Farley: Ford dealers had 'most profitable year ever' in 2011
 Ford Motor dealers racked up record profits in 2011, said Jim Farley, Ford's vice president of global marketing, sales and service. ...  story
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Kia dealers will get 100,000 more units
 Kia promised dealers 100,000 more units this year than last year in an effort to keep up the brand's momentum. “It's a work in progress, but that's our goal,” said Tom Loveless, vice president of sales for Kia Motors America. ... story
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Honda pulls forward major changes to Civic to this fall
 Honda will bring out a significant mid-cycle change to its embattled Civic compact this fall, just 18 months after it launched, a high-ranking executive told dealers here. ... story
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Subaru promises adequate inventories
Subaru of America reassured dealers today that inventory will not be a problem in the future and that it will meet or exceed its U.S. sales goal of 320,000. ... story
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JASON STEIN
The sizzling debate: Will renovation boost profits?
 There's a car dealer in Michigan who has a dilemma: Some time ago the dealer made extensive renovations to his store. New fireplace, new tile, new paint scheme. The factory says anything older than five years needs a renovation. ... story
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Chrysler dealers stirred by Eastwood's Super Bowl pitch
 A packed room of Chrysler Group dealers were described as “visibly emotional” and “misty-eyed” after watching a preview of the automaker's two-minute Super Bowl commercial Sunday morning during their make meeting led, unexpectedly, by Chrysler-Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne. ... story
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NADA will meet with automakers on renovation study
 Officials from the National Automobile Dealers Association will meet with automakers to discuss the results of its long-awaited study on dealership renovation programs, but NADA has yet to decide on other steps, said outgoing Chairman Stephen Wade. ... story
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GM: Chevy should gain market share in ’12
 General Motors expects Chevrolet to gain market share for the second straight year as the brand rolls out a redesigned Malibu and other fresh entries. GM also told dealers it will launch a $349 lease promotion on the Chevy Volt this week in a bid to revive the plug-in hybrid’s sales. ... story
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Mazda marketing gets 25% bump in 2012
 Mazda North American Operations will use the launch of its Skyactiv powertrain technology and the arrival of the new CX-5 crossover as the impetus to boost marketing spending by 25 percent this year, executives told dealers. ... story
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M-B opts to unveil strategy in April
 Mercedes-Benz USA is riding high, even though it didn't win the 2011 U.S. luxury sales crown, and will unveil its new management team's strategy April 9-10 at a dealer meeting in Chicago. Steve Cannon, 50, who took the helm as CEO on Jan. ... story
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Volvo establishes captive finance arm
 Volvo Cars of North America is launching a captive finance arm, and services will begin this year. Bank of America will provide funding for Volvo Car Financial Services' financing products. ... story
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Super fan
 Dealer Dan Leahy of Boston Volvo cheers on the New England Patriots during the first half of the Super Bowl. Leahy watched the game Sunday at the Volvo reception at La Cave in the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel. ... story
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Mazda merriment
 Mazda's Jim O'Sullivan, left, chats with dealers Thomas Carey of Ramsey Mazda in Des Moines, Iowa, center, and Mike Hollingsworth of Hollingsworth Richards Mazda in Baton Rouge, La., during the Mazda reception Saturday in the Bellagio Las Vegas Tower Ballrooms. ... story
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Question of the day
What have you learned at the convention? ... story
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Asbury's Monaghan: 'The industry is back'
 Craig Monaghan smiles a lot these days. The CEO of Duluth, Ga.'s Asbury Automotive Group Inc., the sixth-largest dealership group in the country, sees rising auto sales, a recovering economy and growing profits for dealers. "The industry is back," Monaghan said here Saturday. ... story
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Mazda marketing gets 25% bump in 2012
Mazda North American Operations will use the launch of its Skyactiv powertrain technology and the arrival of the new CX-5 crossover as the impetus to boost marketing spending by 25 percent this year, executives told dealers. ... story
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Winners are walking the exhibit floor
Who doesn't like winning stuff? Or getting it free when you buy a product or service that you need or were going to purchase anyway? Electronic gadgets, gift cards, a giant toolbox, even a motorcycle are among the prizes up for grabs if you're a dealer walking the exhibit floor at the NADA... ... story
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Mitsubishi: 20% sales gain by '14
The president of Mitsubishi Motor Sales North America says the company is on target to introduce its first plug-in hybrid SUV in 2013, but said the name isn't certain. "We haven't decided to call it an Outlander or something else," Yoichi Yokozawa, said after the Mitsubishi make meeting Sunday. ... story
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Autobytel: Better sales climate makes groups hungry for leads
A growing appetite for online leads has prompted large dealership groups to lift self-imposed caps they had on leads from Autobytel Inc., said Autobytel CEO Jeff Coats. "They'll take as many leads as we can send them" now, he said. He called it a sign of the improved sales environment. ... story
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Tipping point
 Creative Car Display Inc. of Hollywood, Fla., showed the company's Xtreme 45-degree car display, which allows dealers to display vehicles up to 12 feet high and does not require bases or anchors. ... story
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Audi dealers are looking for another record sales year
 Audi of America finished 2011 with its best U.S. sales year. But for 2012, Audi dealers are setting their sights even higher. They'll get some help with a full year of sales of the redesigned A6 and new A7, which went on sale last spring. ... story
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On the record
 Quotes from Reid Bigland, head of U.S. sales for Chrysler Group and CEO of Dodge, and Mike Jackson, CEO of dealer marketing firm Jackson & Partners, Las Vegas ... story
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Arizona dealer Hatch, wife killed in plane crash
Son, daughter-in-law injured
Car dealer Gerald Hatch and his wife, Ruth, of Snowflake-Taylor, Ariz., were killed when their small plane crashed shortly after takeoff Saturday morning in eastern Arizona, according to an Associated Press report. Both were 66. ... story
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Suzuki sales end sharp skid, but big questions remain
 After seeing sales fall more than 75 percent from 2007 to 2010, American Suzuki Motor Corp. rebounded last year with an 11 percent sales increase. ... story
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What's happening Monday
Schedule of events for Monday, Feb. 6 ... story
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Experian offers Velocity sales tool to dealers
Experian Automotive has begun selling Velocity, a Web-based program that analyzes local-market competitive data, to dealers. The program initially was pitched to automakers, and Volvo was the first to use it. ... story
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ADP Dealer Services booth draws contingent from China
The ADP Dealer Services booth was a logical stop for a contingent of the China Automobile Dealers Association here. ADP Dealer Services provides dealer management software in China as well as North America. ... story
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Acura dealers look forward to ample supply
Acura dealers, having weathered a troublesome 2011, head into 2012 armed with a fresh stock of inventory and eager for the arrival of two entry-level models in the spring. George D'Angelo, chairman of the Acura National Dealer Advisory Board, spoke with Staff Reporter Christina Rogers. ... story
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With new product coming, Porsche dealers aim high
 With the dark days of the 2009 recession behind them, Porsche dealers head into 2012 with renewed vigor and showrooms soon to be stocked with new arrivals, including the next-generation 911. Mike Sullivan, a member of the Porsche Board of Regents, spoke with Staff Reporter Christina Rogers. ... story
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New products at hand, VW dealers gain momentum
 Last year was a banner year for Volkswagen's U.S. dealers. Sales were up. Profitability climbed. And showrooms were busy, especially toward year end with the arrival of two redesigned staples: the mid-sized Passat and iconic Beetle. ... story
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