Tag: top auto news

Car dealerships slowly examine ChatGPT’s potential

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Dealerships may be dabbling in ChatGPT right now, but some of their technology providers believe adoption will happen swiftly. “I think we’re talking a year to a year and a half where [ChatGPT is] doing a huge amount of the car-buying process itself in an automated way,” Horwitz said. IMG05 TruVideo — maker of a messaging, video and AI platform for dealerships — added ChatGPT to its communications software and started a rollout of its updated technology in April, said CEO Joe Shaker. Shaker, who is also owner of Shaker Auto Group in New England, said the technology enables the…
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Canadian partners buy VW car dealership in the US

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Hewitt — an experienced used-car manager — is focusing on the store’s sales department, while Alalouf oversees fixed operations, accounting and finance. The partners each have three decades of automotive managerial experience. They met 25 years ago at what was then the Cowell Auto Group near Vancouver, British Columbia, then later worked for Canada’s Foundation Automotive Corp. in the US After they decided last year to launch their own business, Alalouf and Hewitt sold their Vancouver homes to raise cash. They said they chose a US location because Canadian dealerships were either too expensive or too remote. If all goes…
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Ford, reversing course, to keep AM radio on all models

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Ford Motor Co. will keep AM radio in all 2024 Ford and Lincoln models and restore it on two electric vehicles via a software update, according to CEO Jim Farley. In a tweetFarley said the decision was made “after speaking with [U.S.] policy leaders about the importance of AM broadcast radio as a part of the emergency alert system.” The company removed AM radio from the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning and planned to discontinue it on all products moving forward. Farley said the company would look for other ways to deliver emergency alerts in the future. “Customers can currently…
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Canada’s Linamar will ‘immediately’ break ground on new plant

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Canadian auto supplier Linamar Corp. plans to break ground “immediately” on a new plant in Welland, Ont., that will house three giga-casting presses capable of producing very large aluminum structural parts for electric vehicles. The Guelph, Ont.-based parts supplier announced the new site in the city south of Niagara Falls as it reported its first-quarter earnings on Wednesday. Company CEO Linda Hasenfratz said the state-of-the-art plant will be a “flagship location” for the company’s structural castings business. “As the first supplier to invest in this equipment in North America, Linamar will naturally take a market leadership position in this technology,”…
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Elon Musk has found a new Twitter CEO

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Elon Musk said on Thursday he has found a new chief executive for Twitter without naming the person and that he will transition to the role of chief technology officer of the social media platform within the next few weeks. “Excited to announce that I’ve hired a new CEO for X/Twitter. She will be starting in ~6 weeks!,” Musk said in a tweet. The Wall StreetJournal first reported that Comcast NBCUniversal executive Linda Yaccarino was in talks for the job. Word came Thursday that Yaccarino will leave NBC following the reports. Musk has previously not named any prospective candidates, and…
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Study reveals drop in customer satisfaction for independents

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Recent numbers from research firm Ducker Carlisle showed growing dissatisfaction with franchised dealership service departments. This week, JD Power released its 2023 US Aftermarket Service Index Study that showed an overall decline in satisfaction with independent repair facilities as well. The data firm revealed independent shops dropped in all three categories that make up the study — quick oil change, full-service maintenance and repair and tire replacement. Shops were scored on seven measures within each of the three segments. These include ease of scheduling, fairness of charges, service adviser courtesy and quality of work. This is the fourth year of…
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Randy Marion Automotive buys 4 North Carolina dealerships

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Growing Randy Marion Automotive Group bought four North Carolina dealerships in two separate first-quarter transactions to expand its portfolio in the state. Randy Marion Automotive in Mooresville, NC, on March 6 bought Gerry Wood Dodge of Salisbury, which also sells Chrysler, Jeep and Ram vehicles; Gerry Wood Honda; and Gerry Wood Kia from Gerry Wood, according to Randy Marion Automotive COO DJ Heller. The dealerships, all in Salisbury, NC, were renamed Randy Marion Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram of Salisbury, Randy Marion Honda and Randy Marion Kia. Salisbury is northeast of Charlotte. Honda and Kia are both new brands for the group, Heller said.…
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