With the end of federal tax credits on Sept. 30, sales of electric vehicles are taking a hit after a record third quarter, industry observers say, but there still are some “encouraging” signs for the EV market. There were 438,487 new EVs sold in Q3, which beat second-quarter figures by 40.7% and prior-year figures by […] [Read More]

Two to three years ago might seem like a long time ago in the car business. But that’s the timeframe Black Book referenced when analysts dissected last week’s wholesale data and assembled their newest installment of Market Insights. “Depreciation accelerated last week, with several segments posting single week declines reminiscent of 2022 and 2023 levels,” […] [Read More]

Employee satisfaction is up at auto dealerships and fewer employees are looking to leave, according to the latest research from dealership management software provider CDK. But that doesn’t mean all is perfect for dealership staff. CDK’s 2025 Dealership Workplace Study, a survey of 409 employees from stores across the nation, found job satisfaction has soared […] [Read More]

As if car dealers didn’t have enough to worry about between affordability and supply issues and the economic and political climate, they might now be facing a loyalty crisis. Data from VehicleLyfe shows loyalty among automotive dealership customers has dropped to its lowest level since the company began keeping records in 2019, a situation it […] [Read More]

Looking for an indicator of which brand a prospective car buyer is going to purchase? You might start with what’s already in that customer’s garage — even if the customer changes brands. According to the U.S. Automotive Brand Loyalty Mid-Year 2025 Study from LexisNexis Risk Solutions, households with more than one vehicle can directly impact […] [Read More]

You know that moment when a car is “almost ready,” but every check-in shows it’s still waiting on approvals, parts, or updates? Those small setbacks stack up fast. Vehicles that should have sold in a week can linger in recon, and even a single day of delay per unit can cost several hundred dollars in […] [Read More]

October is spooky season and what may give some consumers a jump-scare is the average price tag they’ll see on a used vehicle. Fortunately for them, the car-buying version of comic relief is sweet trade-in equity. A little more than a week out from Halloween, used-vehicle prices are averaging $29,446 this month, a $473 rise […] [Read More]

Through three quarters of the year, certified pre-owned vehicle sales are beating 2024 figures by nearly 3%, despite a precipitous month-over-month decline in September. That’s according to Cox Automotive, which said in an October analysis citing Motor Intelligence data that there were an estimated 194,020 CPO sales last month. That beat September 2024 figures by […] [Read More]

Retail prices of used vehicles are rising considerably faster than wholesale prices, with the gap between them approaching $15,000. That’s according to J.D. Power’s Used Market Update for October, which found the difference between wholesale and retail used-car prices has moved northward for much of 2025, reaching $14,747 in September. As recently as 2021, the […] [Read More]

Jimmy Douglas, who is the founder of Plug, an online wholesale auction for electric vehicles only, believes the used EV market presents both challenges and opportunities for dealers. Larger numbers of off-lease EVs are returning to the market starting this year, depressing used EV prices and residual values, he said. And on top of that, […] [Read More]