TOGETHER WITH

Howdy Friend,

Today, we’re working toward a shared definition of “value” from the data, brand, and consumer directions, but first:

NADA 2026 is almost here, and we can’t wait to see you in Vegas. We’re tracking parties again this year, so you don’t have to chase details across group texts, DMs, and half-finished posts.

Check out NADA Parties, make a plan, and if you’re hosting something, add it to the list. 🎉

See you in Vegas,
-Chris with Paul, Kyle & Kristi

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“More for less” is the new baseline.

Value is in the eye of the beholder, and right now the beholder is running a tight ship. Budgets are strained, and no purchase is just a purchase; it’s a small piece of their family’s financial flexibility committed in a single direction. It’s a big move, and they’re looking for folks to respect it as such.

Today’s news is basically receipts for that.

Enjoy.

Brand Keys’ 2026 Customer Loyalty Engagement Index puts data on the obvious: consumer expectations jumped 32% year over year, the largest single-year increase since the survey began in 1998. The same read says nearly 40% of product and service categories saw new No. 1 brands for meeting evolving consumer demands.

Brand Keys founder Robert Passikoff framed the pressure point like this: “Expectations are rising faster than brands are improving. Consumers want more from brands across every touchpoint, and they reward brands that deliver.”

Hyundai again ranked highest among automotive brands for meeting modern customer expectations, holding that top spot for a 17th year.

The operator takeaway is still the retention math: Brand Keys models retention as dramatically cheaper than acquisition (17 to 25 times lower), and says a 5% lift can boost lifetime profits up to 88% (with a 2% lift cutting marketing costs by nearly 30%). As Passikoff put it in the release: “The bottom line: loyalty moves markets.”

That reset shows up clearly in automotive awards. At the Detroit auto show, jurors named the 2026 NACTOY winners:

Axios’ Joann Muller framed what judging revealed this year: with prices high, value is becoming as important as innovation and design, noting the average new-car price topping $50,000. She highlighted the Nissan Sentra as a value lens, starting at $22,600.

CNBC, citing Edmunds, shows the constraint behind the behavior shift.

In Q4 2025, 29.3% of trade-ins toward new car purchases were underwater. The average negative equity hit $7,214, an all-time high. Edmunds also found buyers who rolled negative equity into a new loan averaged $916 monthly payments, versus a $772 industry average.

At the same time, Cox Automotive reports affordability holding mostly steady in December: average new-vehicle price $50,326, typical monthly payment $767, and 36.22 weeks of median income needed to buy the average new vehicle.

Both can be true. The averages can look steady while more buyers are boxed in.

Reuters reports Audi total sales down 2.9% to 1.62 million, missing its target range, citing U.S. tariffs and China competition. North America sales fell 12.2%, China 5%.

And at the same Detroit show, Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa emphasized keeping the company intact: “We want to stay together. It’s a good combination.”

Assume expectations are higher than last year.
Assume more customers are payment-limited than averages imply.
Assume loyalty resets faster after friction, confusion, or bad math.

Assume the customer is more skeptical, more payment-limited, and more willing to switch brands than last year, so win on clarity, equity math, and value proof, not hype.

What a day to be alive! Thanks for reading, Friend. If there is anything our team can do to serve you, hit reply. If we can’t help, chances are we know somebody who can.