TOGETHER WITH:
Howdy, Fam!
Anything Carvana can do, dealers can do better.
Forty dealers went on record with their frustrations about Carvana this week. I got mad at LinkedIn for hiding my chicken pictures. Nobody interviewed me. 🤷
Also in today's email:
The customer type most stores are underselling, and how to actually talk to them
A Mini Cooper-sized truck that outtows a Cybertruck, plus Ford finally names its $28K electric pickup
Tesla's secret safety data, a $25K Buick you can't buy here, and an FBI agent who asked ChatGPT how to flee the country
Keep Pushing Back,
—Chris with Paul, Kyle & Kristi
Reading time: 4 min and 16 sec
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Are Dealers Actually Mad at Carvana, or at Themselves?
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.
Stellantis remains committed to treating dealers fairly, consistently, and in accordance with our Dealer Sales and Service Agreements.
Want the full conversation?
🎙️ Listen to today's Automotive State of the Union episode for the complete discussion.
Worth asking item by item whether any of this is actually restricted to Carvana, or just uncommon because most stores haven't chosen to run that way. The website platform switch looks like the real exception, worth a direct conversation with the OEM rather than a complaint.
What This Means for Your Store
Audit your own pricing transparency and document fee structure this week, and if warranty overflow from nearby competitors is landing in your bay, decide now whether your team has a process to flag those customers for your acquisition team.
They’re Ready to Ride. Are You Ready to Respond?
A vehicle can leave the lot in seconds. The real question is: How quickly would your team know?
Download the free Dealer Theft Prevention Guide for practical ways to monitor inventory, identify unexpected movement, manage test-drive risk, and respond faster.
Some Customers Aren't Shopping on Price. Stop Selling to Them Like They Are.
Ram's new Rumble Bee lineup, topping out at $97,790 for a 777-hp SRT, is built for buyers who care about sound and identity, not payments.
Consider this today
Look at your own lineup for the vehicle that plays this role, the one buyers choose for how it sounds or feels rather than what it costs.
Make sure your team has a different conversation ready for that customer, leading with the experience and available upgrades instead of the payment breakdown.
A Truck the Size of a Mini Cooper Can Tow More Than a Cybertruck
Startup Telo's MT1 tows 8,000 pounds despite a footprint barely bigger than a two-door Mini Cooper. Nothing to act on yet, but worth watching as compact, high-capability EVs edge toward production.
Ford's $28,000 Electric Pickup Finally Has a Name
Source: Ford
Ford unveiled Fathom, the first vehicle on its new low-cost EV platform, starting at $28,350, built from scratch by a skunkworks team and pitched by CEO Jim Farley as the company's "Model T moment" against rising Chinese competition. Pre-orders open in early 2027.
🚘 Car Stuff
European regulators are keeping Tesla's Full Self-Driving safety data secret at the automaker's request, even as safety experts argue the testing results behind the system's approval should be public information.
Volvo is leaning harder into hybrid crossovers for its U.S. lineup, delaying broader EV expansion until a new flagship three-row utility vehicle arrives in 2029.
GM's Buick brand unveiled the all-electric Electra L7 in China, offering 436 miles of range and 376 horsepower starting at roughly $25,000, with no current plans to bring it to the U.S.
💰 Not Car Stuff
An FBI agent accused of stealing $1 million in crypto reportedly consulted ChatGPT for advice on how to leave the country before his arrest, according to court documents.
A message in a bottle finally made it home after 53 years. A New Jersey man doing wetlands cleanup found a note written by a 9-year-old girl in the 1970s, tracked down her family through social media, and learned she had passed away in 2019. Her sister now plans to frame the letter.
A Dutch museum honored a late artist by covering its floor in over 800 pounds of peanut butter, enough to make roughly 15,000 sandwiches, as a tribute to Wim T. Schippers, known for his playful, absurdist art.
1420: Construction began on the iconic dome of Florence Cathedral, one of the largest masonry domes ever built, using techniques that were considered revolutionary at the time.
1606: The first known performance of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" took place, staged for King James I at Hampton Court.
1961: Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Titov became the first person to spend a full day in space, orbiting Earth aboard Vostok 2.
