In this vAuto Quarterly Quick-Takes video, strategic planning director Bethany Johnson shares operational priorities for dealers coming off a strong pace of tariff-spurred sales in the first quarter of 2025. Bethany shares pointers to help you minimize age and maximize your new vehicle inventory mix; merchandise used vehicles to capture buyers who can’t afford a new vehicle; and align your used vehicle acquisition strategy to in-demand price points and segments.

In this vAuto podcast, general manager Bill Stanley of the North Dakota-based Ryan Family of Dealerships details his experience working with vAuto’s development team to create a better, faster way of assessing and addressing rooftop-level performance. Stanley also outlines why he expects his team will be “rocking and rolling” this summer, despite the risks of less favorable market conditions due to tariffs and other factors. Hear how Stanley uses a new enterprise-level dashboard to reduce discounting to an average of $150, zero in on pricing, people or process issues that need attention, shave hours of time he previously spent to compile performance reports and strengthen the group’s 60 percent Look to Book average to maintain a balance between sales and stocking levels.

In this vAuto podcast, vAuto and Cox Automotive associate vice president Patrick Janes shares perspective on how dealers can address the impact of tariffs as they manage new and used vehicle inventories. Janes offers pointers to help you acquire inventory from customers in a supply-constrained market; ensure your new/used vehicle pricing keeps pace as the market moves; adjust your inventory/sales momentum as market demand shifts.

In this vAuto podcast, Josh Orthel, director of sales for the Iowa-based McGrath Group and his vAuto Performance Manager Brian Kurtz discuss how the group is achieving its goal of 10 percent growth in new/used vehicle sales this year. Hear how Orthel and his team at the nine-store group right-size their used inventories and align pricing to balance gross/turn objectives. Also, Josh discusses how McGrath tightened their appraisal process to gain inventory acquisition efficiency. Finally, hear about their focus on key new vehicle metrics to drive turn and minimize holding expense.

In this vAuto podcast, Cox Automotive executive analyst Erin Keating and vAuto strategic planning director Bethany Johnson discuss how a rise in market uncertainty and volatility could dampen what’s turned out to be better-than-expected new and used vehicle sales in the first quarter of 2025. Hear why and how economic trends have spurred a two-sided market where luxury and lower-end vehicles rank as the hottest segments. Also, learn about how affordability will remain a challenge for some time, putting pressure on dealers to focus on market-efficient inventory allocations and sourcing. Finally, they discuss how as-yet unchanged federal tax incentives and better battery diagnostics will drive an ever-growing EV opportunity in new and used vehicles for dealers.

In this vAuto podcast, Patrick Janes and Micah Tindor discuss common appraisal process variances and customer disconnects that can result in missed opportunities to acquire a vehicle or appraisers putting the wrong money on the right car. They detail appraisal process steps where the “right” money often goes wrong. Plus, they share how dealers can bring customers into appraisal conversations to build trust and understanding that, more often than not, leads to a “yes” with initial offers and inventory you acquire for the right money.

In this vAuto podcast, dealer principal Marc Cross of San Antonio-based Jordan Ford opens his playbook to share a creative approach to moving aged new and used vehicles—a “Brown Banana” sale. Cross discusses how he spiffs his team to move the cars and ensure customers understand an aged unit for the store means a great value for them.

Cross also details a remarkable car business career that started as a Ford rep, pioneering one-price selling, and an operational philosophy that’s remained constant for nearly 40 years.

In this Q1 2025 edition of Live Market View, vAuto founder and Cox Automotive executive vice president Dale Pollak joins Derek Hansen at NADA 2025 to discuss market conditions dealers will face as the year unfolds. Dealership profitability and the need to acquire inventory—and provide greater transparency to win more vehicles from customers—top the list of key NADA take-aways. In addition, they discuss Dale’s transition efforts in his final year at Cox Automotive.

In this vAuto podcast, Nick Wright, director of client performance management, discusses how football coaching and play-calling principles can help dealers improve the consistency of appraiser performance to bring in more vehicles on the money. Nick outlines how persistent inconsistencies across appraisers translate to everyone effectively calling their own plays on specific vehicles—something football coaches don’t allow. Hear how you can help your appraisal team follow a strategy that defines the right money on every vehicle, improve the consistency of their vehicle condition assessments, and call the right audibles if/when it’s necessary to make deals.

In this vAuto podcast, vAuto’s Derek Hansen, Patrick Janes and Micah Tindor discuss the innovations vAuto will debut at NADA 2025 in New Orleans. They discuss how the new solutions help dealers and dealer groups implement a more consistent appraisal process with customers looking to sell or trade a vehicle, and centralize inventory management decision-making to improve rooftop-level performance.