🚗 What CDG reminded us about people, AI, and customers
🚙 Our conversation with Yossi Levi went right to the center of dealership operations: marketing, AI, conversion, hospitality, and the people expected to make all of it work.
Connected Dealer Services Relocates Headquarters to Expanded Irvine Facility to Support Continued Growth
New headquarters strengthens CDS' US-based infrastructure and expands capacity for dealer support, training, engineering, fulfillment, and long-term innovation.
Our conversation with Yossi Levi covered everything from marketing and conversion to AI and hospitality. Three themes surfaced repeatedly: dealerships need to invest in people as much as platforms, AI is only as useful as the knowledge it's built on, and the stores creating the best customer experiences are combining hospitality with technology instead of choosing between them.
California's Connected-Car Law Is About More Than Vehicle Sales
The law requires manufacturers to revoke remote vehicle access when presented with qualifying documentation and eventually give drivers the ability to disable location tracking directly from inside the vehicle.
Slate Auto Thinks America Still Wants a Simple Truck
The startup says its electric pickup will start at $24,950 and generate positive gross margins. The truck features hand-crank windows, no built-in radio, a phone mount instead of an infotainment system, and a modular design that allows owners to customize it over time.
Tesla Tops the American-Made List Again. The Real Story Starts After That.
Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y once again claimed the top two spots on Cars.com's 2026 American-Made Index, extending the company's streak to six straight years at the top.
🚙 The last chip shortage was about supply chains. The next one may be about priorities. As AI companies buy up memory chips at almost any price, automakers are discovering they're competing for a different piece of the semiconductor market than many expected.
Consumers Are Using AI Search More. They're Trusting It Less.
AI is becoming a major part of how shoppers discover dealerships, but consumers are increasingly rewarding brands that pair technology with authentic human connection.
AI's Chip Boom Is Becoming the Auto Industry's Problem
As AI companies consume more of the world's memory chips, vehicle technology costs are rising and dealers should expect the effects to show up in pricing, inventory, and customer buying decisions.
