🚗 U.S. Auto Market Update: spring momentum meets pricing risk (plus today’s premiere)

TOGETHER WITH

In case you forgot, it’s today, Fam!

In a few hours, we will premiere The Truth About Car Dealers: Rohrman Automotive Group Premiere | S2:E3.

Make a plan to join us at Noon CST and enjoy the show with some of our favorite people: Dealers, innovators, and leaders all around the auto industry.

RSVP here.

Keep Pushing Back,
-Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi

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Europe’s latest auto data shows electrified vehicles gaining share even as total volume softens. Petrol registrations fell sharply, while battery-electric, hybrid, and plug-in models continued to grow.

According to Cox Automotive, vehicle affordability improved in January to its best level since March 2025. The average new-vehicle price declined to $49,191. Estimated loan rates dipped to 9.52%. The typical monthly payment fell to $756. Weeks of income needed to purchase dropped to 35.6.

Tax refunds are running 14% higher year over year, and Manheim values are accelerating early, suggesting spring demand may be arriving sooner than usual.

Black Book’s latest wholesale data supports the early-spring pattern. Overall wholesale values rose +0.08% last week, led by Trucks/SUVs (+0.12%). Auction conversion rates improved to 63%, and days-to-turn sits around 40.5 days. Clean, retail-ready inventory continues to perform best.

Industry executives warn that manufacturers may need to raise prices or adjust content later in 2026 to offset sustained tariff costs. Price increases have been modest so far, but summer could look different.

Read the full report here.

At NADA, Michelle Jackson, EVP of Sales at CarRx, talked about something practical: using live vehicle health data to strengthen retention and bring customers back into fixed ops with better timing and better context.

When drivers know what’s happening under the hood, and the dealership stays connected to that data, service becomes proactive instead of reactive.

That shift changes follow-up, CSI, and long-term revenue.

If fixed ops growth is on your radar this year, this is worth the watch.

Catch the interview here.

Lamborghini just shelved its first full EV, the Lanzador concept, after deciding the demand from its buyers is “close to zero.” Instead, the plan is to lean hard into plug-in hybrids: a fourth PHEV joins Urus, Revuelto, and Temerario, with the lineup headed toward all-PHEV by 2030. Translation: customers want drama, noise, and theater, not silent speed.

BMW M boss Frank van Meel basically said what everyone suspects: the manual’s business case is collapsing. More power means more torque, and BMW’s current six-speed is capped around 440 lb-ft, which boxes manuals into a few models (M2, M3, M4, Z4). Building a new gearbox for a shrinking niche? Suppliers and accountants aren’t thrilled. BMW will keep manuals “for the next couple of years,” but the next decade looks grim.

A Texas dealership (Frisco CDJR, part of Greenway Auto Group) says FCA/Stellantis promised a future new point in a 2017 letter of intent after the store dropped protests against nearby competing points, then didn’t deliver. A federal judge in Detroit refused to dismiss the lawsuit, saying there’s enough there to keep going, including claims tied to a right of first refusal and alleged lost profits. Stellantis denies the allegations. (Based on your Automotive News excerpt; background context here.)

Ford’s message on the Bronco is basically: “Why would we mess with this?” Despite being a 2021-era product that normally would be mid-cycle-refreshed by now, Ford says expect incremental updates until a full replacement near the end of the decade. The interesting bit: engineers have been stress-testing upgrades in Baja racing conditions, and there’s a more “obvious” change coming for 2027. Until then, slow tweaks, strong sales.

If you’ve got AI agents touching your dealership systems, this week’s AutoIndustry.ai email is the kind of read that makes you sit up a little straighter.

Agentic AI is scaling faster than the guardrails. And in a store, that’s not theoretical. When an agent can execute across your CRM, DMS, inventory, desking, and service tools, tiny errors don’t stay tiny. They multiply quietly at machine speed. The email lays out the practical “before you deploy” checklist: step-by-step visibility, a real stop button, sandboxing, and clear security proof.

Plus, there’s a killer stress-test prompt you can run on any agent to see how it behaves under pressure.

Then, if you want the hands-on version with real operators and real workflows, come hang with us at the AutoIndustry.ai Summit on May 12, 2026 at Live! Casino Maryland. (Psst - It’s the first day of ASOTU CON 2026)

Demos, workshops, panels, and take-home assets you can use Monday morning.

Thanks for reading, Friend! See you soon!