Used-car sales were down in the reporting period for the latest monthly AutoVision Used Vehicle Inventory Analysis. But there’s a silver lining for dealers: they’re doing more with much less. The report from the Reynolds and Reynolds subsidiary “covers 95% of all used-vehicle activity conducted by dealerships with a website across the continental United States, […] [Read More]

When it comes to making it easy for customers to schedule service on the phone or their websites, Volkswagen dealers, apparently, do it best. Pied Piper released its 2026 Service Scheduling Effectiveness Auto Industry Study, which examines the customer experience scheduling service on dealership websites and via telephone. Topping the list was VW, whose dealers […] [Read More]

Consider this idea: Shrink the days between committing capital and reusing it. Automotive retailers understand turn. A vehicle sitting in inventory represents capital, carrying cost and risk. Move it faster, and the same capital can be deployed again. We have spent decades applying that thinking to inventory. I believe we should start applying it to […] [Read More]

It’s a bit of a Catch 22. The two used-vehicle segments whose prices increased notably from July — luxury cars and the car segment (i.e. sedans, coupes, wagons, convertibles, etc.) — climbed for an ironic reason. They’re affordable. While used prices of most segments were flat month-over-month in August, car segment prices were up 1.0% […] [Read More]

Fellow Millennials, brace yourselves. There are now TWO younger generations who are driving. The eldest members of Generation Alpha have turned 16, and unlike many of their Gen Z predecessors, they’re ready to hit the open road, according to new research commissioned by CarMax. Among Gen Alpha teens ages 14-16, 80% already have their driver’s […] [Read More]

Carfax recently highlighted how “less complex vehicles” topped its reliability rankings. Findings from the JD Power 2026 U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) Study released on Thursday reinforced why those vehicles would be viewed so favorably. Amid growing complaints about screen overload in today’s vehicles, JD Power’s research found that owners are most satisfied with the […] [Read More]

The automotive industry got some welcome news in the second quarter of 2026. New-vehicle sales rebounded 14% after a sluggish start to the year.  Inventory tightened modestly, and several new model launches helped bring shoppers back into the market. Good news, certainly.  But it doesn’t tell the whole story. Nearly half of all new vehicle […] [Read More]

Used electric vehicle sales climbed more than 10% year-over-year in July and supply is becoming more plentiful, according to the EV Market Monitor Report released Monday by Cox Automotive. There were 36,810 used EV sales last month, Cox said in the report, beating year-ago figures by 10.1% and surpassing June by 7.9%. While Tesla continues […] [Read More]

Criminals don’t rely on fake pay stubs or forged signatures when they walk into your dealership anymore.  They’re using synthetic identities. They’re generating STIPS with AI. They’re recruiting straw buyers, creating fake employers, and stacking loans.  Modern day fraudsters are sophisticated, organized, and harder to spot. The fraud you thought you knew is gone. So […] [Read More]

What is omnichannel and why is it essential for you? Omnichannel is how the whole dealership communicates with its customers. It’s about creating a consistent customer experience across all parts of the dealership, from sales to service, to phone calls and in-person interactions. It becomes the lifeline to encourage your consumers to continue engaging (and […] [Read More]