A Viral TikTok Says Dealerships Are a Scam. Here's the Actual History It Leaves Out.
A satirical video attacking the entire dealership model is making the rounds this week. The real history behind franchise law, and the comment section reaction, is worth unpacking directly.
The Nation's Second-Largest Dealer Group Might Go Private. Here's Why That's Smart.
Penske Corp. and Mitsui have offered $3.8 billion to take Penske Automotive Group private. Both our hosts and the analysts quoted agree: freedom from quarterly earnings pressure is the real prize here.
🚙 Strong truck and SUV margins, a broader Cadillac lineup hedging both directions, and a real plan to cut tariff exposure all point toward genuine confidence heading into H2. We break down exactly what that means if you're a GM dealer.
A Department Store Built a Shopping App Nobody Needed. Then 470,000 People Joined It Anyway.
South Korean retailer The Hyundai built a digital platform around discovery and entertainment instead of speed and price. The results suggest real appetite for the exact opposite of frictionless e-commerce.
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.
