Auto Remarketing and Used Car Week are showcasing the dealers who are changing what it means to be an auto retailer through a new program called “Game Changers in Auto Retail,” presented by Conversica.

The inaugural honorees will be recognized on site next at UCW during an awards program and several will participate in a panel discussion during the event. They will also be spotlighted in the December issue of Auto Remarketing.

We kick off the Game Changers honoree Q&As with Adam Flegge, who is director of special projects at Carvana.

What does it mean to be car dealer in 2026 and how has that definition changed since you’ve been in the industry?

Carvana’s mission is to change the way people buy and sell cars, and that shapes how we think about what it means to be a dealer. For us, it means giving customers the information, tools, and support to make decisions on their own terms.

For most of our customers, that means shopping, financing, and buying entirely online, with delivery to their door or pickup at one of our locations. Selling works the same way: customers looking to sell their cars to us can get an offer online and choose between home pickup or dropping the car off at one of our locations. We continue to experiment and evolve our offering, including the launch of our Test Drive Center in 2026, which brought another technology-driven, customer-focused experience to Carvana.

In June, Carvana launched its first Test Drive Center: a casual, no-pressure experience meant to give shoppers the flexibility to explore new cars “on their own terms” in a relaxed setting. What has been the initial reaction from consumers to this approach, and what are some learnings Carvana has taken from this over the last 3-4 months?

The reaction has been strong. Customers tell us they love being able to pull up, drive as many vehicles as they’d like, and take all the time they want.

What’s interested us most is how people use it to compare. Customers often drive several vehicles in one visit, and driving changes minds: one shopper set on a two-door Wrangler drove a four-door and preferred it. We also see people at every stage. Some have spent days looking at a model on our website before they visit, and others just want to understand how the process works.

Our Advocates are on-site to answer questions and can save vehicles to a customer’s account, so they can pick up at home right where they stopped. When they’re ready to buy, they can choose from our full selection of new vehicles on Carvana.com.

What has to happen for this “choose your own adventure,” Test Drive Center-type model to become more prevalent in retail automotive in general? And where else in the vehicle lifecycle could this approach be applied?

Test Drive Center works because it’s built around putting the customer in control. Customers can ask questions, compare vehicles, and leave knowing more than when they arrived, whether they’re ready to buy that day or months from now.

The technology and the in-person experience work together. Customers scan a QR code on any vehicle for a digital tour at their own pace, and they can move between exploring online and visiting a location with their progress intact.

Service is where we believe we can continue to iterate and provide more of the Carvana experience with transparent, self-service style options for customers. It is an area that I am currently working on and am excited for how it will continue to evolve over time.

As director of special projects, what does your role entail and what are some current projects you’re working on that have you excited?

I support our work on the new car experience at Carvana, which means thinking about how customers shop for, buy, and take care of a new vehicle with us.

Service is the part I’m most excited about right now. Selling new cars is an extension of what we’ve built at Carvana over the past 13 years.

Service is an entirely new arena, offering us a chance to delight our customers throughout their ownership journey. We’ve got some big ideas and are in the early days of building the foundation and thinking about the future.

We are also learning a lot too. Many of the team members who worked in these stores’ service departments before we acquired them have stayed on and are bringing their knowledge of the brand, the market, and the local customers to the table each day as we work to develop a customer-first service experience.

We want the same simple, clear experience Carvana customers expect when they buy or sell a car to carry over into ownership. We’re early, and we’re learning from each market as we go.