Presented by:
Hey everyone,
Anybody else still wondering how November punched in so quickly? Wild.
That said: Anything major to report as the year ticks down? Send leads to [email protected].
— CDG
First time reading a CDG Newsletter?
Potential Democratic sweep raises stakes for automakers’ EV strategies and dealer inventory planning
Final midterm election results could weigh heavily on the auto industry, particularly automakers that have significantly shifted their EV strategies.
The details: With the odds of a Democratic sweep at 72%, according to Polymarket, several business sectors are bracing for a potential shift in Washington's balance of power, with clean energy among those that could be affected by the midterm results, according to Reuters.
A Democratic sweep could reinforce expectations of continued federal support for clean-energy development, according to analysts. Such a shift could put pressure on automakers that have significantly scaled back their EV plans while increasing investments in gas-powered vehicles.
A quick word from our partner
Every dealer feels it: leads are coming in, but closing them is getting harder.
Podium's AI fixes that. Its agent, Jerry, works every lead until the appointment is booked, sending walkaround videos of the actual car and re-engaging shoppers when a price drops or a new incentive hits.
1 in 4 dealerships use Podium, converting leads 40% above industry average.
Buying more leads won't fix a follow-up problem. Agentic workflows can.
Ford Escape, Jeep Wagoneer stand alone as affordable options in 2022 SUV categories
Among five-year-old compact SUVs, the Ford Escape stood alone on affordability and the number of original owners still owning the vehicle. The same for the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer in the full-size category.
Driving the news: New research from CARFAX looked at the affordable options among 5-year-old SUVs, looking for those under its affordable ceiling, and matched those with the vehicles that had the highest percentage of original owners.
SUVs have the largest share of the used market, making up collectively between the different segments, around 50%, during the third quarter, according to Catalyst IQ data. CARFAX, in the study, featured subcompact, compact, midsize, full-size, luxury subcompact, luxury compact, luxury midsize, and luxury full-size SUVs.
Auto loan originations hit 12.8M in first half of the year
Auto loan originations through the first half of 2026 were down less than 2% year-over-year, but the loan balances grew 3.5%, according to Equifax’ Automotive Insights Report.
Driving the news: The total for auto loan originations through June hit 12.8 million, which was down 1.9% from the first six months of 2025.
But with the higher prices of vehicles, the total amount loaned grew to $401.1 billion. The total outstanding auto debt reached $1.7 trillion by August, which represented a 3.3% year-over-year increase.
Missed yesterday’s episode of Daily Dealer Live?
Presented by:
Cullen on short-form and Mohammad on video
Featured guests:
Drew Cullen, general manager at Terry Cullen Chevrolet
Omar Mohammad, CEO at Nomad Content Studio
Trump, Carney signal progress on U.S.-Canada trade deal as automotive tariff uncertainty persists
