TOGETHER WITH
Howdy Fam!
All week we’ve been reading, listening, and collecting the best things we find so you can stay sharp without living online.
This email is where we try to show up for you each day as friends and collaborators. You do the heavy lifting. We just want to be a steady voice in your corner when the work gets messy.
On Monday, we’re unveiling a refreshed look and feel for the email, so be sure to open it and take it all in. And if you know someone who would love this, sign them up (with permission, of course 😆).
Thanks for reading, and thank you for serving the people you serve every day.
What a pleasure.
Keep Pushing Back
-Chris with Paul, Kyle & Kristi
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Reading time: 3 min
THE NEWS
CarEdge’s New Transparency Index Puts Dealer Pricing in the Spotlight
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CarEdge has launched a Dealer Transparency Index (DTI), a public grading system that scores dealerships on pricing clarity using verified out-the-door (OTD) quotes. The index assigns a 0–100 score and an A–F grade, built from 40,000+ verified OTD quotes gathered through CarEdge’s AI negotiation platform. Dealers can’t pay to improve their grade.
The score is weighted across four factors:
Doc fees (30%)
Add-ons (30%)
Markups above listed price (30%)
Quote data quality (10%)
CarEdge lists 4,957 dealers in its search. 2,403 are graded A, while 306 are graded F, with the majority landing in the middle. That spread matters, because it suggests this is less about “gotcha” and more about consistency, especially from the buyer’s point of view.
CarEdge’s broader “State of Dealer Fees 2026” report adds context from 35,956 verified OTD quotes across 9,202 dealers (data collected July 2025–Feb 2026). Key numbers: $420 average doc fee nationally; 52% of dealers include add-ons, averaging $2,152 when present; and the common “listing vs signing” gap remains, with CarEdge estimating 7%–8% markup before tax and title.
Proactive transparency: what buyers want before they ask
If a shopper is comparing stores, they’re silently asking: “Will the final number match what I’m seeing online?” The strongest move right now is to make that answer obvious early. Itemized OTD quotes, consistent doc fee language, and clear separation between optional products and required costs reduce friction, protect trust, and help your store stand out in a world where pricing behavior is quickly becoming searchable.
Check out the full article with some helpful tips for ranking well here.
Courtesy That Feels Like Luxury
Waiting for a shuttle is so 2013.
Uber for Business lets you offer customers a premium-feeling ride without running a fleet or babysitting a schedule.
One click, and they’re headed home, to work, or wherever they need to go—without awkward waits in the service lounge or hoping the shuttle route loops back soon. It’s an easy way to make service feel like service, not a DMV.
Track it, tie it to the RO, and turn what used to be a stress point into a high-five moment.
MORE NEWS
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Stellantis: 2025 ends in the red, and profit sharing hits zero
Stellantis reported its first full-year loss since the company was formed, posting a €22.3B net loss for 2025 after €25.4B in write-downs tied largely to pulling back on earlier EV assumptions and related program resets. The result also means no 2025 profit-sharing checks for UAW-represented workers, because North America missed the minimum thresholds in the 2023 labor agreement. Management reiterated a 2026 outlook that points to modest revenue growth and a push back toward profitability.
Finer details (quick hits):
Net revenue: down about 2% in 2025 vs. 2024.
UAW profit sharing: drops to $0 for the first time since 2011.
What drove the loss: EV-related and program write-downs, plus broader “reset” costs.
Tariff headwind: Stellantis flagged rising U.S. tariff costs (reported expectation: €1.6B).
Playbook shift: renewed focus on hybrids and ICE (including the Hemi V8 return messaging) alongside selective EV strategy changes.
Auto debt hits $1.59T
U.S. auto loan debt hit $1.589T (Dec. 2025). Big number, but not instant panic: serious delinquency is 1.61%, basically steady. The real rub is shoppers stretching with higher balances and longer terms.
Dealer upside: strong lenders, smart structure, and payment coaching keep deals healthy.
Asbury sells stores, redeploys cash
Asbury is trimming rooftops to sharpen returns. It sold six luxury stores in St. Louis to MileOne and three Greenville, SC stores to RBM’s owners, part of about $210M in recent divestitures.
Plan: lower leverage and buy back shares. Translation: buy-sell stays active for quality stores.
Tesla Berlin: expansion as a bargaining chip
Musk reportedly warned Giga Berlin workers that if the union gains more influence, the plant won’t expand. Bold move, convenient timing, and very Tesla. Behind the drama is the usual math: capacity follows demand.
Dealer angle: this kind of turbulence can spark fresh cross-shops, trade-ins, and pricing moves.
AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE
Dealer Conferences and Industry Events
Tue, March 31: NY Auto Forum. We’ll be there taking in the vibes, making content, and moderating a session.
May 12-15: ASOTU CON 2026, Hanover, MD
Get ready for the Year of the Human
Quick Hits
🤖 AI: Nano Banana 2: More Nana, More Banana is, you guessed it, better than Nano Banana 1.
🛒 Retail: There is talk of tariff refunds, but high doubt that American consumers will see any of that money.
👽 Weird: Uber workers talk to an AI version of their boss before they talk to the people version of their boss.
Today in History: February 27
1940 – Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben discover carbon-14.
1951 – The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, limiting Presidents to two terms, is ratified.
2019 – Polestar 2 debuts
See you tomorrow for a weekly recap and some fun.
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