Leadpile's Blog» auto

Positive News For Auto Industry: Ford Has Profits

Mari Holt — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:25:30 +0000

The auto makers have been in the news lately with the Toyota recall, and now some positive news from Ford. A couple negative years of profits seems to have come to an end with Ford Motor Company. MSNBC is reporting that Ford actually had a profit of 2.9billion dollars for 2009. That’s HUGE for an industry that has had so many struggles. Ford avoided bankruptcy, unlike it’s US competitors, so how did they squeeze out a profit for 2009? It seems that the Ford Credit division helped the overall bottom line.
One thing I hope continues to move in the right direction, and that is people continue to still look to purchase cars… and more importantly they go online!

Cash-for-Clunkers Official Website Rolled Out

Mari Holt — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:58:30 +0000

We all have been hearing a lot in the news about a new government bill (CARS) that allows us to turn in our low mileage “clunkers” for cash. The unfortunate thing is is that there are a lot of “unofficial” websites that have come out to try and mirror this program.
The official website where you can obtain more information about this program is at: http://www.cars.gov/.
The specifics about the program are:
Your vehicle must be less than 25 years old on the trade-in date
Only purchase or lease of new vehicles qualify
Generally, trade-in vehicles must get 18 or less MPG (some very large pick-up trucks and cargo vans have different requirements)
Trade-in vehicles must be registered and insured continuously for the full year preceding the trade-in
You don’t need a voucher, dealers will apply a credit at purchase
Program runs through Nov 1, 2009 or when the funds are exhausted, whichever comes first.
The program requires the scrapping of your eligible trade-in vehicle, and that the dealer disclose to you an estimate of the scrap value of your trade-in. The scrap value, however minimal, will be in addition to the rebate, and not in place of the rebate.

So be aware of other websites or programs that are not the official government program.

GM’s Camaro Might Be A Saving Grace

Mari Holt — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 02:34:15 +0000

It’s been a really bad year for many industries, however the auto finance industry has got to be one of the worst hit. GM has been hit really hard this year with a bankruptcy, and was forced to become a recipient of government bailout money. However, this second half of the year might prove to be a little happier for GM with the roll out of the new Camaro. What little boy (or girl) did not have aspirations of having one of these cars, but never could?
NPR news is reporting that there has been 15,000 of these beauties already sold and 13,000 on back order, but is carefully manufacturing these cars in a timely manner so there does not become a higher supply than demand. So maybe all this buzz will ignite some other auto sales so we can get this auto finance industry going in the right direction! Good luck GM!

LeadPile Announces 61 Lead Verticals Served in past 30 Days

Eugen I. — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:36:25 +0000

*Phoenix June 30th, 2009* — LeadPile, The World’s Largest Online Exclusive Lead Exchange announced today record results for its [MicroClick Form](http://www.microclick.com) in June, 2009. LeadPile reports a record number of Lead Verticals being served by its MicroClick Form with Lead Sellers producing leads in 61 different verticals in the month of June. This makes the LeadPile MicroClick Form the most widely used Multi Vertical Lead Generation Form in the lead Marketplace and Lead Exchange Industry.

LeadPile’s Centralized Online Exclusive Lead Marketplace supports thousands of affiliates that use the exchange to sell to suitable lead buyers. By using the LeadPile MicroClick Form, Affiliates can focus on driving traffic to their pages and not on managing lead buyer relationships. Over 90% of LeadPile’s active affiliates are currently using the MicroClick form, offloading the responsibility for lead collection, management, technology infrastructure, and quality control to LeadPile.

Astoundingly, LeadPile’s MicroClick form has been used to produce leads as diversified as Tax Debt Relief, Home Improvements, Business Loans, Health Insurance, Equipment Leasing, Credit Card Processing, Cash For Gold and more.

Andrew Jacob, CEO of LeadPile says, “The LeadPile MicroClick Form allows us to handle leads across multiple verticals, including payday, starter credit, debt consolidation, credit repair, bankruptcy, auto financing, and homeowner. While the majority of leads currently being exchanged in the Marketplace are in the Financial sector, the fact that Lead Sellers are using the MicroClick form to produce leads in over 60 verticals is very rewarding for our team.

Jacob adds, “I would like to personally thank our existing Lead Buyers and Leads Sellers for their business, and it is our promise to everything we possible can to help them in their efforts by continuing to provide the type of technology infrastructure and transparency that they have come to both expect, and deserve, from LeadPile.

About LeadPile:

LeadPile (”LeadPile” or the “Company”) is the premier Lead Exchange, providing a central marketplace for the buying and selling of targeted consumers or “leads.” The Company’s system sits between lead buyers and sellers allowing them to conduct business in an efficient, exchange-driven environment providing value to both parties. The Company’s MicroClick form allows high traffic affiliates to merely place LeadPile-generated code on their pages in order to immediately produce leads. These leads are directly routed to the exchange for sale, thus the system allows affiliates to generate leads without creating a backend management system or managing lead buyer relationships. To read more, please visit http://www.LeadPile.com

Phoenix June 30th, 2009 — LeadPile, The World’s Largest Online Exclusive Lead Exchange announced today record results for its MicroClick Form (http://www.microclick.com) in June, 2009. LeadPile reports a record number of Lead Verticals being served by its MicroClick Form with Lead Sellers producing leads in 61 different verticals in the month of June. This makes the LeadPile MicroClick Form the most widely used Multi Vertical Lead Generation Form in the lead Marketplace and Lead Exchange Industry.

To read more, please visit http://www.LeadPile.com/

Chrysler Money Problems Affecting Dealerships

Mari Holt — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:28:46 +0000

Financial issues in the auto industry is not NEW news, however Chrysler looking at bankruptcy is news all of us are going to want to pay attention to.

It seems Chrysler headed back into court yesterday to try and sever partnerships it has with Chrysler dealerships nationwide. According to Time.com, “Auburn Hills, Mich.-based Chrysler maintains that it needs to reduce its dealer base by about 25 percent to a leaner network of about 2,400 dealers in order to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as a stronger company.” The unfortunate thing seems to be that these dealerships can’t understand this decision, and truly feel it is going to dramatically affect them. Many of the Chrysler dealerships also had not shown support for Chrysler to sell a majority of it’s assets to the Fiat Group, because this decision would also potentially close all their dealerships. Either way it sounds like a loose-loose situation for the dealerships, and all they are wanting to do is remain open to sell cars. Leadpile really is interested in how this all pans out, not only because we do lead generation in the auto finance industry, but as consumers we are potentially witnessing a mjor corporation file bankruptcy. This potential collapse of this many dealerships ultimately affects numerous industries, not just the auto industry. My question is, if all these dealerships shut down, where will all the inventory/cars be moved to? Would this mean potentially the “slashing” of prices on the Chrysler cars? Stay tuned!

GM & Ford Have A Bright Idea!

Mari Holt — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:45:11 +0000

Hyundai started the trend and now GM and Ford are jumping on the bandwagon. These automakers have rolled out new “job loss” protection plans for those looking to purchase a car. According to The Washington Post, “U.S. automobile sales are barely running above an annualized pace of 9 million this year. By comparison, car companies in recent years have sold 16 million to 17 million vehicles. Analysts say the sharp drop suggests that Americans have grown so reluctant to buy new cars that they are even holding back on replacing vehicles that have been in accidents or no longer run.” GM’s job loss plan would cover up to nine car payments of $500 each for customers who lose their jobs, and Ford is offering payments of up to $700 for 12 months.
I am not sure of the specific details of these plans and what sort of “criteria” they set, however this is a positive for those that were a little reluctant on buying a new car. With a little (or lot) of government help, and these sorts of plans being rolled out, maybe there is some chance the auto industry can get back on it’s feet????? Leadpile Lead Exchange is excited about the possibility that there might be some light at the end of this very loooooooong tunnel.

Car Czar Out, Government Task Force In

Mari Holt — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:37:21 +0000

In a previous blog post, I discussed about a “car czar” being appointed to help with getting the struggling auto industry in the right direction. However, the president has chosen to go another route.

In recent news, Reuters.com is stating that the president has instead decided to create a government task force. It appears Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will be the one to head up this committee. This committee will be overseeing auto bailout loans and other actions related to these struggling auto makers. Details are not out yet, but I am sure we will all be keeping an eye on this.
Leadpile Lead Exchange is anxious for the struggling auto industry to get back on track. However, if by chance there are still dealers or lenders looking for interested car shoppers, we might be a good match to look into getting these leads. Believe it or not there are still some wanting a new car, but I never would have guessed that when driving by the many “ghost like” dealerships. The light is at the end of the tunnel, and hopefully soon the president can be the one to ignite this.

Auto Bailout: DENIED!

Mari Holt — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:11:25 +0000

After going back and forth with congress, the auto bailout has been denied. According to Business Week , a major factor in this bailout not passing was the United Auto Workers (UAW) refusal to budge with regards to lowering pay and benefits. UAW and congress could not come to an agreement with regards to this touchy subject matter.
According to Business Week, “The bill called for $14 billion to be divided between GM and Chrysler, both of which are at the financial breaking point as the recession and consumer credit crunch have crippled their finances. The companies, anticipating failure in the Senate, have hired bankruptcy law firms. Ford (F) has said it doesn’t need federal assistance now but has asked for a $9 billion line of credit in case sales deteriorate below the current level.” Let’s see how this affects the stock market today.

Leadpile Lead Exchange is keeping a close eye on this situation. Not only does the auto bailout situation affect us directly with our auto finance leads, but it also affects other financial related lead types that we are generating. A bailout not passing is going to affect lots of Americans potentially who are some how linked to this industry. What is going to happen to their financial situation and their jobs? So is bankruptcy the next answer to this denied auto industry bailout??? We will see……

Big 3 Auto Makers Begging Congress For Help

Mari Holt — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:02:04 +0000

According to Forbes.com, the big 3 auto makers have concluded testimonies in front of Congress. They are requesting emergency financial assistance and failed in their first attempt in front of Congress. Round 2- they get another chance to plea their case. However, Congress is looking to see if these big 3 auto makers actually have a plan in place. According to Forbes, “What they likely want to see is how the carmakers will lower their labor costs and develop more fuel-efficient cars U.S. consumers will want to buy. The companies are happy to lay out their future product plans, which include more hybrids, plug-in electric cars and new turbo-charged gasoline engines that sip fuel. But the rest is tougher to do.” Let’s see how the next week or so pans out for GM, Chrysler and Ford. My fingers are crossed for you.

Leadpile Lead Exchange, and I am sure all other lead companies, are hoping something positive comes out of the meeting with congress. We would love to see the demand pick back up!

Auto Lead Exchange: Automakers Are Crying For Help

Mari Holt — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:52:16 +0000

We all know what is going on with the economy and how it is affecting the auto industry. However, yesterday MSNBC stated that Michigan (home of GM, Ford, and Chrysler) lawmakers are reaching out to the Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and our nation’s treasury secretary to help loosen up the credit requirements. This is in hopes that something can be passed with regards to the 700 billion dollar bailout. Lawmakers are concerned the status of the economy is going to cripple our auto industry.

The sad part about this is the lawmakers are estimating at a reduction in car sales by almost 30%. They estimate this could drive car sales down to roughly 11 million vehicles sold per year, and this is lowest figure since 1983. At this point, having lawmakers step in might be a good idea to help to prevent a bad situation from becoming devastating to the auto industry.
This sort of drop in demand by consumers wanting a new car, is also affecting the lead volume in our marketplace. Our goal is to still capture those consumers that need and want a car in this tough economy.