TOGETHER WITH :
Howdy Fam!
Saturday on the Automotive State of the Union podcast, we talked about the CMA team’s recent Touch A Truck event.
Not only is it a regular part of their schedule, but they also use it as a fun way to highlight working in the auto industry to students in their community.
So, if we’re showing the world this industry is worth fighting to get into, it’s a small ask to also show it as one worth growing up into.
*Shout out Beth Lucchesi for sharing the story.
Be kind to somebody today, Fam.
Keep Pushing Back,
- Chris with Paul, Kyle & Kristi
Reading time: 4 mins
First-time reader? Subscribe Here!
Cox Automotive and VINCUE are officially splitting, and dealers are feeling the friction.
giphy
This LI post shows the news and some reactions to it.
While access to MMR and KBB isn’t going away, the loss of native integration inside VINCUE slows decision-making right where speed counts.
The bigger reaction from operators? This isn’t just about workflow, it’s about control.
Patrick Abad didn’t mince words: “The appropriate response to competitive pressure should be innovation, not restriction.”
Brian Kramer zoomed out, pointing to history. When data gets locked down, disruption follows. Travel, real estate, telecom, all saw new players rise when access was limited.
And Brian Benstock hit the nerve: when one company owns both the data and a competing platform, decisions like this shape the market, not just the product.
The takeaway is simple. Dealers are asking a harder question now:
Who really owns the data that runs their business?
--
GM builds the bench
giphy
GM dealers now employ 23% more technicians than in 2021.
Apprenticeships are up 18%.
Top-tier certified techs have doubled.
That does not fix the shortage.
But it does prove something important:
when OEMs invest in training, the pipeline moves.
Fixed ops is still the profit engine.
And right now, it runs on people.
--
VW and Rivian hit a real checkpoint
giphy
Volkswagen just cleared winter testing on vehicles powered by Rivian-backed software.
That unlocks the next step. And likely the next round of funding.
Zoom out:
VW is still working through years of software struggles
Rivian is becoming more than just an EV brand
Software is now the battleground
The next advantage will not sit on the lot.
It will live in the code.
--
Hyundai goes bigger, closer, faster
giphy
Hyundai wants 80% of U.S. sales built in the U.S. by 2030.
And about 80% of parts sourced here too.
At the same time:
36 new or refreshed models
Expansion into trucks, vans, off-road, performance
More flexible powertrains, including extended-range EVs
This is not just growth.
It is a push for control.
Of supply chain, cost, and speed to market.
--
Used EVs are having a moment
giphy
New EV sales dropped 28%.
Used EV sales climbed 12%.
That split explains everything.
Tax credits disappeared → new EV demand cooled
Lease returns are rising → used supply is growing
Prices are converging → within ~$1,300 of gas cars
The result:
Used EVs are starting to look like the best value on the lot.
Shoppers are still interested in electric.
They are just finding their way in through used.
The Post-Sale Strategy Dealers Are Overlooking
At NADA 2026, 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.
If fixed ops growth is on your radar, this is worth the watch.
FTC Pricing Update + What to Watch Next
The FTC’s warning letters to 97 dealer groups just got more clarity.
Through follow-up with NADA, the agency appears to be drawing a firm line: the first price customers see should be the real price they can actually pay. That means all-in pricing, with only taxes, title, and registration excluded, and doc fees included in the headline number.
This shifts the conversation from general compliance to how pricing is actually displayed across websites, third-party listings, and ads.
The original letters were a signal. This update makes expectations more specific, and likely closer to enforcement.
More guidance is coming soon.
NADA is hosting a webinar on April 6 with a senior FTC attorney to walk through the agency’s position and what dealers should be doing now.
March 31: NY Auto Forum
April 6: NADA Webinar - Hear Directly from a Senior FTC Official on the Recent Warning Letters and Dealer Advertising
May 12: AutoIndustry.AI Summit
May 13-15: ASOTU CON 2026—get ready for the Year of the Human
1867 – Alaska is purchased from Russia for $7.2 million, about two cents/acre ($4.19/km2), by United States Secretary of State William H. Seward.
1981 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest outside a Washington, D.C., hotel by John Hinckley Jr.; three others are wounded in the same incident.
2017 – SpaceX conducts the world's first reflight of an orbital class rocket.
Thanks for reading, Friend!
giphy
