From the August 2020 issue of Car and Driver. How do you film a commercial for a car you don’t have? Ben Smith, the executive creative director for visual-effects company The Mill, encountered just that problem while working on an ad for the seventh-gen Chevrolet Corvette. With the real car …
Read More »Ohio dealer launches digital tool for pre-delivery paperwork
A three-store Ohio dealer is bringing to market an in-store digital tool that aims to expedite all of the pre-delivery paperwork of a car deal. The product, ZipDeal, shows customers finance-and-insurance product options and solicits online reviews for the dealership, increasing penetration of those products and enticing interested buyers to …
Read More »Updated e-sign guidance could propel digital retailing
Modernizing the legal framework surrounding digital signatures is of utmost importance for automotive retailers and lenders, particularly in the age of the coronavirus. A new piece of federal legislation has the potential to update an older law covering digital signatures in financial transactions and bring the statute into the 21st …
Read More »First look: 2022 VW Tiguan goes digital, touch-sensitive
It’s not too early to start planning for next year. On Tuesday, Volkswagen gave us our first look at the 2022 Tiguan crossover that will arrive in the U.S. in fall 2021. Not much is radically different on the small crossover with a big interior, aside from upgraded interior materials, …
Read More »Infiniti Introduces Digital Purchasing and At-Home Test Drives
Infiniti Now is the name of the upscale brand’s digital shopping and at-home test drive and delivery service. Potential buyers of an Infiniti can take care of all the preliminary hassle of buying a car without leaving the house and can schedule a 24-hour at-home test drive. The service center …
Read More »Consumers with negative equity struggle with digital deals, retailer finds
Before COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders necessitated digital sales and remote deliveries, Lithia Motors Inc. recognized the majority of its consumers struggled in digital environments. Consumers in positive equity positions with their trade-in vehicles and perfect credit scores are least likely to require assistance with the process, executives said. The Medford, Ore., …
Read More »Pandemic speeds up F&I digital training shift
Legions of representatives, trainers and specialists travel to dealerships across the country every year, visiting personnel and conducting training sessions. Adjusting to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been difficult for many of these companies that, just as many of the dealership clients they serve, have pivoted entirely online …
Read More »F&I scrambling to join digital world
A few months ago, virtual finance and insurance presentations were little more than rumors in the auto retail world. Select dealerships were piloting digital presentations and a handful of F&I product companies and dealer service programs were conducting tests in limited markets. But the spread of COVID-19 shocked the U.S. …
Read More »Where does F&I fit in the digital retailing puzzle?
Digital retailing is one of the hottest trends reshaping auto retail. Dealers, vendors and automakers all are vying to help customers finish at least part of their vehicle purchase outside a showroom. Yet despite the energy coalescing around digital — and the Amazon-like customer experience comparisons it elicits — there …
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