Group 1 Is Betting on One Name. The Real Test Is Whether Anyone Knows What It Stands For.
Group 1 Automotive is leaning harder into a "cluster strategy," building dense dealership footprints in key metros while consolidating dozens of legacy dealership names under one brand.
🚗 What Does an Automaker Do When the Government Shows It the Door?
🚙 If your franchise brand has foreign ownership ties under any regulatory scrutiny, this case is worth watching. It's the first real test of whether "the government made us do it" holds up as a clean exit.
A Dealer Is Testing What an Automaker Owes You When the Government Shows It the Door
A New Jersey dealer group is suing Polestar for $25 million, arguing the EV maker is using a federal sales ban as an escape hatch from its franchise obligations, and setting up a much bigger fight with its U.S. retailers in the process.
China Ran the Same Playbook as the U.S. Nobody Noticed Until It Was Over
China's automakers have a problem most dealers can relate to: plenty of product, not enough buyers. With domestic sales sliding for 10 straight months, Chinese brands are increasingly looking overseas for growth.
Sonic's Real Edge Isn't Price. It's Where the Cars Are Coming From.
Sonic Automotive is betting that a little less gross can lead to a lot more cars sold in the back half of 2026, leaning hard into used at both EchoPark and its franchised stores as affordability pushes shoppers toward friendlier price tags.
🚙 This isn't really an EV story, it's a focus story. While competitors spread efforts across multiple models trying to cover every price point, Tesla let one vehicle become the unmistakable answer to "what EV should I buy."
🚙 Don is just as willing to challenge the industry he represents. He shares the shocking story of a dealership mistake that ended with a customer spending a night in jail, reflects on the hard-driving retail mentality he once embraced himself, and argues that automotive has to eradicate the behaviors that keep reinforcing its worst reputation.
Find the Communities That Challenge You, Not Just the Ones That Agree With You
Fresh off three days at NAMAD 2026 in Miami, Paul and Kyle came home with a theme that had nothing to do with tariffs, EVs, or affordability, and everything to do with who you're actually in the room with.
A Sub-$30K EV With 321 Miles of Range Says Something About Where Residuals Are Headed
Kia's new 2027 EV3 starts below $30,000 while offering up to 321 miles of range, giving Kia dealers an EV that could reach well beyond the traditional early-adopter crowd.
Tesla Just Showed Every Automaker What Focus Actually Looks Like
As rivals retreat and the overall EV market keeps shrinking, Tesla just grabbed 61.5% of June's EV registrations, and the more interesting story might be what's happening to everyone else around it.
🚙 The franchise system exists because manufacturers couldn't afford national retail networks themselves; independent owners took on that risk, which is why franchise protection isn't unique to cars, it's true of Subway and 1-800-Flowers too. Dealerships are often among the highest local taxpayers in their metro areas.
