Automotive State of The Union

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1268: Today we cover Lithia’s reluctance to sell Chinese brands in the U.S., Stellantis quietly bringing diesel back to Europe as EV demand cools, and how companies like Canva and Meta are now testing job candidates on how wel...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1267: CarMax taps a hospitality CEO to sharpen its digital edge, Toyota makes a disciplined move into three-row EVs with the Highlander name, and AI-generated resumes are creating new hiring headaches for retailers and operato...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1266: Ford posts its biggest earnings miss in years but bets big on a 2026 rebound. Robotaxis scale nationwide while public trust hangs in the balance. And NADA partners with Northwood to strengthen the next generation of deal...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1265: Today we cover Carvana doubling down on franchised dealerships, the solid-state battery arms race heating up as automakers target 2027 launches, and how 7-Eleven is using AI to cut frontline hiring from weeks to days—sav...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1264: As the NADA Show wraps, we zoom out on what actually mattered, from a shift in how dealers are thinking about AI, to deeper vendor partnerships, to how dealers are thinking about Chinese vehicles Show Notes with links: A...

Shoot us a Text. As we wrap up the NADA show this morning, we are energized. We’re hearing that this has been record years for a lot of industry partners, and dealers are optimistic and ready to try new things. Our friends at CarRx are our content part...

Shoot us a Text. We're at the North Hall of the NADA Show today, getting ready for another amazing day. An underlying theme of all our conversations has been the "Year of the Human." Even though AI is a big theme, dealers are asking, "How does this hel...

Shoot us a Text. We've been on the show floor all day, and so this afternoon, we stopped by our friends at Cars Commerce to catch up with the one and only Brian Kramer. As a former dealer himself, Brian has great insights to the market and how its movi...

Shoot us a Text. The More Than Cars team is on the ground ready to run hard during the NADA Show. Today, we’ll be at the JD Power Auto Summit grabbing interviews and writing up all the sessions. Follow More Than Cars, Paul J Daly, Kyle Mountsier, Micha...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1259: As the automotive world heads to Las Vegas, Paul sits down with outgoing NADA Chairman Tom Castriota for a candid conversation on a whirlwind year of leadership. As dealers head to Las Vegas, Paul sits down with outgoing...

Shoot us a Text. On this Saturday before NADA, Chris and Nathan join Kyle to talk about a recent car crash where a dealership jumped into action. When three-vehicle crash with a rollover happened directly outside the dealership, putting lives at immedi...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1257: Chinese automakers are taking real share in Europe, AI at NADA is growing up fast, and U.S. consumer confidence just hit a decade low. Chinese automakers just hit a milestone in Europe, capturing nearly one in 10 new-car...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1256: Tesla IS phasing out its legacy models X and S to make room for humanoid robots. EV sales just passed petrol cars for the first time in the EU. Finally, Starbucks is brewing a comeback under a new CEO, but margins are st...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1255: Waymo gains ground on rideshare rivals as Tesla undercuts them all. A global study shows bad CX drives customers away faster than high prices. And automakers pull back from Super Bowl ads, choosing more flexible, efficie...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1254: GM takes a multibillion-dollar EV hit but says 2026 looks brighter, white-hat hackers cash in by cracking EV chargers and infotainment systems, and the airline industry gets its annual report card General Motors closed 2...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1253: Today we’re digging into why fixed ops is carrying the dealership profit load, how dealer-focused AI just landed serious funding, and why Ford teaming up with Carhartt is about a lot more than merch. With new-car sales s...

Shoot us a Text. These three dealers used to work together, and now they are teaming up to make a real difference. Charlesglen Toyota, 5th Avenue Volkswagen, and Lexus of Royal Oak worked with their teams to raise $265,000 for local charities, matching...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1251: Today’s show comes to you from Washington, DC as Public Policy Day wraps and the auto industry’s biggest themes take center stage. Autonomy is no longer theoretical — Tesla has begun limited robotaxi rides in Austin with...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1250: Colorado dealers filed suit on VW-backed Scout’s direct-sales license, insurers face political heat as profits soar and affordability cracks, and Lemonade rolls out Tesla Full Self-Driving-based insurance, hinting at a f...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1249: We dig into why affordability—not EV tech—is the real sales bottleneck heading into 2026, how agentic shopping is reshaping the idea of ‘merit’ across retail, and why Jeff Daniels’ new stage play about a struggling deale...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1248: Dealer confidence takes a hit as affordability pressures and tighter margins creep into Q4, even as fixed ops and F&I try to hold the line. Meanwhile, Wawa goes all-in on Tesla charging, and the Vegas Sphere model heads ...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1247: Canada slashes EV tariffs in a controversial China deal, OpenAI kicks off its ad-supported ChatGPT Go plan, and Recurrent CEO Scott Case calls out the real EV story: a booming used market dealers can’t afford to miss. Sh...

Shoot us a Text. Today, Head Writer Chris Reeves joins the show to share how the Super Chevy Dealers of Baton Rouge and Our Lady of the Lake came together to honor Vietnam veteran and former police officer Michael King with a new 2026 Chevy Equinox RS—...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1245: Honda unveils a brand-wide logo reboot, Tesla brings its massive Texas lithium refinery online, and U.S. workers pump the brakes on job-hopping—opting for stability and side hustles instead. Show Notes with links: Honda ...

Shoot us a Text. Episode #1244: Today we're talking about Tesla's FSD flip to subscription-only, the continued softening of auto credit conditions, and a loyalty report that says your customers are expecting way more. Show Notes with links: The Dealert...