Service, parts, repair technology, staffing and customer-retention developments affecting dealership operations.
The agency will bring regulators, technical experts and industry stakeholders together to examine how changes such as ride height, wheel offset and body geometry can alter safety-system calibration and performance.
The retailer says it finished its company-wide dealer-system conversion in mid-October after moving 47 stores during the third quarter. Reported service gains are company comparisons, not controlled proof that the platform caused them.
The completed transaction brings commercial-truck and equipment dealer software under one owner. Procede says current RIMSS products, contracts, support relationships and staff will continue.
The vendor says its conversational AI can use selected Dealertrack dealership data and operating processes for mutual customers. Actual access depends on the enabled API scope, which was not disclosed.
In a 500-dealer survey, 36% of strongly data-driven franchise dealers said they met profitability goals, versus 19% of other respondents. The self-reported results show an association, not causation.
Southern Union students will use a dedicated Xtime training environment built around dealership service processes. The no-cost effort is a one-school pilot, not a national rollout.
The cybersecurity vendor classified 24 ransomware incidents involving dealers and retailers during the quarter, more than any other segment it tracked. The dataset reflects VicOne’s monitoring scope, not a complete census of global incidents.
The latest federal inflation report shows vehicle ownership costs moving in different directions: fuel and repair pressure increased while motor-vehicle insurance remained below its year-earlier index.
The specialty-retail version can answer calls, submit service requests through a dealer website and transfer conversations to dealership staff or optional live agents. Pricing and independently measured results were not disclosed.
The announcement moves beyond individual automated conversations toward coordinating tasks across dealership systems. Product compatibility and results still require store-level confirmation.
NHTSA closed its Wrangler and Gladiator investigation after FCA's recall addressed the condition; owners should still follow the park-outside instruction until their vehicle is repaired.
EIA's September 15 release shows a sharp nationwide increase in transportation-fuel prices, adding new cost and affordability questions for dealership operations without establishing how local vehicle demand will change.
Federal price data show modest monthly increases for new and used vehicles, while the maintenance-and-repair index rose faster and stood 5.2% above August 2025.
