🚗 Used Cars, New Market

🚙 Loud and Clear, Zero Waste, and Real-Time Data

May 28, 2025

TOGETHER WITH

Welcome to Wednesday, Fam!

A few exciting thoughts from today’s email:

  • Used Cars are good for business. Fixing cars is also good for business. (In case you forgot)

  • “Price War” is creeping back into our vernacular. At about the same pace, Tesla is creeping out of European hearts.

  • DeLorean is talking about Crypto. There is a Back to the Future Part 4 Plot in there somewhere.

Whatever comes next, let’s make the most of it and


Keep Pushing Back
-Paul, Kyle, Chris & Kristi

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Pre-Owned, AutoZone, and Tesla Tanks?

Used-only dealers crushed it in 2024 — Carvana up 33%, Auto Boutique up 13%, and even regional players like Automotive Avenues saw solid gains. But don’t get too cozy — 2025 inventory is tighter, and the sourcing game is turning cutthroat. Auctions? Not enough. It’s all about mining your service lane, past customers, and private-party pickups.

Mazda officially pulled the plug on its first BEV in Europe, the MX-30. What remains is a rotary-hybrid oddball not sold in the U.S. A bigger EV push isn’t coming until 2028 — and even then, tariffs might keep Mazda’s Chinese-built models out of our market.

AutoZone took a hit, with profits down 6.6% despite strong commercial sales. The DIY slowdown could mean more folks leaning on dealers for service, but it also signals pressure on parts margins. Keep those service ops tight.

Meanwhile, Tesla’s European sales tanked 49% in April. Blame politics, stale models, and competition from BYD, which just reignited a full-on EV price war in China. U.S. dealers may be tariff-insulated for now, but when EV prices keep dropping abroad, American consumers start asking, “Why not here?”

➕ More

Read more on these in our Daily Digest.

đŸ„Š Quick Hits

  • DeLorean (yes, that one) is getting into the crypto game. ⌛ 

  • Salesforce just paid $25 per share for a DMS for a total acquisition price of $8B! đŸ’żïž 

  • Japan is moving against weird baby names at a legal level. What a tragedeigh. đŸ‡ŻđŸ‡” 

The Voice of the Customer Is Loud and Clear—Are You Listening?

We’re excited to share the first edition of Widewail’s Voice of the Customer—a quarterly report built for leaders in automotive retail.

This report provides free, data-backed insights powered by our proprietary, AI-backed Voice of the Customer Analytics platform, which ingests and analyzes hundreds of thousands of Google reviews across the automotive industry each month.

⭐ Inside Q1 2025’s Report:

  • Tariff impact: No measurable effect on CX—yet (as of April 30).

  • Reputation race: Ford jumped 8 spots in OEM rankings; Acura dropped back to #14.

  • Review volume growth: 715 dealerships averaged 100+ Google reviews/month in Q1—an 82% YoY increase.

  • EV insights: Knowledge-related complaints fell 28%, pointing to improving customer support.

  • Market momentum: Overall review volume up 28% since mid-2023.

Why it matters: These trends directly affect how your dealership is perceived, compared, and selected. Benchmark against peers, spot opportunities, evaluate OEMs, and strengthen your online reputation.

Baxter Subaru’s Drive Toward Zero Waste

Turns out you can run a car dealership without sending literal truckloads of junk to the landfill. Baxter Subaru in Omaha cut their weekly trash from 96 yards to just eight—and they’re now recycling over 90% of their waste. Tires? Engines? Coffee cups? Yep. All of it.

It started with a full-blown trash audit (sounds gross but was actually genius), followed by smart signage, training videos, peer accountability, and leadership that wasn’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and sort through the junk themselves. It’s not just a program—it’s the new culture.

Their efforts earned them a “Zero Waste to Landfill” award from Hillside Solutions, but this isn’t about awards. It’s about proving that sustainability isn’t some far-off dream—it’s a choice. And Baxter Subaru made it.

More than cars? Yeah. It’s more than garbage, too.

AROUND THE ASOTU-VERSE

TODAY: Let’s Talk Real-Time Data

Join us for a quick dive into how real-time transaction data is changing the game in automotive.

We’ll uncover the importance of high-quality info, emerging F&I trends, and how to spot missed opportunities hiding in your data.

Save your seat, Friend!

🔁 Today in History

  • 1937: VW is founded. 🆕 

  • 2014: Google announces plans for self-driving car. đŸ€– 

  • 2016: The gorilla, Harambe, is shot to death after grabbing a three-year-old boy who fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, resulting in widespread criticism and countless memes. 🩍 

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