Why Hometown Athletes Are Becoming Dealers' Best Brand Asset
Former Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser is investing in a Chino, California dealership now rebranded Orel Hershiser Chevrolet, partnered with 30-year auto retail veteran Eddie Allizadeh. More than 5,000 people showed up to the store's May 28 grand opening.
The stakes behind that idea are bigger than one agency's client roster. The 2025 NADA Dealership Workforce Study found total dealership employee turnover hit 42% in 2024, with sales roles turning over at approximately 60%, the highest of any department. Gen Z employees saw turnover climb six points year-over-year, twice the increase of any other generational group.
🚙 Four data sources just told us the same thing: your shoppers are more confident than last month, but their budgets haven't caught up yet. That gap is where deals get made this week, if you know how to talk about it.
Last week, some of our favorite data nerds dropped reports worth paying attention to. We could stitch them together into one big quilt, but considering half the country is under a heat advisory, maybe that's the wrong metaphor.
🚙 Sometimes the biggest automotive story isn't about what dealers will sell next year. It's about what manufacturers believe customers will expect ten years from now.
Toyota's latest partnership won't change tomorrow's showroom traffic, but it offers a glimpse of how the world's largest automakers are thinking about transportation well beyond the driver's seat.
Nissan Is Trying to Buy Back Its Brand, Not Just Its Sales
Nissan's turnaround plan is about more than new models. It's an acknowledgment that the way you grow sales shapes how customers value your brand for years afterward.
🚙 Today we're separating the headlines from the opportunities. From trade policy and hybrid demand to OEM partnerships and the service lane, we're looking at what's changing, why it matters for dealers, and where you can respond instead of simply react.
Service Is Becoming the Showroom Dealers Cannot Hide
Customers no longer experience your dealership only in the showroom. Increasingly, they're judging your brand through the service lane, and dealers are redesigning their facilities to reflect that.
