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Cox Automotive invests $350 million in Rivian and explores partnerships in service, logistics, and digital retailing, prompting dealer community speculation about the implications for traditional franchise dealerships and the automotive business model. Participants debate whether Rivian represents a genuine competitive threat to dealers (like Tesla) or primarily an engineering/licensing play, with one commenter arguing the direct sales model will struggle at scale while another highlights Amazon's 100,000-unit order as a major catalyst for growth. The thread reflects uncertainty about whether this signals fundamental disruption to the franchise model or represents investors hedging bets on potential industry shifts.
truPayments has partnered with Kemba Credit Union to integrate tru Shop-by-Payment™ into Kemba's Member Auto Center, allowing credit union members in the Cincinnati area to search for vehicles based on their monthly budget rather than traditional car shopping methods. The partnership aims to streamline the car buying process by matching customers with appropriate inventory and financing options tailored to their financial situation. This represents a fintech solution targeting the automotive retail space by combining credit union membership benefits with personalized payment-based vehicle search functionality.
Dealer Inspire, a Cars.com subsidiary, has been selected as a website provider for General Motors' 4,000+ U.S. dealerships across Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac brands, expanding a relationship that began with digital advertising services in 2018. The announcement highlights a significant OEM partnership that gives a large dealer network access to Dealer Inspire's advanced website platform and digital marketing solutions. This represents a major business win for Dealer Inspire and reflects growing consolidation of digital services under major platform providers serving the automotive industry.
AutoAp announced a new reference guide titled "Safety Recalls: Think You're Covered?" designed to help auto dealers navigate the growing complexity of vehicle safety recalls and manage liability risks. The guide addresses what industry experts characterize as a critical problem in the automotive sector, positioning recalls as a major operational and financial challenge for dealerships. The resource aims to provide dealers with practical tools to understand recall requirements and improve their handling of this increasingly burdensome compliance issue.
A dealer questions the dramatic 28% sales surge for RAM pickups in H1 2019, which moved the brand into second place in the market. A respondent explains that RAM successfully captured market share from GM's Silverado ahead of Chevy's model refresh, attributing Silverado's underperformance to budget cuts during GM's bankruptcy and delayed introduction of a competing diesel engine. The key insight is that RAM's aggressive positioning and product timing allowed them to gain significant ground on traditionally dominant truck manufacturers.
James Grace announces Wizely's new Automotive Analytics Assessment tool, which evaluates dealership digital marketing across 15-20 dimensions, provides grades, and offers improvement recommendations—automating what would otherwise take hours of manual analysis. The tool is entering beta testing with limited slots available for interested dealers to sign up. The key offering is providing dealerships with actionable digital marketing insights without requiring a sales conversation.
Cars.com faces shareholder pressure from activist investor Starboard to improve profitability or consider selling the company, prompting a major restructuring that includes approximately 100 layoffs. Forum members criticize Cars.com's historical disconnect from automotive industry expertise and dealer needs, contrasting their performance unfavorably with competitors like CarGurus and Autotrader who have delivered more trackable results. The consensus suggests Cars.com's challenges stem less from market potential and more from internal culture and leadership that underestimated dealer requirements and moved too slowly on innovation.
Tarry Shebesta, CEO of truPayments, announced he will speak at the Automotive Intelligence Summit (July 23-25 in Raleigh, NC) about how fintech integrates into digital retailing and online car buying processes. His presentation will specifically address the strategic considerations of "Credit First vs Credit Last" approaches in automotive sales. The thread is primarily a press release announcing this speaking engagement and its focus on fintech's role in the digital retail pathway.
Jeff Kershner promotes Corey Mosley's 14th Annual Online Sales Success Workshop, a one-day educational event scheduled for June 18th, 2019 in Richmond, Virginia, emphasizing limited seating and a strong speaker lineup focused on online sales strategies. Replies from community members validate the event's value, with Eley Duke recommending attendance for anyone within 2-4 hours of Richmond and noting that recordings will be available for those unable to attend in person. The thread establishes this as a well-regarded, industry-focused event with high attendance interest.
Jeff Kershner announces Cory Mosley's 14th Annual Online Sales Success Workshop, scheduled for June 18, 2019, in Richmond, Virginia at the Hyatt House Richmond West. The event is priced at $199 and features Cory Mosley alongside a lineup of speakers focused on online automotive sales strategies. Seats were noted as limited at the time of posting, with a companion RefreshFriday interview with Mosley available for more context.
Chip Perry's sudden retirement as TrueCar CEO is announced, with interim leadership transitioning to Darrow Olander, prompting speculation among industry professionals about whether unexpected circumstances prompted the abrupt departure. Forum members who worked with Perry acknowledge him as a good person and effective leader, though the timing—including his withdrawal from a scheduled NIADA convention speech—suggests the decision may not have been planned. The general consensus is well-wishes for Perry while expressing curiosity about the circumstances behind what appears to be a sudden exit.
A RefreshFriday livestream featuring Tom Park of Tom Park Media Group and Peter Jones of Premion explores how Connected TV and OTT advertising are disrupting traditional cable TV and what car dealerships need to know to stay ahead. The session breaks down key terminology like CTV, OTT, and DSP, and offers practical guidance on what questions dealers should ask when evaluating OTT vendors. The core takeaway is that the shift in video consumption habits represents a significant opportunity for dealerships willing to adapt their advertising strategies.
Tarry Shebesta, CEO of truPayments, announced he will speak at the National Vehicle Leasing Association's annual conference in March 2019 about soft-pull credit solutions and how dealers can use them for competitive advantage. The thread briefly mentions his other upcoming speaking engagements and related content on the topic, but provides limited substantive discussion beyond the announcement itself.
Kevin Frye shares a detailed personal review of Digital Dealer 26 in Orlando, reflecting on the conference's growth since he first attended DD3 in a small Nashville venue. The thread draws brief but enthusiastic responses from industry peers including Joe Webb and Jeff Kershner, affirming the value of Frye's thorough write-up and session recommendations.
Dealers are upset about CARFAX quietly adding price adjustment figures to vehicle history reports without explaining their methodology, with some seeing legitimate cars flagged with negative value adjustments. The thread reveals a broader frustration that third-party data vendors are increasingly trying to influence consumer perception and pricing rather than supporting the dealers who fund them, though a few voices note the adjustments have had little real-world sales impact.
A Toyota and Lexus dealership data center in Japan was compromised, prompting discussion about security vulnerabilities in OEM-provided systems. The original poster urged dealers to audit their own data flows and security practices in response. A commenter sarcastically highlighted the irony that OEMs often position themselves as security experts despite these breaches, suggesting dealers should independently verify their system security rather than relying solely on manufacturer assurances.
truPayments, LLC announced its inclusion in the CDK Global Partner Program, making its tru Shop-by-Payment™ tool available to auto dealers using CDK websites. The partnership integrates truPayments' financial technology solution into CDK's marketplace of dealer applications, expanding access to payment-focused tools for dealership management.
Dane Saville announces the launch of Reunion Marketing's video series, which has reached its seventh episode as of the thread date, and solicits feedback from the dealer community on messaging and content to improve future insights. Alexander Lau acknowledges his earlier suggestion may have prompted the video series initiative. The thread is primarily promotional with minimal discussion, offering dealers a resource for KPI-related content but lacking substantive community engagement or feedback.
Eric Miltsch opens the 2019 predictions thread by setting the stage with 2018's ~17.2M vehicle sales and forecasting a dip to ~16.7M in 2019 — the first time in five years US sales would fall below 17M units. He attributes the mixed environment to four interest rate hikes slowing momentum, offset partially by tax reform, with CUV and light truck segments expected to remain bright spots.
Automotive professionals discuss Google+'s shutdown, with the consensus being that the platform failed due to weak competition rather than the reported security breach. The thread reveals broader frustration with Google's pattern of launching and abandoning products, prompting some dealers to migrate away from Google services entirely toward Microsoft and Apple alternatives. A key insight is that Google's unreliability with non-core products is damaging user trust, even as the discussion notes Google will likely redirect resources to Google My Business—which has more direct value for dealership marketing.
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CDK Global is reportedly preparing to bid for Cars.com, a major automotive marketplace platform. The post links to a New York Post article and directs readers to an existing discussion thread where dealers and industry professionals can weigh in on whether this acquisition would be positive or negative for the market. The thread serves as a news alert for the automotive industry community to discuss the implications of a potential consolidation between two major players in dealer technology and lead generation.