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Hey everyone,
The Market Pulse is your weekly cheat sheet to industry tactics. This week we looked at auction prices and what it means for what dealers buy and stock heading into Q4.
Check it out here.
— CDG
Welcome to The Weekly, a roundup of the top five auto industry headlines of the week.
Used car prices can vary by $1,000 based on ZIP codes
The price of used vehicles can vary by as much as $1,000 depending on the market.
To help dealers zero in on the right pricing for vehicles in their market, JD Power has enhanced its VIN-specific pricing in its products.
Driving the news: JD Power says its research shows prices for the same used vehicle can differ by $100 to $1,000 based on ZIP code.
Jonathan Banks, vice president of retail product portfolio at JD Power, told CDG News they have used their data to hone in on their pricing by location.
Norm Reeves' fixed ops director outlines 9 standards driving staff confidence, higher earnings
Earlier this year, Norm Reeves Honda Superstore in North Richland Hills, Texas, unexpectedly lost its service manager.
The sudden vacancy, according to the store’s Fixed Ops Director, Richard Meneely, revealed a gap in the shop’s overall structure and preparedness.
“We didn't have anybody prepped for the next level,” Meneely told Daily Dealer Live host Sam D’Arc on Oct. 2.
Working alongside a learning and development team within the dealership, Meneely took to “building a curriculum that [could] be passed on store to store” across the group’s nearly 20 locations.
The curriculum is about 75% of the way done, available through an internal online portal, and is built around nine “standards” and modules.
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Diehl fixed ops director names intentional role placement, 70% MPI standard as keys to scaling
As the fixed ops director at Diehl Automotive, overseeing shops at more than 20 dealerships and a dozen body shops in the growing group, Matthew Whittenberger has put in place standards to raise performance and retain customers.
While sharing strategies, including maintaining a 70% rate on MPIs and matching prices on tires, Whittenberger explained it all starts with building the right team during his Daily Dealer Live “Fixed Ops Friday” segment with host Sam D’Arc.
“I think where a lot more money can be made is asking the question of who doesn’t belong on this team and who does,” Whittenberger explained. “I think, in my experience, I’ve had so many more wins by personnel than a product or a process.”
Inventory of compact cars drops to 36 days as supply drifts to larger vehicles
Compact vehicle inventory remains tight, with fuel-efficient compact cars at a 36-day supply and compact SUVs at 44 days.
Tighter supply stems from manufacturers shifting production to more profitable SUVs and large pickups, which has lifted transaction prices by $172 per vehicle and helped offset losses from lower sales volume, according to a new JD Power report.
“Compact cars have always been a fairly tough sell, in particular for domestics but also in general. Small cars, small margins, always make it a challenge,” Tyson Jominy, senior vice president of OEM customer success at JD Power, told CDG News.
Jominy points out that demand may prompt some manufacturers to look again at the profitability of compact vehicles.
Hyundai, Honda among top OEM performers in third quarter
With a record 77,439 sales in September, Hyundai closed out its best third quarter with 246,896 units sold. For the year, Hyundai’s sales are running 3% ahead of 2025, with 697,464 vehicles sold.
Similarly: Honda’s sales were up 9.3% in the third quarter, with a strong September that jumped 16% year over year.
For the year, Honda’s sales are up 4.7% and hit the 1 million mark in September, a year earlier than in 2025.
Bottom line: Hybrid sales helped several automakers perform well in the third quarter as demand for the powertrain remains strong. But as it stands, several automakers are entering the fourth quarter behind in sales for the year.
