The Cruise Ship Habit That Could Change Your Dealership
Steinhauser, now director of sponsorship and business development for the LA Auto Show and AutoMobility LA, learned four “gold standards” at Royal Caribbean. Staff trained on them about four times a year, and he can still recite them today. Here’s how each one translates to a dealership:
GM Ordered This Cadillac Destroyed. It Just Sold for $494,500.
It was built for luxury: an open chauffeur’s compartment up front, a fully enclosed rear cabin behind a glass partition, gold-finished hardware, an intercom to talk to the driver, and even a cigar humidor.
More Than 100 Carvana Google Listings Point to Places Carvana Doesn’t Operate
An investigation by CDG News, built on research by LocaliQ Automotive’s Chris Wood, found at least 266 Google Business Profiles tied to Carvana. Here’s how they break down, as verified Oct. 13:
Liza Borches Named Virginia’s 2027 TIME Dealer of the Year Nominee
Borches, president and CEO of Carter Myers Automotive, is Virginia’s nominee for the 2027 TIME Dealer of the Year award. She’s one of 48 dealers chosen from more than 20,000 nationwide, and the nominees will be honored Feb. 19, 2027, at the NADA Show in Orlando.
🚙 Fresh product brings shoppers back to the showroom. When it doesn’t show up, dealers are the ones left explaining why. Volvo is the latest example: its new EX60 electric crossover is so far behind schedule that US dealers may not see meaningful inventory until the second half of 2027, according to Automotive News.
Auto Credit Is the Easiest It’s Been in a Decade. That Should Worry Dealers.
Auto credit access improved for a fifth straight month in September, reaching its highest level since April 2015, according to Cox Automotive’s Dealertrack Credit Availability Index. But much of the loosening came through loan structure.
Why Dealership AI Works in One Store and Stalls in Another
The report, produced in collaboration with Impel, is built on interviews with dealership leaders using AI in sales and service between June and August 2026. Pasch says most AI coverage stays at the level of data and technology. He wanted to ask dealers directly what worked, what didn’t, and why.
🚗 Credit Is Getting Easier to Get, and Loans Are Getting Longer
🚙 Auto credit access rose for a fifth straight month in September, reaching its highest level since April 2015, according to the Dealertrack Credit Availability Index. But the way lenders are loosening tells the real story: loans are stretching longer, down payments are shrinking, and more borrowers are carrying negative equity.
How Dealer Ads Have Changed Since the FTC Got Serious About Price
Under the FTC’s guidance, the most prominent price in an ad must be the all-in price any customer can pay, including dealer fees like doc fees. Only government-required charges, such as tax, title, and registration, can be left out. Dealers can still show MSRP or discounts, as long as the actual price stays most prominent.
Why Volunteer Time Off Might Be the Best Training Investment a Dealership Makes
New at Beaver this year, VTO pays every employee for up to 40 hours a year to volunteer for a cause they care about. Across 330 employees, the store went from zero dedicated volunteer hours to as many as 13,200. It removes a barrier Patrick hears all the time:
Why Transparency Is Table Stakes and Community Is the Dealership Edge Carvana Can’t Copy
When it’s time to buy, the store that kept showing up is top of mind. Then transparency and an easy process close the loop. Patrick says the industry spent years doing it in reverse, earning the business first and showing up in the community after.
🚗 Affordability Is Moving Car Demand, Not Killing It
🚙 Car shoppers haven’t disappeared. They’ve just changed where they’re shopping. That’s the core finding from Cox Automotive Chief Economist Jeremy Robb, who says pressure on household budgets is reshaping which vehicles people buy and who can still afford them.
