The Future Is Moving Faster Than Ever. Automotive Has Been Here Before.
Steve Greenfield, general partner at Automotive Ventures, opened his weekly Intel Report with something worth reading twice: a case for optimism at a moment when most headlines are pointing the other way.
"Work Slop" Is the New Leadership Risk, and Most Executives Don't See It Coming
Nearly three-quarters of executives now trust AI's business advice more than that of their own colleagues or friends. A growing number are letting it make the call outright.
A 14-Year-Old With No Job Is Out-Creating Your Dealership's Content
Peter McKay can't legally drive a car yet. He also can't legally work in most states until he's older. What he can do, apparently, is out-hustle your entire social media strategy from the passenger seat of his mom's minivan.
Would You Buy a Car Fully Online? That Question Is Lying to You.
A new Urban Science and Harris Poll survey of over 3,000 buyers and 252 dealers found shoppers are researching longer, cross-shopping harder, and putting price ahead of brand loyalty. But the most interesting number in the survey might be the one measuring the wrong thing entirely.
An Independent Dealer Got Tired of Waiting for Wholesale to Catch Up to Retail
Travis Baldwin started detailing cars at his family's dealership when he was 13 years old. Decades later, he's still the guy who notices when something doesn't look right, only now it's an entire industry's wholesale process he's trying to clean up.
🚗 Anything Carvana Can Do, Dealers Can Do (Better)
🚙 Car Dealership Guy spoke with 40 sources about Carvana's Stellantis stores, and dealers pointed to national pricing, no document fees, and a sales model that promotes itself as an alternative to traditional dealerships. Service is another flashpoint, with some nearby dealers absorbing more warranty and recall work from Carvana customers.
A Truck the Size of a Mini Cooper Can Tow More Than a Cybertruck
Telo's compact MT1 electric pickup is about the length of a two-door Mini Cooper, but the startup says it can tow 8,000 pounds, more than a standard Cybertruck.
Some Customers Aren't Shopping on Price. Stop Selling to Them Like They Are.
❝ Ram is reviving the street-truck formula with a four-model Rumble Bee lineup, and dealers believe the buyers it attracts care far more about sound and speed than fuel economy or monthly payments. ❝
Are Dealers Actually Mad at Carvana, or at Themselves?
Car Dealership Guy spent weeks talking to 40 sources about Carvana's Stellantis stores, and the real question isn't whether Carvana is selling a lot of cars. It's whether they're doing it with exceptions no one else would get.
🚗 How Lithia Posted a Record Quarter While Margins Fell 11%
🚙 Think of a customer's ownership experience like a sponsored race car covered in logos. Insurance, finance, protection products, service, every one is a sticker, and every sticker is a company that gets a recurring touchpoint and a slice of that customer's lifetime value. The more of those your store owns instead of handing off to an outside lender or insurer, the more of that value stays with you.
