CHICAGO – Resource Automotive, Inc. announced that Lithia Motors, Inc. has been named F&I Dealer of the Year by F&I and Showroom magazine.

The award was presented to Steve Justice, F&I training manager, during a special ceremony at the magazine’s Industry Summit 2011 in Las Vegas. Lithia was one of seven operations named a 2011 F&I Pacesetter, or finalist for the F&I Dealer of the Year award.

Lithia was founded in 1946 by Walt DeBoer as a Chrysler Plymouth Dodge franchise and has been headed since 1968 by chairman and CEO Sid DeBoer.

Lithia becomes the magazine’s 11th F&I Dealer of the Year, an award sponsored this year by Resource Automotive. The Medford, Ore.-based group, which operates 86 dealerships in the Western and Midwest United States, represents one of the nations largest publicity traded dealer groups.

“I think our field of F&I Pacesetters was the strongest we’ve had in a long time,” said Gregory Arroyo, executive editor of F&I and Showroom magazine. “What really stuck out to us about Lithia was their support team. Not many dealer operators have a team devoted solely to ensuring compliance, as well as monitoring performance levels and training F&I producers.”

Chris Holzshu, CFO for Lithia, stated, “We’re proud not only to be a top performer in this critical segment of dealer operations, but also to be recognized for our commitment to compliance and training.”

Mike Frosch, president and COO for The Warranty Group, said, “Resource Automotive supports Lithia’s strategy of building customer loyalty with every transaction, and we are honored to have played a part in their outstanding performance.”

CHICAGO — Resource Automotive, a unit of The Warranty Group Inc., announced that Joe Amendola was named senior vice president of national sales. Amendola will be responsible for all sales and marketing activities within Resource’s U.S. retail automotive segment.

Amendola joined Resource in 1994 as an F&I specialist, successfully holding a series of positions including area development manager, regional development manager and divisional vice president. He is the recipient of many sales awards and most recently led a successful business acquisition initiative.

Mike Frosch, president and COO North America for The Warranty Group, stated, “Critical to our success is the ability to identify new business opportunities; effectively present our competitive differentiators and capabilities; implement new business processes; and, measure and maintain our impact – with every client. Joe’s leadership in each of these areas will play a vital role in meeting our aggressive growth and profit objectives into the future. His abilities in each of these areas will benefit our sales team and our client partners.”

CHICAGO – Resource Automotive Inc., the provider of F&I programs and a unit of The Warranty Group Inc., today announced the launch of the QCertified mobile app, which links users to an exclusive database of vehicles that have passed the QCertified used-vehicle certification program.

Recognizing the increasing mobility of its users, Resource has released the app through Apple’s App Store. Scan the QR code to download from the App Store.

Resource will eventually develop and release versions of the app for Android and BlackBerry operating systems, reported F&I and Showroom.

“This is a full-featured mobile application, giving shoppers access to the entire QCertified inventory on their smart devices,” said Mike Frosch, president and COO of North America for The Warranty Group. “Consistent with the QCertified.com portal, users are provided a full menu of search capabilities, vehicle details, pricing and photos. This is the next logical step in our QCertified strategy of demonstrating the value of certification and directing prospects to participating dealerships.”

QCertified.com is an extension of Resource Automotive’s strategy to utilize technology and automation at every customer touchpoint to add value to the ownership experience with every customer interaction. Other dealer offerings include service contracts, GAP, variable and fixed training, pre-paid maintenance programs, appearance protection, as well as expertise in dealer participation programs and dealer-obligor models.

CHICAGO – Resource Automotive Inc. announced that its “Fix It Right the First Time” (FRFT) program has been extended into 2011 by Kia Motors America (KMA), because of its successful implementation of the program with 100 participating dealers in 2010. Since the program was launched five months ago, 73 percent of participating dealers have seen improvement.

Addressing the most important consumer service concern – fixing it right the first time, the program conducts comprehensive assessments of dealership processes utilizing onsite Resource Automotive Specialists. Improvement opportunities are identified to enable enhancement of the entire customer service experience. Solutions are developed in collaboration with Kia District Parts and Service Managers and dealership management and employees, with the goal of 100 percent customer satisfaction – the first time, reported F&I and Showroom.

“Resource Automotive is proud to play a part in Kia’s success in improving FRFT. The benefits that can be realized through FRFT improvements are often overlooked. The epiphany experienced by dealership personnel as a result of the assessments is eclipsed only by our specialists’ ability to take advantage of it. All levels of the organization have contributed to the program’s success. Oftentimes, that’s what it takes,” said Randy Schwantes, national vice president for Resource Automotive.

“As part of Kia’s enterprise quality focus, FRFT is critical to our dealers’ ability to deliver the best customer experience in the business. With the support of Resource Automotive, our dealers, and Kia field personnel, we expect our dealerships to continue to improve and maintain the quality processes they are implementing,” said Scott Slade, manager of Owner Satisfaction for KMA.

The “Fix It Right the First Time” program is part of Resource’s overall dealership strategy to help Kia leverage the value of every customer touch point to enhance customer retention, acquisition and loyalty. Resource Automotive, established in 1964, has relationships with over 3,100 clients in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia.

CHICAGO – Resource Automotive Inc., a provider of finance and insurance programs to the auto industry and a unit of The Warranty Group Inc., has launched www.QCertified.com, a Website that showcases vehicles that have met the requirements under the company’s QCertified certification program.

Recognizing that buyers see additional value in certified pre-owned vehicles, the Website will offer video and online tools demonstrating the actual certification process as well as assist in proper vehicle selection.

In addition, dealers will benefit from search engine optimization, deployed to push Internet visitors to their QCertified dealership. As a further enhancement, Resource has recreated all point of sale materials and will support dealer CPO efforts through its national field force. An online commercial is also available at no charge to participating dealers.

“Everyone wins with QCertified,” said Mike Frosch, president and COO of North America for The Warranty Group. “Customers win by purchasing a vehicle that has been thoroughly inspected, and dealers win with more satisfied customers and increased used vehicle sales. Now, with the addition of QCertified.com, buyers can find the best cars and trucks available, by visiting just one site. We believe this is the most comprehensive approach to used vehicle certification and marketing in the industry.”

QCertified.com is part of Resource Automotive’s strategy to use technology and automation at every customer touchpoint to add value to the customer experience and profit to every customer interaction.

CHICAGO — Resource Automotive, a unit of The Warranty Group Inc., reported that its DriverPlus prepaid maintenance program is experiencing double digit growth, as dealers increasingly focus on fixed operations as the foundation of their customer retention strategy.

DriverPlus provides customers with an alternative to paying for recommended maintenance at the time it is performed by spreading the costs over the term of the loan.

Dealers have found DriverPlus key to assuring that customers return for recommended service and continuously build their relationship with the dealership. Studies show that the more often owners bring their vehicle in for service, the more likely they are to repurchase at that dealership. While DriverPlus is typically sold in the F&I office, many dealers have found it effective to embed the product into every sale.

“At the end of 2009, our retention of new and used customers in the service department was only 29 percent. In January 2010, we began giving each customer that purchased a new or used vehicle a complimentary 36 month/45,000 mile DriverPlus package. By November 2010, of the 862 customers who purchased a vehicle in the first six months of 2010, 35.6 percent have returned for service at least one time and 31.7 percent have returned two or more times. That’s a total return 67.3 percent — more than double what it previously was,” said Fred Timbrook Jr., dealer principal of Timbrook Auto Group. “In addition to e-mailing customers a service reminder, Resource provides us with a user-friendly reporting tool that allows us to see how many coupons each customer has used and also which ones are due for service.”

“DriverPlus is a core element in our strategy of utilizing technology to push profit per vehicle, drawing on every profit center in the dealership. First, it provides a competitive differentiator within the sales process. Second, it brings customers back for service, producing additional gross profit and enhancing customer loyalty. Finally, it increases the chance to make each buyer a customer for life, adding value to the relationship and leveraging the dealership’s marketing activities,” said Mike Frosch, president North America, The Warranty Group.