inc. and Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc. announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Hertz would acquire Dollar Thrifty for $87.50 per share in cash in a transaction valued at a corporate enterprise value of approximately $2.3 billion.

The combination of Hertz and Dollar Thrifty will create a global, multi-brand rental car leader offering customers a full range of rental options through its strong premium and value brands. The boards of directors of both companies have unanimously approved the transaction.

Hertz also announced that it has reached an agreement to sell the Advantage business to Franchise Services of North America ("FSNA") and Macquarie Capital. FSNA is an experienced rental car operator with subsidiaries including, among others, U-Save, Rent-a-Wreck, Practicar and X Press Rent-a-Car. The closing of that divestiture is conditioned upon, among other things, Hertz completing an acquisition of Dollar Thrifty.

The transaction has been structured as a two-step acquisition including a cash tender offer for all outstanding shares of Dollar Thrifty common stock followed by a cash merger in which Hertz would acquire any remaining outstanding shares of Dollar Thrifty common stock. The transaction is subject to the tender of at least a majority of the shares of Dollar Thrifty common stock, as well as other customary closing conditions. The successful completion of the transaction is also subject to regulatory clearance by the Federal Trade Commission.

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Used Luxury Becomes More Expensive

A sharp decline in the supply of luxury brand used cars and light trucks will result in higher prices this year, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association Used Car Guide.

NADA predicts the supply of luxury used-vehicles up to five years old will decline by 13 percent in 2012 compared to a year ago, resulting in an average price increase of 1.9 percent this year. Prices in the overall used-vehicle market are expected to increase 2.9 percent in 2012.

Prices for luxury brand used vehicles increased 9 percent in 2011.

NADA's price forecast for the following luxury brands in 2012, include: Acura (up 4.8 percent), Audi (up 3.3 percent), BMW (down 0.2 percent), Cadillac (up 0.5 percent), Infiniti (up 1.5 percent), Lexus (up 1.6 percent), Lincoln (up 2.6 percent), Mercedes-Benz (up 0.7 percent) and Volvo (down 3.1 percent).

The decline in used-vehicle supply was caused by the 2007-09 economic recession when fewer new vehicles were purchased or leased, resulting in a drastic drop in trade-ins and off-lease vehicles returning to the market. In 2011, mainstream (non-luxury brands) and luxury brand sales grew by 11 percent and 4 percent, respectively, compared to 2010.

In the luxury sector alone from 2009 to 2011, prices for used-vehicles up to five years old grew by about 22 percent, with appreciation across brands ranging from a low of 14.7 percent for Volvo to a high of 29 percent for Mercedes-Benz, according to the NADA Used Car Guide. Prices for luxury used vehicles are still at historic high levels.

NADA anticipates another year and a half of losses before the supply of luxury used-vehicles swings back up again. Although the upturn in overall supply is still some ways off, shorter-term off-lease supply is set to improve much sooner. In fact, NADA estimates that 36-month off-lease supply is already on the rise, and that supply for these units will be 9 percent higher in the second half of the year than it was in the first.

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Firm Recalls Electric Cars

Fisker Automotive is recalling certain model year 2012 Fisker Karma passenger cars manufactured from June 15, 2011, through July 9, 2012. A manufacturing defect in the low temperature cooling fan may result in a direct short.

A direct short may ignite the fan housing, shroud and surrounding components, causing a vehicle fire.

Fisker will notify owners, and dealers will remove the two potentially affected low temperature cooling fans and replace them with one improved low temperature cooling fan, free charge. The safety recall was expected to begin on Aug. 27.

Fisker's recall campaign number is 520120016.

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RouteOne Enhances App

RouteOne Enhances AppRouteOne announced the availability of additional enhancements to its free iPhone app.

The app includes the ability to forward 'send' applications to new finance sources, securely text message with supporting finance sources, get payoff quotes, and capture leads into the Lead Manager within RouteOne. This enhanced functionality is also available on the RouteOne app for Android. RouteOne has also optimized its app for iPad and for RetinaTM displays, making browsing long lists and filling out forms even easier. Users can update their app today or install it by searching for RouteOne in the App Store.

The additions enhance the base functionality of the app; allowing users to view and manage RouteOne deals and leads and request and view credit scores instantly, whether in the F&I office or outside the dealership. In addition to its iPhone app, RouteOne offers an industry-leading suite of mobile tools, including apps available for use on the Android, BlackBerry, iPad, iPod, and Windows 7 Phone.

RouteOne.net is also compatible with the mobile browsers for Android devices, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Internet Explorer on the Windows Phone.

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Experts Expect Higher Sales

New-car sales slowed in July, but were still better than last year.

J.D. Power and Associates and LMC Automotive project August new-vehicle retail sales of 1,066,200 units, which represent a seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) of 12.3 million units.

Incentives are down slightly in August, compared with July ($106 less per vehicle, on average).Total light-vehicle sales, including fleet, are expected to come in at 1,285,300 units, a 16 percent increase from August 2011. Fleet represents only 17 percent of total light-vehicle sales, which is lower than the 21 percent year-to-date average.

LMC Automotive recently revised the outlook for total light-vehicle sales in the United States downward to 14.3 million units from 14.5 million units, with retail sales at 11.4 million units, down from 11.5 million units.

Kelley Blue Book predicts August new-car sales will hit 1,273,000 units overall.

However, the daily selling rate is expected to decline nearly 1,000 units per day compared to July 2011.

From a segment perspective, Kelley Blue Book expects a jump in sales of compact, subcompact and hybrid cars as consumers seek respite from rising fuel prices. Gas prices have increased by $0.30 per gallon since early July, and as a result, Kelley Blue Book has seen an increased interest in fuel-sipping small cars both in terms of KBB.com shopper activity and retail sales volume. Mid-size car sales also remain strong at 16.8 percent market share. The Toyota Camry will continue to lead segment sales; however, the 2013 Nissan Altima could sway consumers with its segment-leading 38-mpg highway.

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Dealership Finance Firm Expands

BMO Harris announced that its dealership finance team is expanding into Virginia with the hiring of Jeff Carmines as director, commercial dealership finance, BMO Harris Bank.

Carmines will focus primarily on business development in the Greater Washington Area, Maryland and Virginia, although he will also have responsibilities for the surrounding states as well.

The BMO Harris Dealership Finance team already has offices in Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Tampa, Indianapolis, Kansas City, St. Louis, Joliet and Crown Point, and has plans to continue to expand into new markets. BMO Harris' parent company, BMO Financial Group, has been actively serving the financial needs of auto dealers for the last 35 years.

Carmines has a banking career that spans 28 years with 24 of those years managing automobile dealer relationships. Most recently he spent 12 years at SunTrust Bank, where he was responsible for the growth and management of a large portfolio of auto dealerships in the Greater Washington area of Maryland and Virginia. Previously, he managed a national auto dealer portfolio for JM Family Enterprises.

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Tire Group Supports Right to Repair

The Tire Industry Association applauded the passage of the Right to Repair law in Massachusetts.

The group strongly urges Congress to pass a comparable federal law.

The Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act requires that car companies provide full, fair access at a reasonable cost to all non-proprietary service information, tools, fault codes and safety-related bulletins needed to repair motor vehicles. The Right to Repair Act was introduced into the 112th Congress by Reps. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) and Todd Russell Platts (R-PA), and has reached 51 co-sponsors.

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BMW Parts Get Recalled

Valeo is recalling certain engine cooling fans, part numbers 696121, 696273, and 696275, used as service replacement parts for model year 2008-2011 BMW 1-Series, 2006-2011 BMW 3-Series, 2000-2009 BMW 5-Series, 2004-2005 BMW 6-Series, and 2006-2007 BMW 7-Series vehicles.

A metal-oxide semiconductor may overheat due to insufficient screwing of the semiconductor on the aluminum heat sink. This primary failure could cause adjacent components on the fan assembly motor circuit board to overheat and short.

This condition could cause the fan motor to become inoperative, or cause the motor circuit board in the assembly to overheat, potentially leading to a fire in the engine compartment.

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Honda Recalls CR-Vs

Honda is recalling 1,316 model year 2006 CR-V vehicles.

The weld strength attaching the sub-frame bushing collar to the passenger-side front lower arm is insufficient. The collar can separate from the arm due to vibration while driving.

As a result, a loss of steering can occur, increasing the risk of crash.

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the production lot stamp on the passenger-side front lower arm and, if necessary, replace the lower arm, free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about April 17.

Honda's recall campaign number is S33.

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Trade-In Marketplace Marks Milestone

AutoTrader.com's Trade-In Marketplace (TIM) reached a notable milestone in February, generating the three millionth Instant Trade-In Offer since January 2010. In the last year alone, the volume of offers has increased 62 percent.

Trade-In Marketplace aims to take the mystery out of the trade-in process by giving consumers an instant offer for their vehicle, sight unseen, that is redeemable at participating auto dealerships across the country. In addition to the three millionth offer being generated, TIM also experienced a single-day record of 9,000 offers generated on Feb. 20.

Initially launched in a few select markets in June 2009, the TIM tool became available nationwide in October 2010. In October 2011, AutoTrader.com partnered with one of its subsidiaries, Kelley Blue Book, to bring the TIM tool to its website, kbb.com. To date, more than 300,000 offers have been generated from kbb.com consumers.

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BBB Vets Cars.com

Cars.com has become a formally accredited Better Business Bureau (BBB) company, and has received the BBBs A+ rating the BBBs highest consumer protection rating.

The non-profit BBB cited Cars.coms length of time in business, low volume of complaints (as compared to company size), effectiveness in responding to consumer complaints, and resolution of complaints as contributing factors to the A+ rating.

More than 11 million car shoppers use Cars.com every month for its wide selection of new and used vehicles, expert vehicle reviews, consumer dealer and vehicle reviews, vehicle side-by-side comparisons, photo galleries, videos and pricing tools.

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Procon Is Now Spireon

ProconGPS Inc. announced its new corporate name, Spireon, Inc.

The new corporate name and identity was officially launched at a special ribbon-cutting event held at the companys new Technology Center in Irvine, Calif., on March 24.

The Spireon name binds the strategic merger of ProconGPS, Inc. with Enfotrace and PFS, LLC.

The unusual name is derived from the words spire and inspire.

As part of its new corporate identity and branding efforts, Spireon, Inc., announced a new corporate sponsorship with Joe Gibbs and Joe Gibbs Racing.

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Dealer Pleads to Bank Fraud

The owner of several used-car dealerships in the Kansas City, Mo., metropolitan area pleaded guilty in federal court for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy that resulted in losses of millions of dollars by several financial institutions.

John A. Hart III, 51, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Ortrie D. Smith to the charge contained in information that was filed in lieu of the Sept. 21, 2011, federal indictment.

Between May 2000 and February 2009, Hart operated several used car dealerships at various locations, including Better Than New Automobiles, LLC, On Time Auto and Hart Family Motors.

Hart and others obtained loans and lines of credit from various financial institutions in connection with vehicles involved in his auto sales business. Hart admitted that he provided false and fraudulent financial information to obtain loans and lines of credit. Hart also admitted that he obtained multiple loans in which the same vehicle was pledged as collateral, and failed to disclose to the financial institutions that vehicles pledged as collateral for loans were already encumbered at another financial institution or in another loan.

Hart also admitted that he and his wife borrowed more than $1 million from First Missouri National Bank between Nov. 15, 2006 and March 26, 2008. They provided copies of their 2004 and 2005 income tax returns to the bank. However, according to the plea agreement, they did not actually file their 2004 and 2005 returns until 2009.

The filed returns were materially different than the tax returns submitted to the bank in support of their loan application. According to the plea agreement, the filed returns claimed a much lower adjusted gross income.

The government believes the loss attributed to Hart is between $2.5 million and $7 million. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Hart reserves his right to argue what the appropriate loss calculation should be at the sentencing hearing.

Under federal statutes, Hart is subject to a sentence of up to five years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000 and an order of restitution.

A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a pre-sentence investigation by the U. S. Probation Office.

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KBB Marks Milestone

Kelley Blue Book reports a one million-download milestone for its kbb.com Android mobile application. Launched in November 2010, the free, interactive app provides users with crucial car-buying information to help make confident purchase decisions.

The kbb.com Android app provides shoppers with access to new and used Kelley Blue Book Values, including MSRP, invoice, fair purchase price, certified pre-wned, suggested retail, private party and trade-in values. Car buyers and sellers can use this information in vehicle transaction negotiations to ensure they get the best deal possible, wherever they may be.

The application also offers several features for car shoppers, such as a dealer locator with detailed maps and directions, 360-degree vehicle photos, new-car video reviews from kbb.coms expert editors, and the kbb.com Twitter feed for the latest automotive news and information from Kelley Blue Books team of car aficionados.

The kbb.com Android app features a widget that can be positioned on the phones home screen to track a vehicles value. Whether users want to track their trade-in value prior to buying a car or stay up-to-date on their car values performance in the marketplace, the widget provides the latest information. The widget is automatically updated to show the latest vehicles values, just like Kelley Blue Book Values on kbb.com. The widget can be accessed after downloading the Android app.

In addition to the Android app, Kelley Blue Books kbb.com also offers free apps for iPhone and Windows Phone 7 users. Kbb.coms app for iPhone launched in May 2010, followed by Android and Windows Phone 7 in November 2010.

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Toyota Pays for Failure to Repair

Los Angeles County Superior Court enters judgment on a jury's verdict awarding consumers their money back after prevailing at a Lemon Law trial against Toyota Motor Sales USA. Consumers John M. and John S. Sroka owned a 2007 Toyota Tundra that had an intermittent harsh-shifting transmission, which Toyota's authorized dealerships "could not duplicate."Attorneys Adam C. Maxwell and Benjeman Beck, of Krohn & Moss, Ltd., represented the Srokas in what their lawyers called a "failure to diagnose" by Toyota's authorized dealerships.

A Los Angeles County jury determined that Toyota had violated the California Lemon Law and that the Srokas were entitled to a full refund of the payments they had made.

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Jaguar Recalls Parts for ‘90s SUVs

Jaguar Land Rover North America Inc. is recalling 180 REAR driveshaft couplings, Land Rover branded part No. TVF100010, manufactured between April and November 2011, sold for use as service parts for model year 1995-1999 Discovery, 1999-2004 Discovery II, and 1995 Range Rover Classic vehicles. Some of the rear driveshaft couplings may not have been manufactured to the required engineering design specifications and may exhibit the onset of joint separation, precluded by drive line vibration.

If this increased vibration warning sign is ignored, catastrophic failure of the drive coupling can occur. The driveshaft may detach from the vehicle while in motion resulting in loss of drive and loss of transmission park functionality, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash and/or injury.

Land Rover will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected rear driveshaft couplers free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or about April 23.

Land Rover's recall campaign number is P024.

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Toyota CPO Adds Satellite Radio

Sirius XM Radio and Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. announced that customers across the U.S. would receive a 3-month trial subscription to satellite radio and available SiriusXM services when they purchase a Toyota Certified Used Vehicle or a Scion Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle equipped with a SiriusXM radio.

Customers will have access to SiriusXM's commercial-free music, and premier sports, news, talk, entertainment plus traffic and weather information. In addition, customers will also get XM NavTraffic on select vehicles equipped with navigation.

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Hyundai Recalls Hybrids

Hyundai is recalling about 1,633 Hyundai Sonata hybrid vehicles produced beginning on Dec. 2, 2010, and shipped to dealers through March 7, 2012, that are equipped with a center rear seat belt incorporating a release mechanism that detaches both the lap and shoulder portion at the lower anchorage point, fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Hyundai dealers are replacing the center rear seat belts in Sonata hybrid vehicles currently in dealer inventory with center rear seat belts that are not detachable from the lower anchorage point prior to delivery to customers.

Hyundai dealers are replacing the center rear seat belts in approximately 1,633 Sonata Hybrid vehicles currently in dealer inventory with center rear seat belts that are not detachable from the lower anchorage point prior to delivery to customers.

For the approximately 13,095 vehicles that have been delivered to customers, Hyundai intends to file a petition for an exemption from the recall requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act on the basis that the noncompliance described is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety. The manufacturer is not obligated to conduct an owner notification and remedy campaign until NHTSA has resolved the petition.

If the petition is denied, Hyundai will be notified and must then undertake its notification and remedy campaign obligations.

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Ally Renews Facility

Ally Financial Inc. has completed the renewal of $15 billion in credit facilities at both the parent company and at its banking subsidiary, Ally Bank, with a syndicate of 19 lenders.

The secured facilities can be used to fund retail, lease and dealer floorplan automotive assets in the U.S. and Canada.

The $15 billion funding capacity is comprised of two $7.5 billion facilities, one of which is available to the parent company, Ally Financial, and one of its Canadian subsidiaries, and the other which is available to Ally Bank.

Each new facility will have half the capacity maturing in March 2013 and the other half maturing in March 2014. The two credit lines renew the credit facilities that were established by Ally in March 2011.

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Chrysler Recalls SUVs

Chrysler is recalling more than 200,000 model year 2004 and 2005 Jeep Liberty vehicles manufactured from July 3, 2003, through July 14, 2005, originally sold, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Some vehicles may be equipped with rear lower control arms that can experience a rear suspension lower control arm fracture due to excessive corrosion.

A fracture of the rear lower control arm may result in a loss of vehicle control and may lead to a vehicle crash.

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear lower control arms on all affected vehicles originally sold in, or currently registered in the NHTSA defined salt belt states, free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin by the end of April.

Chrysler's safety recall number is L27.

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Nissan Issues Air Bag Recall

Nissan is recalling certain model year 2003-05 Infiniti Q45 vehicles. A wiring connector for the seat mounted airbag may experience increased electrical resistance, resulting in the non-deployment of the side air bags.

Non-deployment of side air bags could increase the risk of personal injury.

Nissan will notify owners, and dealers will modify the wiring connector, free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or about March 12.

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CPO Sales Set Record

February 2012 certified pre-owned sales were 149,332, up 11.7 percent from February 2011 and 13.8 percent from January. This is the highest number of CPO sales reported in the month of February.

There were 25 selling days in February as compared to 24 in January 2012 and February 2011.

February year-to-date sales were 280,509, 8.9 percent above February 2011 year-to-date.

Year-over-year domestic brand share rose 0.2 percent to 32.8 percent. European share fell 0.8 percent to 16.6 percent. Asian share was up 0.5 percent to 50.5 percent.

Kia and Mazda achieved new highs.

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Chrysler Expands Certification

Chrysler Group LLC announced the launch of Diversified Certified, a new program that enables Chrysler Group dealers to certify and sell competitive-make, pre-owned vehicles backed with a Chrysler Group warranty.

The 140 Fiat stores now open in the United States are the first to launch the Diversified Certified program. Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram Truck dealers will join the program in about 60 days.

Consumers looking for the security that a certified pre-owned vehicle offers now need only look to Chrysler Group dealerships and Fiat stores for the widest selection and one-stop shopping.
All competitive-make pre-owned vehicles will be subjected to a thorough certification process and come with a 5-year/60,000-mile maximum care (full mechanical) warranty from original in-service date, as well as Certified Pre-Owned program benefits such as towing, roadside assistance and more.

Vehicles eligible for the Diversified Certified program will have less than 48,000 miles on the odometer and will be a 2008 model or newer.

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