GM Is Quietly Becoming a Software Company. The Margins Explain Why.
GM's OnStar and Super Cruise subscriptions keep roughly 70 cents of every dollar in revenue, dwarfing the 4-10% margins on the vehicle itself. The company is explicitly betting on this recurring revenue to smooth out its historically cyclical business.
Buy-Sell Activity Is Up 23%. Buyers Are Also Getting Way More Picky.
Dealership M&A activity is climbing fast, but Presidio's data shows this isn't a fire sale. Operators are strategically pruning and buying based on brand strength and long-term earnings potential, not chasing peak profits.
🚙 Blume wants to double previously agreed job cuts to 100,000 and has floated closing four German plants after 2030. His own supervisory board already rejected the full restructuring plan once this month, and unions are bracing for another tense round of negotiations.
Ford, BlackRock, and Google Just Teamed Up on the Problem Every Dealership Already Has
A new coalition is pairing major companies with labor unions and trade associations to expand apprenticeships, directly addressing the same technician shortage dealerships have been fighting for years.
Ford Is Doing the Opposite of GM. Here's Why That Might Be the Smarter Bet.
Ford's upcoming $30,000 Universal EV Platform will embed Apple Maps directly into the vehicle display, a deliberate middle path between GM's move away from CarPlay entirely and Lucid's full embrace of smartphone mirroring.
Tesla Just Had Its Best Quarter Ever and Its Stock Dropped Anyway
Tesla delivered a record Q2, 480,126 vehicles, $28.2 billion in revenue, yet posted negative free cash flow after pouring $5.8 billion into robotaxis, AI, and Optimus. The market punished it for exactly the kind of long-term bet that used to define the company.
🚙 Public auto groups are locked into a conservative posture by design, shareholders bet on steady profitability, not long-term risk-taking. Going private removes that constraint entirely. Analysts are clear this is specific to Penske's ownership structure, not a signal Asbury, AutoNation, Group 1, Lithia, or Sonic will follow.
A Viral TikTok Says Dealerships Are a Scam. Here's the Actual History It Leaves Out.
A satirical video attacking the entire dealership model is making the rounds this week. The real history behind franchise law, and the comment section reaction, is worth unpacking directly.
The Nation's Second-Largest Dealer Group Might Go Private. Here's Why That's Smart.
Penske Corp. and Mitsui have offered $3.8 billion to take Penske Automotive Group private. Both our hosts and the analysts quoted agree: freedom from quarterly earnings pressure is the real prize here.
🚙 Strong truck and SUV margins, a broader Cadillac lineup hedging both directions, and a real plan to cut tariff exposure all point toward genuine confidence heading into H2. We break down exactly what that means if you're a GM dealer.
A Department Store Built a Shopping App Nobody Needed. Then 470,000 People Joined It Anyway.
South Korean retailer The Hyundai built a digital platform around discovery and entertainment instead of speed and price. The results suggest real appetite for the exact opposite of frictionless e-commerce.
