Lotlinx’s Len Short says artificial intelligence and machine learning have quickly become critical elements of a successful inventory management strategy, far outpacing human intuition. +

Hyundai Motor America has been ordered to pay a multimillion-dollar award to Universal Hyundai of Orlando, Fla., for breaching Universal’s franchise agreement as well as Florida’s Dealer Act. +

vAuto reports U.S. sales of all pre-owned vehicles increased by 5.6% to 1.57 million units year-over-year, but certified pre-owned sales were down 3.4% compared with February 2024. +

DealNow’s Brad Parker says platforms that connect dealers with sellers of privately owned vehicles need built-in identity verification and fraud prevention tools to avoid costly mistakes. +

Germain Toyota’s Wendell Hardy tells WardsAuto’s Alysha Webb the secret to mining the service drive is to “keep it simple” by training, setting attainable goals and making every customer an attractive offer. +

Lotlinx’s Q4 Quarterly Vincensus Report finds sales of hybrid vehicles increased by 23% between the third and fourth quarter of 2024, accounting for 22% of all U.S. new vehicle sales. +

WardsAuto’s Alysha Webb offers tips dealers can use to counter an expected shortfall of more than 1 million off-lease units and help prevent future shortages. +

More than two-thirds of U.S. dealers who responded to the Kerrigan Dealer Survey fear EVs will hurt business in 2025, likely contributing to a six-year low in profit expectations. +

Kelley Blue Book analysts say Americans spent an average of $49,740 on their new vehicle purchases in December, threatening a record set during peak pandemic-era inventory shortages. +

S&P Global forecasts a 41% year-over-year decline in leased vehicle returns in the first half of 2025. Experts say the low inventories and incentives of 36 months ago will likely affect supplies for at least a year. +