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Hey everyone,
SCOOP: Yossi J. Levi, founder & CEO of Car Dealership Guy, has officially traded in the Sienna for a Yukon XL.
Initial reports from the family indicate approval of the trade…
Congrats to the pros at Delray Buick GMC and Kevin Connolly, General Manager, for facilitating the industry’s most anticipated move of the year.
— CDG
First time reading a CDG Newsletter?
Welcome to The Weekly, a roundup of the top five auto industry headlines of the week.
Dealers worry Carvana experiment may sidestep franchise regulation
Over the past several weeks, CDG News has heard from Stellantis dealers voicing concerns over Carvana's growing presence in the franchised dealership space.
Knowing this: CDG News dug around to confirm whether the worries had weight and were not just a case of disgruntled folks taking shots at the new guy.
At press time for this story, CDG News talked with 40 sources across the country, including dealers, GMs, brokers, dealer association members, and auto retail lawyers.
Bob Ruth Ford on acquiring 350+ used vehicles from consumers
Without making a single purchase in the auction lane, Bob Ruth Ford in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, has grown its regular stock of used-car inventory to 400 vehicles.
Driving the news: Vice President Rob Dell, during a recent appearance on Daily Dealer Live, explained how the dealership is crunching the numbers and working different channels to acquire vehicles right now.
During the segment, Dell said the store typically sells between 40 and 50 new vehicles per month, but focuses heavily on the used business, where it moves three to four times that volume.
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Dealership phone connections improve, but millions of high-intent calls still go uncaptured
A new Car Wars review reveals that while more customers are calling dealerships with the intent to buy a vehicle or schedule service, many stores still fail to capitalize on those high-value opportunities.
First things first: The report, 2026 Mid-Year Review: Dealership Phone Performance Trends & Benchmarks, found that while dealership phone volume remained steady through the first half of the year, customer purchase and service intent increased significantly.
Sales calls grew from 23% to 26% of inbound call volume during the six-month period, while service calls increased from 32% to 36%.
GM appears to reconsider Apple CarPlay, Android Auto phaseout
GM may be pulling back on its plan to eliminate Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from future models.
The details: After announcing it would phase out smartphone integration platforms—beginning with its electric vehicles—the automaker now appears to be reconsidering that strategy, according to a CarBuzz report.
After reviewing Cadillac's configurator for several 2027 models, CarBuzz found the Lyriq still lists Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard features.
Gross profit per unit drops for top retailers in Q2
Average gross profit per unit slowed in the second quarter of 2026, landing between $200 and $600 for many of the largest dealers, according to an analysis compiled by Stephens, Inc.
Driving the news: The Automotive Retailing Industry rankings by Stephens looked into the Q2 performance of Asbury Automotive Group, AutoNation, Group 1 Automotive, Lithia Motors, Penske Automotive Group and Sonic Automotive over the second quarter, representing 1,875 stores.
FM Capital invests in DLRdmv to give dealers more say in title and registration tech
