CBT Live

A 2% sales commission cost a luxury dealer group $1.9 million, Stellantis limits how low its dealers can advertise, and Kerrigan Advisors reads the Q2 buy-sell market.

Jim and Bridget Fitzpatrick are joined by Paul J. Daly, Founder and CEO of ASOTU, Kyle Mountsier, Partner and COO of ASOTU, and Erin Kerrigan, Founder and Managing Director of Kerrigan Advisors. Weekdays at 12:00 PM ET.

TODAY'S HEADLINES

• Two DARCARS stores in Mt. Kisco, N.Y., will pay at least $1.9 million to settle allegations over a 2% sales commission and a $2,495 F&I package. DARCARS neither admitted nor denied the allegations. (New York Attorney General)
• Stellantis is introducing a minimum advertised pricing policy. Dealers can still sell below it, they just cannot advertise the lower price. (The Wall Street Journal)
• Toyota estimates robotics and automation could cost about $6.4 billion a year starting in 2028, with roughly 400,000 robots across Toyota, its group companies and major suppliers. (Reuters)
• David Spisak, CEO of Disruptive Growth Solutions, warns dealers against buying AI tools without a clear problem to solve, an employee AI policy and a vendor review.

GUESTS

• Paul J. Daly, Founder and CEO, and Kyle Mountsier, Partner and COO, ASOTU. ASOTU CON West brings 200 dealers to Los Angeles for one day on November 18, with no expo hall.
• Erin Kerrigan, Founder and Managing Director, Kerrigan Advisors. The second-quarter Blue Sky Report and what is driving the dealership buy-sell market.

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Hyundai's CEO warns Chinese automakers could gain ground in the U.S., New Jersey lets dealers run service away from the showroom, and Toyota's David Christ on hybrids and inventory.

Jim and Bridget Fitzpatrick are joined by Michael and Sefi Lucki, Co-Owners of Lucki Mazda of Woodbridge, and Seth Dobbs, Chair of the Automotive Practice at Fox Rothschild. Weekdays at 12:00 PM ET.

TODAY'S HEADLINES

• Hyundai Motor CEO José Muñoz says Chinese automakers could make significant inroads in the U.S. if current tariffs and trade restrictions are removed, pointing to their fast expansion in Europe (Reuters).
• Toyota's David Christ, Group Vice President and General Manager of the Toyota Division, talks tight inventory, strong hybrid demand, affordability and the role of Toyota dealers in the brand's multi-pathway strategy.

GUESTS

• Michael and Sefi Lucki, Co-Owners, Lucki Mazda of Woodbridge. The husband-and-wife team on opening their new store, why they chose Mazda and how they divide the work.
• Seth Dobbs, Chair of the Automotive Practice, Fox Rothschild. New Jersey now allows franchised dealers to operate service facilities separate from their showrooms, and what that means for dealer real estate and service capacity.

DEALER OF THE WEEK

Morris Ford in Burnt Hills, New York, serving its community since 1972 and named 2026 Dealer of the Year by Donate Life New York State and the New York State Automobile Dealers Association for its work encouraging organ, eye and tissue donor registration.

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The Fed's first rate hike since 2023, Toyota's 12-day supply and the China question, and why dealers are less worried about tariffs.

GUESTS

• John Murphy, Founder and Managing Partner, Murphy Automotive Partners. What the Fed's first rate hike since 2023 means for retail vehicle sales.
• Scott Falcone, Owner, World Auto Group. How the group builds and uses its own AI tools, from the sales floor to the back office, and how to measure the return.
• Frank Eckert, Owner, Eckert Solutions Group. How dealers make the year-end push for manufacturer targets without creating habits that hurt them in January.

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The FTC's new pricing FAQs for dealers, why GM dealers are missing the hybrid boom, and a preview of a new interview with Toyota's David Christ.

Jim and Bridget Fitzpatrick are joined by Glen Trafford, General Manager of Salmon Arm Toyota in British Columbia, and Kevin Roberts, Director of Economic and Market Intelligence at CarGurus. Weekdays at 12:00 PM ET.

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Diesel above $6 a gallon and what is driving oil prices, how The Niello Company keeps about 70 percent of its service customers, and a new interview with Ken Cook and Adam Marburger.

Bridget and Jim Fitzpatrick are joined by Jay Lasco, Dealer Partner of Lasco Ford and Dealer Principal of Grand Blanc Mitsubishi, and oil and gas expert Rey "R.T." Treviño III of Pecos Energy, host of The Crude Truth podcast. Weekdays at 12:00 PM ET.

TODAY'S HEADLINES

Ken Cook and Adam Marburger on the issues dealers need to watch now, in a new CBT News interview.
The Niello Company keeps about 70 percent of its service customers, with some stores at 75 percent. Fixed Ops Director Tully Williams puts retention first and lets profit follow.

GUESTS

Jay Lasco, Dealer Partner, Lasco Ford, and Dealer Principal, Grand Blanc Mitsubishi. Lasco Ford is top 10 nationally in Ford Blue Advantage volume, from a community of about 12,000 in Fenton, Michigan.
Rey "R.T." Treviño III, oil and gas expert, Pecos Energy, and host of The Crude Truth podcast. What is happening in the oil market with diesel above $6 a gallon.

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The IRS finalizes a deduction of up to $10,000 a year in new-car loan interest, President Trump says Chinese automakers could build in the U.S. if they hire American workers, and Tesla takes 52% of the U.S. EV market.

Jim and Bridget Fitzpatrick are joined by Jeremy Beaver, CEO of Del Grande Dealer Group, and Ed Garsten, Senior Contributor at Forbes.com. Weekdays at 12:00 PM ET.

TODAY'S HEADLINES

• The IRS finalized a rule letting eligible buyers deduct up to $10,000 a year in interest on loans for new, U.S.-assembled vehicles.
• Used-vehicle listing prices averaged $27,239 in August, up 7% from a year ago and the highest since December 2022, according to Cox Automotive.
• GM is developing next-generation battery cells to cut U.S. dependence on China as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticizes Ford's ties to CATL and Geely.
• Tesla took 52% of the U.S. EV market through August, up from 43% a year earlier, even as its U.S. sales fell 16%.
  
  

President Trump said Chinese automakers could build vehicles in the U.S. if they open factories and hire American workers.

GUESTS

• Jeremy Beaver, CEO, Del Grande Dealer Group. His read on the market across a broad mix of brands in Silicon Valley: EV demand since the tax incentives ended, Audi, Volkswagen and Scout, fixed ops, and acquisitions.
• Ed Garsten, Senior Contributor, Forbes.com. How Canada's tariffs on about $20 billion of U.S. goods are freezing automaker and supplier investment, and why charging still holds back EV buyers even as the HERE-SBD EV Index 2026 finds 53% of U.S. drivers more open to one.

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A U.S.-Mexico tariff deal within reach, Ford answering Washington on China, and Copart's $1.9 billion deal for ACV Auctions.

Bridget and Jim Fitzpatrick are joined by Adrian Gonzalez, General Manager of Payne Edinburg CDJR, and Greg Uland, Vice President of Marketing at Reynolds and Reynolds.

Today marks 25 years since September 11. Jim and Bridget open the show with how dealers responded in 2001, including the van Georgia dealers provided for the family of FDNY firefighter Frank Palombo.

TODAY'S HEADLINES

• Copart agrees to buy ACV Auctions for about $1.9 billion, $10.50 a share and a 45 percent premium.
• The U.S. and Mexico race toward an interim trade deal that could cut the 25 percent auto tariff to 15 percent.
• Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa says the auto world is splitting in two: the United States, and everywhere else.
• Ford defends its Chinese partnerships as Washington sends mixed signals on where the line should be.

GUESTS

• Adrian Gonzalez (@adrianthecarguy), General Manager, Payne Edinburg CDJR.
• Greg Uland, Vice President of Marketing, Reynolds and Reynolds. What dealers said at Amplify 2026.

DEALER OF THE WEEK
Fred Beans Automotive Group, 30 dealerships and 20 brands across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

CBT News 40 Under 40, presented by Force Marketing. Nominations close September 18.
https://www.cbtnews.com/nominate/

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THIS WEEK'S SPONSOR
Thank you to Reynolds & Reynolds for supporting CBT Live.
https://www.reyrey.com/

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Bridget and Jim Fitzpatrick are joined by Jonathan Dawson of Cherokee Mitsubishi and Skyler Chadwick of Cox Automotive. 

TODAY'S HEADLINES

• Manheim's used vehicle index dips to 208.2, and cheaper cars are holding value best.
• Cox's Dealer Sentiment Index: new-vehicle sales sentiment falls to 50 as affordability bites.
• NHTSA opens a probe into how Tesla certified about 1,000 Cybercabs with no wheel or pedals.

GUESTS

• Jonathan Dawson, Dealer Principal, Cherokee Mitsubishi, and Founder and President, Sellchology Sales Training
• Skyler Chadwick, Director of Product Consulting, Cox Automotive

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On today's CBT Live, Jim and Bridget cover the Transportation Department's letter to Ford over its China ties, wholesale used-vehicle pricing trends, and GM's expanded in-car security cameras. Then Vince Melkumyan, Founder of Auto AI Radar, joins to talk about FTC compliance monitoring for dealers following the agency's March letters to 97 dealer groups. Later, Don Hall, President and CEO of the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association, discusses Carvana's franchise dealership strategy and three decades of perspective on manufacturer-dealer relations.

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On today's CBT Live, Jim and Bridget cover Canada's retaliatory tariffs, JLR's plan to cut 4,000 jobs, and Volkswagen's sale of a German factory for defense production. Then David Wyler, CEO of the Jeff Wyler Automotive Family, joins to talk about "firing" his managers and bringing them back as coaches, plus a new partnership with the University of Cincinnati. Later, Fernando Varela, President and CEO of All Star Auto Group, discusses his continued expansion across Texas and Oklahoma and succession planning.

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