Stellantis blasts LA influencers for Recon stunt, 700Credit data breach exposes SSNs, Toyota and Kia defy weak sales month

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Welcome to The Weekly, a roundup of the top five auto industry headlines of the week.

Earlier this week, Stellantis found itself pushing back after LA influencers posted a viral TikTok pulling apart pieces of a Jeep Recon show car at the auto show, calling the teardown “destructive and unprofessional.”

The clip, now over a million views, mocked gaps, loose panels, and interior quality on a preproduction unit meant only for display, forcing Stellantis to clarify what prototypes are (and aren’t) built to demonstrate.

In response, the influencers insist nothing was damaged, but the episode underscores a trend we’ve seen before…

Viral teardown content shapes public perception long before retail units exist. And with shoppers increasingly swayed by influencer videos, OEMs are having to manage narratives in real time.

(Go deeper: 3 min. read)

Also this week, internal documents obtained by CDG News confirmed that 700Credit experienced a data breach in late October, exposing consumer names, addresses, and Social Security numbers tied to auto financing applications submitted between May and October.

The company says it discovered the issue after spotting suspicious activity inside its 700Dealer.com platform and later confirmed that customer data had been copied without authorization, though its internal network was not affected.

The breach has already surfaced on the dark web, and a class-action lawsuit was filed days later, adding pressure as 700Credit and NADA prepare consumer and regulatory notifications.

Big picture: While vendors will handle much of the outreach, dealers are still connected to the fallout, another reminder of how exposed the industry becomes when third-party systems are compromised.

(Go deeper: 3 min. read)

November sales results painted a rough picture for most automakers, with EV deliveries taking another sharp hit as the loss of the federal tax credit continues to ripple through the market.

Toyota and Kia were the outliers this week, posting modest year-over-year gains while brands like Honda, Subaru, Mazda, Ford, and Hyundai saw declines across their lineups. EVs, in particular, struggled hard.

Looking ahead: With affordability, incentives, and credit access driving so much of the purchase decision right now, the next few months will hinge on how quickly rates, payments, and buyer confidence stabilize.

(Go deeper: 3 min. read)

Another standout story this week came from Jim Shorkey Auto Group, where GM Nolan Brink is running three stores with no BDC…and still hitting high accountability by having managers personally touch every lead sales doesn’t convert.

The strategy: His bucket system inside DriveCentric keeps uncontacted leads, engaged shoppers, proposals, and showroom visits moving daily, with managers rotating responsibilities through morning huddles and checklists.

The structure only works because Brink hires managers who can do both jobs (BDC-level accountability and sales-manager leadership) and trains hard when closing percentages slip.

For dealers watching from the sidelines, his results reinforce a simple truth: you can drop the BDC, but you can’t drop the discipline.

(Go deeper: 3 min. read)

Carvana made another move this week, picking up a CDJR store in Atlanta, its fourth Stellantis franchise and its first step into the Southeast.

The buy adds to a streak of acquisitions in Arizona, Dallas, and Southern California, signaling a steady push into physical retail. At the same time, Atlanta’s population and job growth make the market especially attractive.

For context: Metro Atlanta has been one of the country’s fastest-growing regions, and Carvana already has deep roots there through both retail and ADESA’s wholesale footprint.

Now, with four franchised stores operating across different markets, 2026 should reveal a lot more about how Carvana’s hybrid model performs at scale.

(Go deeper: 3 min. read)

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