The 10-Second Version (AI Summary)
What happened: Automotive News named its 2026 40 Under 40 class, including Akshay Mahajan, Amir Alahwal and Elizabeth Shults.
Why it matters: Their results show how far and how fast committed people can rise in dealership retail.
What to do: Follow this year’s honorees, read their profiles and reach out to the ones doing what you want to do next.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by the ASOTU team.
Every year this list comes out, we’re struck by the same thing: the sheer concentration of talent, discipline and drive (pun fully intended) packed into this industry. We celebrated the 2026 class on today’s episode of ASOTU, and one question kept coming up. Does auto attract people like this, or does it create them? Either way, it’s an industry worth fighting to get into.
Does auto retail attract top talent or build it?
Automotive News suggests the answer is both. Its 15th 40 Under 40 class includes honorees who grew up working in family-owned dealerships and are carrying those legacies into the next generation. It also includes people who fell into the business and flourished once they got here.
Many honorees started in entry-level roles and worked their way into leadership, which might be our favorite thing about this industry.
Three of this year’s honorees are people we know well, and each one shows a different way drive turns into results.
What did Akshay, Amir and Elizabeth accomplish to make the list?
Akshay Mahajan | AM Ford, Jefferson, Ohio
Akshay acquired AM Ford in 2024 and grew annual new-vehicle sales from roughly 40 units to 172 in 2025, more than a fourfold jump. The store is on pace to beat that number this year. He credits a family-like culture and real investment in his people.
What to steal: Culture shows up in the sales numbers.
Amir Alahwal | Unstoppable Automotive Group
Amir started as a receptionist at Mercedes-Benz of Temecula in 2016. Today he leads customer experience and development for the group. He used AI to cut days of conquest lead research down to minutes and launched a mobile service van that turns a profit. You can hear his full story on our recent Auto Collabs episode, and he’ll be in the room at ASOTU CON West on Nov. 18.
What to steal: Whatever seat you start in, use it to learn the whole store.
Elizabeth Shults | McLarty Daniel
Elizabeth led the group’s “Year of Buick” campaign with digital ads, football stadium promotions and radio spots she voiced herself. The store sold nearly 400 vehicles against a goal of 300, almost doubling the previous year.
What to steal: Your own people can be your most believable marketing.
How can your team learn from this year’s class?
Over five years of covering retail auto, we’ve met many 40 Under 40 honorees on Auto Collabs, in our content and on ASOTU CON stages. Every one of them has been willing to share what’s working, encourage others and stay connected.
Iron sharpens iron, and this list is full of people ready to sharpen you.
Follow this year’s honorees on LinkedIn and Facebook. Read their profiles. Look for the ones whose work runs a step ahead of yours or in parallel with it, and reach out. And if you know an honoree we didn’t mention, connect us. We want them in the conversation too.
Congrats to all 40. Catch our full celebration of this year’s class on today’s episode.
