Driving the news: Cars Commerce $CARS ( ▼ 4.67% ) has announced that Tobias Hartmann will be taking over as CEO, effective January 15, 2026, replacing Alex Vetter, who has been with Cars.com since 1998 and CEO since 2014.
For context: Hartmann was most recently CEO of Scout24 SE Group, which owns ImmoScout24, a European digital real estate marketplace.
But he has also served as President U.S. at HelloFresh and led the eBay Enterprise carve-out from eBay.
Under Vetter, Cars.com shifted from a classifieds model to a SaaS platform and acquired Dealer Inspire, AccuTrade, and DealerClub.
He will stay on as an advisor through March 31, 2026.
Looking ahead: Hartmann's background in high-growth marketplaces and tech platforms suggests Cars Commerce is looking to accelerate revenue growth or expand margins in a market where automotive tech companies are consolidating and dealers have more software options than ever.
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