Alvarez Lincoln-Mercury in Riverside was one of 68 Lincoln-Mercury dealerships nationwide to receive Ford Motor Co.'s 2007 President's Award.  It is the first time the Riverside dealership has received the award.

David M. Jones, service director of Paradise Chevrolet in Ventura, Calif., graduated recently from the Dealer Candidate Academy of the National Automobile Dealer Association.  This specialized training curriculum is designed to prepare future owners and key management personnel to operate a new-car or truck dealership. 

 
Lamborghini Orange County has been approved to start construction on its new location along Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach and will make the move from its current location in Santa Ana with a 2009 opening.  Vik Keuylian is owner along with sisters Astrid, Nora, and Sossi.  The OC dealership is the top selling Lamborghini dealer in the nation according to the Orange County Business Journal.  Keuylian also bought land in Calabassas next to a Ferarri dealership where he plans to open a new Lamborghini dealership.  The current Lamborghini dealership in Calabassas will be used to sell used Lamborghini's.  The Keuylian's are also building an Audi dealership in Santa Ana.  It will move its current Audi dealership, which shares space with Volkswagen at the Santa Ana Auto Mall as Commonwealth Volkswagen-Audi to the new showroom.  The Volkswagen operations will absorb the vacant space from Audi's move.

Ford West in Bellflower has closed.  The Ford Motor Co. has supported the consolidation of Ford West into its commonly owned sister store, South Bay Ford Lincoln-Mercury in Hawthorne.

Saturn of Loma Linda and Saturn of Cathedral City are closing, citing slow sales.  The Loma Linda store will be replaced with a used-car superstore.

Despite a 4 percent drop in sales, Fletcher Jones Motorcars again kept its top spot on the Orange County Business Journal's list of biggest automobile dealers in Orange County for 2007.  Crevier BMW took back the No. 2 spot up from a No. 3 spot in 2006.  Santa Ana-based Crevier BMW was one of the few dealers last year that boosted sales, up seven percent.

Irvine-based Autobytel Inc. recently sold its customer relationship management software business, AVV Inc., to Norfolk, Va.-based Dominion Enterprises for $22 million.  The software helps dealers manage customer leads.  Autobytel will now focus on its MyRide.com, where buyers can get information about vehicles.  The company gets sales by directing potential buyers to dealers, and from advertising sales.

Cequent Towing Products held its 22nd annual Hitch Pro meeting and customer event recently at the Catamaran Resort in San Diego.  The event showcased the company's newest products to some of its largest and most loyal dealer/installers and warehouse distributors.  More than 150 attendees from 75 dealerships and distributorships attended the events, including a daylong technical and sales training seminar highlighting new products.

State Rep. Bob Filner, a 51st district Democrat, has signed on to support the Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act (H.R. 2694).  "We want to thank Rep. Filner for his support of this vital piece of legislation and his commitment to ensure that car owners and their trusted repair shops have the same access to safety alerts and repair information as the franchised new car dealer network," said Kathleen Schmatz, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA).  

  
The California/Nevada/Arizona Automotive Wholesalers' Association (CAWA), the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), and the Coalition for Automotive Repair Equality (CARE) hosted a private meeting with Abby Donovan, Legislative Counsel to U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona to highlight and promote the national Right to Repair Act.  Held at Blackwell's Automotive in Phoenix on March 19, several industry members and automotive aftermarket friends attended the private meeting where Kyl's staff heard stories of the aftermarket's inability to obtain the necessary information to diagnose and repair vehicles. 

In other CAWA news, Fast Undercar Inc. has made a financial commitment to CAWA's government affairs program.  Fast Undercar joins other supporters, including NAPA, CARQUEST, AutoZone, Affinia, Standard Motor Products, Gates, and the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association.  "We are pleased to support an organization like CAWA because they spearhead legislative and regulatory action and vigilance on behalf of our company and our strategic business partners, the auto repair professionals.  We need industry champions for the critical long-term success of the automotive aftermarket," said Bruce Douglass of Fast Undercar Inc. 

 
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted March 27 to triple the number of zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) proposed for production by automakers from 2012 through 2014.  CARB staff members originally proposed a requirement of 2,500 vehicles, but the board increased that to 7,500.  CARB also maintained the portion of the program that allows flexibility for automakers in their alternative-fuel programs.  Mary Nichols, CARB chairman and former assistant administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has also encouraged CARB's staff to work toward overhauling the ZEV program for 2015 to work more effectively with other board tailpipe emissions programs such as those addressing greenhouse gas emissions and the low-emissions vehicle program.

NAPA Auto Parts, the official auto parts store of the Goodguys Rod & Custom Association, awarded Torrance resident Gordon Douglas the NAPA Trick Truck award at the second Orange County Get-Together in Costa Mesa for his 1972 GMC Suburban.  Douglas credits his wife, Shari Lee, and close friends Gabe Lopez, Jeff Moorefield, and Fred Rodriguez, who invested nine years into rebuilding the Suburban, which went from a collection of spare parts to an award-winning SUV worth an estimated $130,000. 

NAPA awarded Yorba Linda resident Randy McDaniel a NAPA Trick Truck award at the eighth Del Mar Rod & Custom Nationals in Del Mar for his unique 1938 Ford COE (Cab Over Engine).  McDaniel's truck took two years to build and has been completely redone, including changing the size and shape of the front grill and adding smoke pipes on both sides of the extended cab.  This uniquely tricked-out vehicle is a double hauler with upper and lower decks, and a completely hydraulic-based bed for unloading and reloading.  NAPA is presenting Trick Truck awards at all 24 Goodguys events with a projected annual attendance of 1.7 million.