Governor Gavin Newsom just signed a new piece of legislation to help prevent catalytic converter theft in California. This is intended to help deter criminals, as catalytic converter theft has been rising sharply in recent years. Why? Catalytic converters contain numerous rare earth metals, such as platinum, palladium, or rhodium, and thieves can sell them for a high price. Priced...

Cox Automotive surveyed over 1000 US dealerships last month and saw many dealerships express concern over inflation, dealer inventories, and rising costs. In addition, the “Dealer Sentiment Index” showed that dealers have a negative outlook regarding the challenges ahead for the quarter and beyond.  Cox Automotive Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke said, “unique market conditions are causing worry among car dealerships...

The Kia Boyz TikTok Challenge is a recent social media trend that has caught law enforcement officials’ attention across the United States. This challenge, which consists of using a USB cable and a phone to hot-wire and steal a Kia or Hyundai car and posting a video of the joyride hoping for viral attention, is growing in popularity. So, as you...

The US auto industry suffered severe losses during the recent pandemic. Only now are dealerships slowly returning to production and car sales. However, as businesses start to rebuild, many dealerships now face ripple effects from COVID-19 restrictions. The pandemic revealed how unprepared dealers were for business stalling for long periods. As a result, dealership lot management has become increasingly complex....

With gas prices currently at all-time highs, gas consumption is a primary concern among drivers. The average household annual transportation costs are nearly as much as what’s spent on rent or mortgage payments. Let’s go over several efficient auto driving habits and maintenance tips that can increase your vehicle’s gas mileage and help save you money. Driving Habits One of...

If your dealership is suffering from a lack of automotive service tech support, you aren’t alone. Two years of the pandemic, global chip supply shortages, increasing demands for Electric Vehicle (EV) solutions, and the great resignation have changed the auto industry in unpredictable ways. Despite these compounding problems facing the automotive industry, dealers are now in a unique position. Technological...

A dealer buy-back program is becoming a popular option amongst both dealerships and consumers. Convenience, peace of mind, and cost-effectiveness are some of the key benefits this type of program provides consumers. Let’s discuss what a buy-back program is and if it’s the best option for you.  What Is A Dealer Buy-Back Program? An automotive buy-back program is a relatively...

It’s an interesting time to be in the market for a new vehicle. The world is still recovering from international supply chain issues—specifically, the current global shortage of microchips needed to produce all new cars. As a result of the shortage, manufacturers produced 1.7 million fewer vehicles in 2021 than in 2019.  This vehicle shortage has resulted in a top-to-bottom...

The automotive industry is one that is constantly changing and evolving each year, and 2022 is proving to be no exception. Every day we are hearing about new technology, features, or automotive brands hitting the market. Now more than ever, the automotive industry is evolving rapidly, and auto trends must be identified for companies to survive and thrive. In this...

Connected Dealer Services’ vehicle health and direct automotive marketing platform, CarRx, earned a first-place Diamond award in the Service Retention category in the 2022 Auto Dealer Today Dealers’ Choice Awards, while the company’s inventory management and vehicle recovery solution, Elo GPS, won a Platinum award in the Vehicle Tracking category that was newly added for 2022. The Auto Dealer Today...