Your Customer Relationship Doesn't Start at Delivery. It Starts After.
Live from NAMAD 2026 in Miami, Shane Wilson, president of CarRx, made a simple case to Paul and Kyle that's easy to agree with and even easier to ignore: the sale isn't the finish line, it's the opening handshake on a relationship that can run seven years.
Dealers Have Never Lost Money in 50 Years. AI Might Be the Reason That Streak Gets Even Better.
Our own Michael Cirillo sat in the room this week at Reynolds and Reynolds' Amplify 2026, where Automotive Ventures' Steve Greenfield opened a keynote panel with a fifty-year chart that made the whole room go quiet: the average American dealer has not lost money in any year over the last five decades.
AI Ranked S Tier on The Pushback. The Reason Might Surprise You.
The real opportunity,is operational. AI belongs in every part of the business where it makes sense, not just the front-facing customer touchpoints. Getting that right requires the right partners and the right tools, integrated deeply rather than bolted on.
One Price Selling Isn't a Trend. It's Where the Market Is Headed.
It takes conviction that most stores don't have the stomach for. Paul pointed out the failure pattern directly: dealerships that try one price and bail usually bail too early, or they were never fully committed in the first place. Half-committing to one price is worse than not trying at all, because it confuses the customer without delivering the trust payoff.
🚙 That grade drop is the real headline here, and it's not about product quality. It's about a brand whose trucks now sit near six figures pricing out the exact customer who used to be Ford's on-ramp into the family.
The Lease Return Wave Is Coming Back. Get Ahead of It Before Auction Does.
Pandemic-era shortages broke the familiar lease-return cycle for years. Now Penske Automotive says it's finally refilling, and the dealers paying attention are about to get two wins for the price of one.
Ford's Reputation Problem Isn't the Trucks. It's the Price Tag.
Ford showed dealers a $25,000 crossover and a sub-$40,000 four-door Mustang at a private Las Vegas meeting, and the timing says a lot about where the brand thinks it needs to fight next.
🚗 The EV Lease Reality Check Is Walking Onto Your Floor Today
🚙 Plenty of these customers genuinely loved their EV, they just got priced out of staying in one. A plug-in hybrid is the natural landing spot for someone who liked having a plug but can't stomach the new payment.
EV Lessees Are Getting a Reality Check at Renewal, and Hybrids Are Winning the Rebound
EV leases were once the ultimate "why not" deal. Now that those leases are maturing, returning customers are discovering a very different market, and a lot of them are landing on hybrids instead.
VW Has 4% of the U.S. Market. A Pickup Truck Is How Every Underdog Brand Tries to Fix That.
Volkswagen is overhauling its U.S. strategy with new leadership and, in a very on-the-nose move for a German automaker, a plan to build an American pickup truck.
