🚗 Fiverr Doesn't Care. Do You?

TOGETHER WITH

Welcome to Friday, Fam!

Most of the crew swapped coasts this week to post up at the LA Auto Show, and anyone who got left behind isn’t jealous AT ALL.

The set doesn’t look extra dope or anything.

The vibe definitely isn’t immaculate.

And the guys certainly aren’t pulling off this weirdly perfect East Coast meets West Coast thing with their creatives-wear-black fits and sunglasses.

Anyway, no big deal.

We’re not bitter. You’re bitter.

Keep Pouting Pushing Back,
-Chris & Kristi

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THE NEWS

Carvana, Stellantis, and the Fixed Ops Fault Line (According to John Frazier)

Carvana buying another CDJR store in San Diego isn’t the headline — it’s the context. The real story is the fault line John Frazier has been calling out long before this deal hit the news.

Stellantis didn’t streamline technician training — they hollowed it out. A development pipeline that once built elite, dealer-level diagnostic techs has been reduced to a fast, online progression with none of the rigor that used to define the brand.

Now enter Carvana, plugging hourly used-car techs into warranty-level complexity inside that weakened ecosystem. It’s not shocking — it’s predictable.

And John said it best: Carvana isn’t the problem. They’re a symptom.

The real issue is an industry quietly backing away from technician excellence while the work keeps getting harder.

If he’s right… what do you think this means for fixed ops over the next 24 months?

What November Really Tells Us

November’s numbers aren’t shocking — but they are loud. Retail sales dipped 4.8% and SAAR held at 15.4 million as the industry continues to work through the EV pull-ahead from the now-expired tax credit.

EV share has essentially halved since September.

But this isn’t a crash. It’s a reset.
And resets expose what was already shifting.

JD Power’s latest data shows EV transaction prices climbing to ~$52,400 while hybrids quietly take the “affordable efficiency” crown. Two months post-credit, EV share is settling around 6% while ICE and traditional hybrids do the heavy lifting.

Here’s the real headline: the next winners won’t be “EV stores” or “ICE stores.”
They’ll be portfolio stores — flexible, incentive-aware, and ready to meet customers where the economics actually land.

Gen Z: The First ‘Always-Upgrading’ Buyer

Gen Z is stretching thin — delinquencies are up, credit scores are down — but they’re also the best-prepared buyers in the market. They come armed with online quotes, calculators, rate expectations, and a realistic understanding of monthly payments.

Leasing appeals to them not just because it’s cheaper, but because it lets them stay technologically current. This is the first generation that treats vehicle ownership like smartphone ownership: a cycle, not a forever purchase.

Every store that learns to serve Gen Z well will be future-proofing itself, because their habits will define the mainstream.

TOGETHER WITH DAVE CANTIN GROUP

Nelly Headlines All-Star Lineup at Dave Cantin Group's NADA Celebration

Get ready for the ultimate industry celebration at NADA 2026!

Join Dave Cantin Group to celebrate the who's who of the automotive world for a night to remember at LIV Las Vegas Nightclub inside the Fontainebleau Thursday, Feb. 5 2026.

Headlined by hip-hop icons Nelly, Fat Joe and Rev Run, this exclusive invite-only experience is one for the books.

Request your table or VIP pass at [email protected] and be part of what we know is THE most legendary celebration at NADA.

EVERYTHING ELSE

Fiverr’s “Nobody Cares” and the Growing Comfort With AI-Made Creative Work

Fiverr’s new short film “Nobody Cares” leans into a familiar debate: does it matter if creative work is made with AI? The film’s core message is simple — audiences focus on results, not the tools behind them.

Several recent studies suggest the public is increasingly comfortable with AI-assisted creativity:

• 97% of listeners in a Deezer/Ipsos study couldn’t tell the difference between AI-generated music and human-made songs.

• A Bynder survey found that 82% of consumers don’t mind if brands use AI to write copy, as long as it feels genuine.

• 56% even say AI-generated content is more engaging than human-created content.

For creative professionals, the takeaway is that perception of “authenticity” now comes from performance, not process. Fiverr’s campaign mirrors this, suggesting AI expands capacity rather than replaces talent.

What do you think? Do methods still matter? Did they ever?