CHICAGO – The Warranty Group, Inc., a global provider of service plans and related benefits, announced Doug Frey has been appointed Senior Vice President Consumer Products and TPA, with responsibility for US operations. Prior to joining The Warranty Group, Frey held several positions in the warranty industry, including three years as president of Administration Specialists … Read More »

Japan’s rebound is a double-edged sword for Toyota Motor Corp. This should be the year for the auto maker to shake off natural-disaster-related supply constraints from 2011 and its 2010 recall woes, reclaiming lost U.S. market share. Already, industry figures out Wednesday are expected to show Toyota improving its share in December by perhaps the … Read More »

SOUTHFIELD — Polk announced it expects worldwide new-vehicle sales in 2012 to rise 6.7 percent over 2011 volumes to 77.7 million vehicles. The automotive market intelligence firm’s analysts believe the global economy will weather the current European sovereign debt crisis and consumers will return to showrooms this year. The U.S. market will experience single-digit growth, … Read More »

Toyota Motor Corp. has a tradition of self-reliance. Chief Executive Officer Akio Toyoda is beginning to change that. Toyoda agreed this month to equip some Toyota cars with Bayerische Motoren Werke AG diesel engines, building on an earlier deal to use Tesla Motors Inc. battery packs in future electric vehicles. Before the grandson of the … Read More »

FARMINGTON HILLS — RouteOne LLC announced that dealers using its eContracting solution can now use the Apple iPad or Android tablet as an alternate signature-capturing device for signing eDocuments. The new functionality eliminates the need for eContracting dealers to use a signature pad. RouteOne’s eContracting tool works for both retail and lease products, and can … Read More »

SAN FRANCISCO – Genstar Capital, LLC, a middle market private equity firm that focuses on investments in selected segments of the insurance and financial services, software, life sciences, healthcare, and industrial technology industries, in partnership with several senior IAS executives, announced the acquisition of Innovative Aftermarket Systems (IAS), administrator and underwriter of vehicle protection products … Read More »