On the other hand, Zerbe said, another tax change Congress is considering could hurt auto dealers--and needs to be rethought.

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DealerTrack sells on-demand software for auto dealers and lenders.

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In the three-years Auto-By-Tel has been in operation it has signed up a network of 2, 700 dealers, who pay the firm a monthly fee of several thousand dollars in return for exclusive rights to an Auto-By-Tel territory.

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Orion IP had persuaded a federal jury in eastern Texas that the Korean auto giant had been improperly using Orion-patented technology that enables dealers to buy parts online.

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The scaremongers like to talk about 3 million jobs lost, all things considered, which means not just the factory and white-collar workers of the auto company but the parts suppliers, dealers, repair garages and hot dog stands outside the factories.

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The problem was, if we let GM and Chrysler simply go under, hundreds of thousands of Americans would have been hurt, not just at those companies themselves, but at auto suppliers and other companies and dealers here in Michigan, up in -- here in Ohio, up in Michigan, all across this country.

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According to CNW Marketing Research, an Oregon-based firm that analyzes the auto industry, it is a positive sign for the economy when BMW dealers notice that a lot of their shoppers start out looking for a 3 series car, but end up buying the more luxurious 5-series.

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