Car Dealership Guy

Wife: Are you not concerned over the markets? Me: No. Wife: Why? Me: Because it’s a waste of time to worry. Either it all works out like it has every time in the past… or it doesn’t, and our money’s worthless anyway and we have to start growing our own vegetables.

There’s no playbook for this moment: President Trump’s auto tariffs are officially here— And the industry is back in day-trader mode. Dealers are holding aged units. Scooping up port stock. And pushing every deal like prices might change tomorrow—because they might. So—I held an emergency live panel with top dealers and insiders, three themes kept surfacing: The surge is real—but it’s a sugar rush. At Morgan Auto Group, 1 in 3 incoming sales calls have been tariff-related. WE Auto's import stores hit single-day sales records—without offering discounts. But dealers know this demand spike likely won’t stick around. So—how are they hedging? Optimal used car inventory management. Brett Morgan told his team to stop wholesaling aged units. While Andy Wright says the auction lanes are useless—prices are running too hot. And Cox just revised its Manheim forecast upward as wholesale values climb week-over-week. Meanwhile—OEMs are scrambling. Some still don’t know how to invoice tariffed cars. And no one’s sure who eats the cost—or how deep it’ll cut. The result? A familiar kind of chaos. Only this time, the dealers moving with intention—not panic—are the ones who’ll come out stronger. Read the full Breakdown, presented by OPENLANE US: https://lnkd.in/eFrqeczU

SCOOP: Mercedes-Benz to “protect the price of its vehicles in the month of April” – Parts pricing for customers will also remain unchanged through April. –Incentives and discounts continue to be defined monthly and remain available. Aka: standby to standby... (Source: Internal communication to dealers obtained by CDG)

[NEWS] Top 5 auto industry stories from the week: 1. Tariff fears drive record March sales for most OEMs—but April remains uncertain With inventory still “healthy,” the big question is whether April can keep the momentum alive as tariff pressures build. 2. Subaru dealership leans into “pre-tariff savings” promotions With limited guidance from automakers, dealers are being forced to create their own pricing logic in real-time. 3. Nearly 20% of new car buyers now opt for 84-month loans Buyers are looking to lower their monthly payments, even if it means stretching terms to extremes. 4. Car dealers stay in buy mode despite tariff uncertainty It’s clear that buyers are focused on long-term ownership and viewing short-term disruption as manageable. 5. Lucid Motors capitalizes on shifting EV loyalties According to interim CEO Marc Winteroff, the EV maker has seen a (quote) “dramatic uptick” in orders over the past two months from drivers switching over from Tesla. Read The Weekly here, together with BizzyCar: https://lnkd.in/eKPxc__y

Gas prices are falling— But EV adoption isn’t. Charging still wins on cost, which means cheaper gas isn’t slowing things down. Oliver Phillips, Chief Operating Officer of Qmerit, breaks down why the EV shift is staying on track. ➤ Stream the latest episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast now on your favorite platform—brought to you by OPENLANE US, Experian Automotive, and Qmerit

[SCOOP] No price increases for Jaguar Land Rover buyers for April and May: Vehicles being held for 4 weeks in the U.K. Still evaluating impact on parts. (Source: Communication relayed from Jaguar Land Rover North America's national sales call)

WOW: “Toyota to cover U.S. suppliers' higher costs tied to Trump tariffs” Toyota stepping up big time. (via Nikkei Asia)

[NEWS] Dealership buy/sell deals are still red hot: Here are a few notable recent transactions… 1) The Riser family just sold Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram FIAT in Arkansas. – The family has 30+ years in auto retail and said the deal with Chris Crain and Heath Campbell was strategic—with no plans for further store sales. 2) Trophy Automotive Dealer Group just secured a large-volume Kia store in California. – The store in question is Kia of Cerritos—the 2nd highest-volume Kia dealership in the U.S.— located in the nation's largest auto mall (Cerritos Auto Square). 3) And AutoNation just picked up 2 Colorado dealerships. - AutoNation acquired Groove Ford and Groove Mazda in Englewood, Colorado—expanding its presence to a solid 22 locations in the state. The takeaway? Despite tariff uncertainty—buyers are focused on long-term ownership. And to them, these short-term disruptions are manageable. Read today’s top automotive stories, presented by CRC Transport LLC: https://lnkd.in/gzXtGCrc (Data source: Haig Partners / Kerrigan Advisors / AutoNation)

Automaker Tariff Tracker has eclipsed 11,000 views — 9 OEMs and counting. Packed with scoops and crowdsourced insights straight from the front lines. Bookmark it to stay ahead of shifts that could hit inventory, vehicle pricing, and strategy: https://lnkd.in/ezxyvdsY

[NEWS] The pool of buyers opting for seven-year auto loans just hit an all-time high: By the numbers: – 84-month terms made up 19.8% of new-vehicle financing in Q1 2025 – That’s up from 15.8% in Q1 2024 and 13.4% in Q1 2019. But why? Buyers have one thing on their mind—lower monthly payments. What we know: Seven-year loans might offer a “quick fix,” but they don’t solve the underlying affordability issues. Read today’s top automotive stories, presented by CRC Transport LLC: https://lnkd.in/geMEfsy7 (Data source: Edmunds)