Pied Piper evaluated 4,163 service requests across 31 dealer groups, using more than 40 customer experience and revenue-related criteria.

Website scheduling averaged 71 out of 100, compared with 61 for phone requests. About one-third of dealership service appointments now begin online.

MileOne Autogroup led the rankings with a score of 80, followed by Group 1 Automotive, Berkshire Hathaway Automotive, Napleton and Bergstrom.

AI was not the secret sauce. Top-performing groups used strong management, consistent processes and active monitoring rather than relying heavily on chatbots.

Pied Piper CEO Fran O’Hagan said, “The only people who know it’s failing are the customers,” emphasizing the need for leaders to measure scheduling performance continuously.

The Civic 50, organized by Points of Light, recognizes the most community-minded companies in the U.S.

CarMax was honored for its employee volunteering, community investment, and broader social impact strategy.

General Motors was the only other strictly automotive company on the list, alongside automotive-adjacent brands such as Experian and USAA.

The recognition reflects a growing expectation that companies build community engagement into the employee experience, not treat it as a side project.

CarMax’s Leslie Parpart said the award reflects “associates who show up for their communities with care, intention, and a genuine commitment to making a difference.”

Vehicles sold in the EU already use Intelligent Speed Assistance to warn drivers when they exceed the detected speed limit.

The proposed system would go further by using GPS, map data, and cameras to prevent vehicles from exceeding posted limits, though a temporary override may remain available.

Accuracy is the biggest concern. Thatcham Research found current systems correctly recognized speed-limit changes only 74.3% of the time.

Incorrect data could create dangerous situations, including vehicles suddenly being limited well below surrounding traffic speeds.

One source described today’s warning systems as temporary, saying, “Eventually we will just fix the speed of the car so you can’t go over the speed limit.”

Boerne Champion High School FFA Chapter took home the top prize, earning $50,000 to support student programs and activities.

The Children's Bereavement Center received $10,000 after submitting the bracket that finished furthest from perfect—missing by an impressive 59 points.

It's a fun reminder that in automotive, everybody wins when dealers invest back into the communities they serve.

The lawsuit claimed AutoNation's call platform, powered by Invoca, recorded, transcribed, and analyzed customer calls using AI without callers' consent.

Plaintiffs argued the practice violated California's strict privacy laws, but the judge ruled the case couldn't proceed because AutoNation wasn't specifically targeting California with the technology.

The court noted the system is used nationwide, with California making up less than 17% of the dealerships using the platform.

The decision leaves the broader question of AI-powered call recording unresolved, as more dealerships adopt conversational AI and call analytics.

"AutoNation was merely operating a nationwide system that incidentally reached California through its subsidiaries," wrote U.S. District Judge André Birotte Jr.

Benstock says culture can't be copied across rooftops. Each store needs its own identity.

He thinks the real service battle isn't against the dealer down the street—it's against independent repair shops, where roughly 80% of service work is happening.

He believes every F&I deal should strengthen the dealership's relationship with the customer, not just maximize backend profit, challenging dealers to ask, "Whose name is on your building? It’s not your F&I manager’s."

He argues long-term financing quietly hurts customer retention, while leasing keeps drivers coming back. Two Honda leases in a row give him about a 70% chance of earning a third.

"What's the data say on return to the dealership for somebody on an 84-month loan? Nobody knows that answer." — Brian Benstock

International fans have been turning American staples into must-visit destinations between matches, all while posting it on social media.

Australian supporters went viral chanting "We're going to Walmart!" while Buc-ee's and Waffle House have become social media sensations for traveling fans.

Hidden Valley Ranch became such a popular souvenir that TSA reminded travelers to pack it in checked bags, prompting airports to sell bottles after security.

Beyond the matches, the tournament is giving visitors a memorable taste of everyday American culture—and creating unexpected brand ambassadors.

"Great food, great prices, and friendly staff. 10/10, we will be coming back," posted German World Cup traveler Freddy after a late-night stop at Waffle House.

As dealer groups grow, he says success comes from operating as an enterprise—replicating best practices across rooftops instead of treating each store as an island.

He believes dealership culture is a competitive advantage, arguing that a "culture of trust" drives employee engagement and creates a better customer experience.

Benstock says the best operators aren't waiting for conditions to improve—they're staying disciplined, adapting quickly, and focusing on the customer experience instead of chasing headlines.

"Affordability matters... We've got three of our most popular vehicles under $300 a month. That's nine bucks a day for some of the best transportation you can buy." — Brian Benstock

GM's China-only Buick Electra E7 topped 10,000 sales in its first month, and despite the American badge, it was designed entirely by GM's China engineering team with SAIC.

GM is reportedly planning to use the China-developed Xiao Yao EV platform for a future Cadillac Optiq and may export the Electra E7 to South Korea.

Automakers including Volkswagen, Renault, Hyundai, and Audi are giving Chinese engineering teams more autonomy.

German automakers now conduct roughly one-third of their R&D in China, up from just 12% two years ago.

"Legacy automakers are manufacturing companies trying to adapt to a world of tech. They went to the place—China—where they know they're going to find tech talent." — Pedro Pacheco, Gartner

The family-owned dealer group replaced a decades-old on-premise reporting system with a cloud-based data platform built on Snowflake for storage and Domo for analytics and dashboards.

The new architecture brings together sales, service, finance, and third-party data, allowing the group to securely manage more than 4 billion records from across the business.

One immediate win: the new system eliminated roughly 400 hours of employee wait time each month that had been tied to generating a single service department report.

With the data foundation now in place, Ken Garff is exploring AI applications including service desk chatbots, data analysis tools, and stronger governance.

"I think of us as a data company that sells cars." — Steve Peterson, Director of Data Engineering

Retail workers reported 82.6% positive sentiment at the end of their shifts—second only to hospitality—and had the lowest rate of negative sentiment among the industries surveyed.

The report credits improvements in shift consistency, wage transparency, and predictable scheduling for helping boost morale across retail.

Researchers found the biggest drivers of happiness were autonomy, clear job expectations, supportive teammates, and meaningful customer interactions.

On the flip side, chronic understaffing, physical exhaustion, low-control work environments, and high emotional demands were the strongest predictors of unhappy employees.

Among today's core workforce, Gen Z stood out as both one of the happiest and the most stressed generations, while Millennials reported the lowest overall happiness.

Presidio surveyed 269 dealers and group executives representing 4,200+ franchised stores; 44% expect profits to decline over the next year, while 23% expect gains.

The profit focus is shifting to fixed ops and F&I, with 80% citing parts and service and 57% citing F&I as top profit drivers.

Buy-sell appetite remains strong, with 64% interested in buying stores and 78% expecting dealership values to stay stable or rise.

Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Subaru, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW held the top six brand desirability spots, while Chevrolet climbed and Porsche slipped.

Presidio President George Karolis said, “Not all brands are equal,” noting dealers are making a “flight to quality.”

Edmunds says new-vehicle loans averaged 70.4 months in Q2, while used-vehicle loans averaged 70.1 months.

Experian data shows nearly 36% of new-vehicle loans and almost 32% of used-vehicle loans ran longer than 72 months in Q1.

Dealers say the extended-term trend is being driven by payment shopping, with 60% of F&I teams saying their primary tactic is extending the loan term.

Negative equity is becoming a bigger roadblock, with 51% of dealers saying it frequently complicates trade-in deals and 40% saying it shows up in almost every deal.

Kokomo Auto World finance manager Dustin Gingerich said, “We’re doing 84-month terms on some used cars as well, that we never used to really do.”

Slate confirmed its low-cost electric pickup will not be offered in Canada, keeping the sub-$25K EV truck exclusive to U.S. buyers.

The truck is planned for Indiana production, which would expose Canadian sales to 25% tariffs on American-built vehicles, plus logistics and exchange-rate pressure.

Slate’s formula is ultra-minimal: no giant screen, no power seats, and even hand-crank windows, but a promised 205 miles of range.

The company has reportedly gathered about 180,000 reservations, with initial U.S. deliveries targeted for late 2026.

Slate spokesperson Jeff Jablansky said the company’s current strategy “stops at the U.S. border.”

Former Dodgers ace Orel Hershiser is investing in Orel Hershiser Chevrolet in Chino, California, where he's not just the name on the building, but actually attends management meetings, talks with customers, and helps solve problems on the showroom floor.

The trend spans multiple sports. Nick Saban, Joey Logano, Jamal Mashburn, John Elway, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, and Keenan Allen all have ownership stakes in dealerships or dealership groups.

Industry advisors say athletes bring something traditional celebrity endorsements can't: authentic local connections that help build trust, strengthen dealership brands, and create lasting customer relationships.

Most athletes partner with experienced dealer operators who handle day-to-day operations while the athletes focus on branding, community engagement, and business growth.

"It's more than just a check. It's relationships, and it's the economy of this industry." Orel Hershiser.

Tesla delivered 480,126 vehicles in Q2, well above analyst expectations of roughly 406,000 and up 25% year-over-year and 34% from Q1.

The Model 3 and Model Y continued to dominate, accounting for 97% of all deliveries as Tesla leaned on lower-priced versions of its highest-volume vehicles.

The results come as Tesla works to recover from consumer backlash surrounding Elon Musk, the loss of U.S. EV tax credits, and intensifying competition from BYD, Hyundai, Volkswagen, and other global automakers.

Despite the delivery beat, Tesla shares fell nearly 7.5% as investors remained focused on future growth, margins, and the company's pivot toward autonomous vehicles, the Cybercab, Optimus robots, and the Tesla Semi.

A five-year-old Tesla Model 3 with 247,000 miles recently completed a 260-mile road trip across England without needing to stop and charge, underscoring just how durable today's battery packs have become.

Recurrent says the average EV still retains 95% of its original range after five years, and battery replacements on 2022-and-newer models have fallen to just 0.3%.

Despite the improvements, battery replacement fears remain the number one reason shoppers avoid EVs, even as manufacturers make packs more repairable and battery prices continue to fall.

Owners can still hurt long-term battery health with frequent DC fast charging, regularly charging to 100%, or leaving batteries fully depleted for extended periods.

"I think that people ought to have a lot more confidence than they do." — Scott Case, CEO and co-founder of Recurrent.

The USMNT's perfectly timed run, and the England rematch that almost landed on the Fourth

Dealerships closing on a Fourth of July Saturday (and the gentleman's agreement that'll never happen)

Chris is mid-deal on a new Subaru Outback and reports live from the buying experience

Why the back-and-forth sales manager desking model kills trust with customers and your own team

New car prices push into the $53-54K range as the K-shaped recovery makes new cars an affluent buyer's game

Why pressure on OEMs overseas trickles down to US dealers through shrinking front-end gross

Steve's five-year prediction: dealers stop logging into systems entirely, and the seven-open-tabs workflow dies

Vibe coding comes to the dealership — why your best employees are about to get dramatically more efficient

What to watch in the back half: Slate's $25K stripped-down pickup, the Polestar shock, and the Carvana-Stellantis wild card

CR-V sales reached 226,114 units through June, helped by a 19% May gain and 30% June jump.

Ford’s F-150 is slowed by aluminum supply issues, while Toyota’s RAV4 fell 36% during a model changeover.

Honda is leaning into lease loyalty, with leases at 24% of CR-V sales and returning lessee retention as high as 75%.

Hybrid demand is carrying weight, with CR-V hybrids making up 56% of first-half volume, helped by $4 gas.

Honda sales chief Jessika Laudermilk hinted incentives may cool, saying, “There’s no reason to discount a car that’s already doing well.”

Nissan’s U.S. market share sits just above 6%, down from about 9% a decade ago.

Espinosa said Nissan pushed too hard for volume through discounts and rental sales, which hurt quality perception and resale values.

The turnaround plan leans on fresh product, including a hybrid Rogue due later this year and rugged body-on-frame SUVs, including a revived Xterra.

Nissan is also cutting global manufacturing and workforce by 15% to control costs while exploring tech partnerships after its Honda merger plan fell apart.

Toyota and Joby formed the joint venture on June 30 to build out production infrastructure for Joby’s electric air taxi aircraft.

Toyota brings manufacturing expertise, quality systems, and nearly a decade of financial and operational support for Joby.

The partnership will help Joby expand production capacity as it works toward aircraft certification and future demand.

Joby recently completed point-to-point electric air taxi flights in New York City, connecting JFK with Manhattan heliports.

Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda said, “We see air mobility as a natural extension of that philosophy, from the ground into the sky.”