car dealers news stories on Newser

'Taliban Toyota' Slur Wins Dealer $7.5M From Rival

John Johnson — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 14:39:34 CDT

It may be a tough time to be selling cars, but here's one way not to boost sales: Accuse your big rival of being a Taliban-loving terrorist sympathizer. A Toyota dealership in Pensacola, Florida, has to shell out $7.5 million for doing just that, reports Reuters . A jury awarded...

Blogger: Chevy Dealers Gaming Volt Rebates

John Johnson — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:23:05 CDT

A writer at the National Legal and Policy Center thinks something fishy is going on regarding the $7,500 federal tax credit offered on Chevy Volts. The post alleges that dealers are selling the cars to each other to claim the money, then reselling the cars as "used" to consumers,...

San Francisco's Last US Car Dealer Closes Its Doors

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 10 May 2011 11:21:05 CDT

In all of San Francisco's 47.6 square miles, you won't find a single domestic new car dealership. The last one, San Francisco Ford Lincoln Mercury, closed 10 days ago with no warning, the Chronicle reports. "It's a tough market. Imports have a much bigger share in San Francisco," says...

Pastor Gets Free Car for Calling Off Koran Burning

Nick McMaster — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 15:54:12 CDT

New Jersey car dealer Brad Benson is known for his slightly eccentric radio ads, so many listeners probably didn't bat an eye when he ran one offering Florida pastor Terry Jones a free car if he called off his planned public burning of the Koran. Jones, however, took the spot...

GM to Restore About 600 Dealerships

John Johnson — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:18:00 CST

About 600 GM dealerships are getting a second life. Of the 1,160 dealers who appealed orders to shut down as part of bankruptcy proceedings, approximately half will be allowed to stay open. But one dealer tells the Detroit News that it's no cause for celebration until the conditions are...

Toyota Gas Pedal Repairs Will Start This Week

Nick McMaster — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:32:24 CST

Toyota will start fixing the accelerators on 2.4 million recalled vehicles in the US this week, and production will resume next Monday. Some dealerships say they will stay open around the clock to perform the first round of repairs, which are expected to cost the company $250 million. Meanwhile,...

Mass. Residents Want a Truck Like Scott Brown's

Harry Kimball — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:06:00 CST

Scott Brown not only dismantled the common perception of Massachusetts as a blue state, but he may also have singlehandedly turned the populace on to the Truck. The Truck, if you missed it, is the senator-elect’s 2005 GMC Canyon pickup, featured prominently in campaign ads and now poised to do...

Billboard Links Obama to Jihad

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:42:47 CST

A billboard showing President Obama wearing a turban has sparked a lot of attention at the suburban Denver car dealership that put it up. The sign shows a cartoonish Obama and bears the words "PRESIDENT or JIHAD?" Underneath Obama's image is the phrase, "BIRTH CERTIFICATE, PROVE IT!" The words "WAKE...

After Clunker Frenzy, Dealers Expect a Slump

Harry Kimball — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:42:00 CDT

Just as the "cash for clunkers" program sparked a boom in auto sales, its cancellation will likely depress the industry, CNNMoney reports. As of today, the last day of the government-funded incentive, rebate applications for 625,000 trade-ins totaling $2.58 billion had been submitted. “We're definitely going to have...