Independent Shops Are Losing the Tech Race. Dealers Shouldn't Get Too Comfortable About It.
Rising diagnostic subscription costs and expensive calibration equipment are pushing independent repair shops toward retirement or closure. Don't read that as a permanent win for dealership service departments.
GM Raised Guidance Again. Its Own CEO Says That's Not an Excuse.
GM's North American profits jumped 43% and the company raised its full-year guidance for the second time this year, even while absorbing another $2.3 billion in EV-related charges.
🚙 Polestar is officially hitting the brakes on the U.S. market. The Commerce Department banned the brand from selling future models over connected-vehicle national security concerns, and Polestar has decided not to fight it.
The Market Is Cooling in Slow Motion. The Data Says Exactly How Much.
Three separate data sets this week point at the same underlying story: after a hot spring, nearly every part of the market is normalizing at once, prices, wholesale values, even consumer mood. None of it is alarming on its own. Together, it's the clearest read yet on where the back half of the year is headed.
Parents Are Spending More on Back-to-School. They're Also Getting Pickier About Where.
A new survey shows back-to-school budgets up nearly 12% this year. Parents are also consolidating trips and rewarding retailers that remove friction, not just the ones with the lowest price.
Stellantis Just Brought in Two Retail-Minded CEOs to Fix Jeep and Ram. Here's Why That Matters.
Stellantis tapped a longtime Ford marketing executive to run Ram and a former AutoNation brand president to run Jeep. Both are retail-focused hires at a moment the brands badly need dealer-facing credibility.
Polestar Isn't Even Appealing Its U.S. Ban. Its Own Dealers Are Left Holding the Bag.
Polestar confirmed it won't appeal a federal ban on future U.S. sales. 32 dealers who invested millions in facilities and staff are now navigating an exit they had no say in.=
🚙 If you're carrying Stellantis inventory in this range, this is a moment to get ahead of the pricing conversation rather than defend the sticker. Customers are already comparing your days-of-supply against your discount publicly. Matching the two builds more trust than either extreme.
A Novelist's Warning About AI Isn't Really About Writing. It's About Everyone Who Talks to Customers.
Author Dave Eggers argues that outsourcing your voice to AI is "a crime against yourself." A story from Paul's own flight last week shows exactly what he means, and why it matters well beyond writing.
A Robotaxi Drove Into an Active Fire Scene. Here's What the Recall Actually Fixes.
Zoox is recalling all 105 of its robotaxis after one drove into a smoke-obscured fire scene in June. It's part of a pattern regulators say autonomous vehicle developers still haven't solved.
The UAW's Corruption Scandal Isn't Over. It Might Just Be Starting a New Chapter.
A new federal investigation into UAW President Shawn Fain makes it increasingly likely that government oversight of the union gets extended well past its planned January expiration.
🚗 Is Your Brand About to Feel What Volvo Just Felt?
🚙 This is a global story right now, not a U.S. showroom story yet. But it's worth watching closely if you carry a European premium brand: the same pricing and technology pressure squeezing Volvo and BMW in China is the exact pressure already reshaping European markets. It tends not to stay contained to one region for long.
