Auto Finance News’ Top 5 Stories of 2018

It was an interesting year. Early in 2018, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said it would form a captive unit. The end of the year saw the arrest of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance head Carlos Ghosn. And there was plenty of news in between. What follows are AFN editors’ picks for top five stories of 2018: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles […]

• Nicole Casperson
• December 26, 2018
• Compliance, Credit Performance, Operations, Risk, Strategy

USAA Bank Tees Up Subscription Services at Auto Experience Lab

USAA Bank’s Auto Experience Lab is working to enter the subscription service market, but even after seven years of development, rollout for that service is still “under the queue of projects to complete,” James Spears, assistant vice president at USAA Auto Experience, told Auto Finance News. Much of the work in the lab is dedicated […]

• Monica Melton
• December 24, 2018
• Innovation & Mobility, Strategy

Why Penetration Rates Are Dropping at Hyundai Capital, NMAC

LAS VEGAS — Hyundai Capital America expects rising interest rates to squeeze penetration ratios to 40% or 50% by yearend across all its franchise brands, Chief Executive Ross Williams said during a fireside chat at the Auto Finance Summit. Historically, the captive’s penetration rate has hovered around 70%, Williams said. However, the rising interest rate […]

• Nicole Casperson
• November 7, 2018
• Auto Finance Summit 2018, Credit Performance, Sales & Marketing

Residual Values Are Risk Factor in BMW Financial’s First Auto Lease ABS of 2018

BMW Financial Services of North America issued its first U.S. auto lease ABS of 2018 backed by a pool of outstanding lease receivables totaling $1.16 billion, according to presale reports. The new securitization is comprised of 33,670 prime auto lease receivables with an average FICO score of 789 and maximum lease term of 36 months, according […]

• Nicole Casperson
• October 8, 2018
• Capital Markets, Risk, Strategy

Auto Finance Feels the Pressure of Fed’s Rate Hikes

Major automakers are reporting declines for U.S. sales as signs of tightening credit conditions are adding pressure to financing options for consumers.  Ford, Toyota, Nissan, and Honda all reported sales declines in September of 11.2%, 10.4%, 12.2%, and 7%, respectively. Though Hyundai sales rose 0.6%, sibling brand Kia was down 1.8%, according to sales reports. […]

• Nicole Casperson
• October 4, 2018
• Earnings, Operations

Renault Alliance Launches $1B Investment Fund For Mobility Tech

The automotive alliance of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi has announced the launch of Alliance Ventures, a new corporate venture capital fund that plans to invest up to $1 billion over the next five years, according to a press release. Alliance Ventures is a corporate effort to support open innovation in automotive technology, with a focus on new mobility […]

• Matthew Wood
• January 10, 2018
• Capital Markets, Innovation & Mobility, Strategy

Nissan Introduces Brain-to-Vehicle Technology [Video]

With the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) approaching, automakers are showing off their latest technological advancements in autonomous vehicle research, including Nissan’s new brain-to-vehicle technology. Brain-to-vehicle, or B2V, is the concept of a car anticipating your driving reactions even before you have the chance to start turning the wheel or applying the brake. This neural interface, […]

• Emma Sandler
• January 4, 2018
• All Posts, Innovation & Mobility, Technology, Videos

Electric Vehicle Credits Remain in 2017 Tax Reform Bill

A tax credit of up to $7,500 for electric vehicles survived in the final tax reform bill that was sent to President Donald Trump to sign, signaling a win for automakers. The House of Representatives bill originally struck the Obama-era provision as of Dec. 31, but the Senate version of the bill was ultimately the […]

• Emma Sandler
• December 21, 2017
• All Posts, Archives, Innovation & Mobility, Operations