March 28, 2025 — After months of speculation and delays, President Trump’s 25% automotive tariffs on all imported vehicles are set to take effect at 12:01 am Thursday, April 3. President Trump cited national security concerns in Wednesday’s White House proclamation as the reason for the tariffs. According to information from the Department of Commerce… Continue Reading
August 5, 2024 — The world’s economy looks much different than it did last Wednesday. Overnight, Japan’s Nikkei 225 stock index plunged more than 4,400 points – 12.5% – the biggest drop since 1987, forcing a suspension of trading. The Nikkei’s Monday decline follows a series of troubling economic news in the U.S. at the… Continue Reading
June 27, 2024 — Late Thursday afternoon, CDK Global began rebooting the systems for a test group of dealers, following a two-pronged cyber attack more than a week ago. (UPDATED July 11 — According to a CNN report, CDK likely paid a ransom of $25 million to the hackers on June 21 — in numerous… Continue Reading
May 8, 2024 — In late April, headlines across numerous media outlets reported that Vietnamese electric vehicle automaker VinFast has added 12 dealerships, bringing its total to 16 (five of which will open this quarter) across seven states. This is in addition to the 15 stores it owns in California. Several more franchised stores should… Continue Reading
May 6, 2024 — A flurry of transactions in April indicates that investment and acquisition activity among tech players in the automotive retail space is starting to heat up after a slow 2023 and early 2024. Anchoring the activity are three pending monster deals that, if completed, could raise multiples for other companies looking for… Continue Reading
A modern-day automotive Godzilla, the likes of which we have not seen before, is how China expert Michael Dunne described China’s automotive juggernaut last week in a presentation at the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association Summit. Chinese automakers “could be the single biggest disruptor this decade” in the auto industry, Dunne said. The question is whether… Continue Reading
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock & Luigi Morris October 30, 2023 (With November 14th updates) — The dust is still settling from the recent tentative settlements between the United Auto Workers union and the Detroit Three automakers. Still, initial details reflect agreements that may be a win-win for both sides following a 40+ day strike costing… Continue Reading
September 7, 2023 — This week, the Asbury Automotive Group filed an 8-K with the SEC, alerting the market it is talking to the Jim Koons Automotive Companies about purchasing its 21 dealerships. (UPDATE: Asbury announced it is acquiring Koons — Read more Here.) The filing most likely was precipitated by the news leaking out… Continue Reading
July 10, 2023 — Dealers selling one or more of the Big Three domestic automotive brands may want to mark September 14, 2023, on their calendars. At midnight on September 14, the current contracts between the United Auto Workers Union and Ford Motor Co., General Motors, and Stellantis will expire, resulting in what likely will… Continue Reading
September 5, 2022 – General Motors’ strategy to buy out Buick dealers not wanting to transition to an all-electric future is good news for the brand and its dealers. The automaker introduced its plans to Buick dealers on Friday (kudos to Mike Colias of the Wall Street Journal for breaking the news). The move follows Buick’s announcement… Continue Reading