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Episode #1116: CarGurus shuts down CarOffer, trimming its wholesale tech reach. Ford opens a Long Beach EV hub to take on low-cost rivals. And OpenAI’s GPT-5 rolls out to all ChatGPT users, promising smarter, faster AI for everyone.

Show Notes with links:

• CarGurus will shutter its wholesale digital marketplace CarOffer less than two years after fully acquiring it, citing a volatile pricing environment and dealer demand for more flexibility.
  • CEO Jason Trevisan said the company explored alternatives but winding down was the only option.
  • The closure impacts Dealer-to-Dealer, a wholesale platform for dealer-to-dealer used inventory trades, and Instant Max Cash Offer, a consumer vehicle acquisition tool feeding dealer inventory pipelines.
  • The shutdown will run through 2025, costing $14M–$19M including $5M–$7M in restructuring.
  • However, CarOffers tech will remain, with Trevisan saying “We will retain and build on the underlying technology…capabilities that…remain central to CarGurus’ sourcing strategy,”

• On the heels of Ford’s “Model T moment” we covered yesterday, the manufacturer has opened a 250,000-square-foot Electric Vehicle Development Center in Long Beach, CA, focused on bringing affordable EVs to market, including a new mid-size pickup.
  • The facility includes design review spaces, EV testing labs, a fabrication shop, and a digital visualization room to accelerate product development.
  • This is part of Ford’s first low-cost EV platform initiative, led by ex-Tesla engineer Alan Clarke, aiming for simpler, more efficient builds.
  • An initial team of 350 employees will grow by 100; the group was formerly known internally as the “Skunkworks Team” for its rapid, innovative approach.
  • A new trademark filing suggests Ford’s upcoming midsize electric pickup could revive the Ranchero nameplate, a nod to the classic coupe-pickup sold from 1957–1979, with the EV version expected to debut in 2027.
  • “The goal is to define a new era for electric vehicles,” said Jolanta Coffey, Ford’s Director of Global New Model Launch.

• OpenAI has launched GPT-5, its fastest and most capable AI model yet, giving both free and paid ChatGPT users access to advanced reasoning for the first time. Just 2.5 years after GPT-4 debuted, the release marks another step toward integrating AI deeper into business, education, and everyday workflows.
  • CEO Sam Altman says going back to GPT-4 after testing GPT-5 was “quite miserable,” citing improvements in speed, reasoning, and usability.
  • New “safe completions” reduce outright refusals while keeping answers within safety guardrails, alongside lower hallucination rates and better handling of complex logic.
  • Free-tier ChatGPT users get a reasoning model; Plus and Pro users get higher usage limits, with GPT-5 Pro for advanced performance.

Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.

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