Used car prices have structurally reset, Trump eliminates EPA rule, Niello Auto Group cuts third-party ad dependency

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

Used-car pricing has reset higher, with average franchise-dealer used prices sitting around $30,200 in 2025 as the industry keeps working through the supply gap created by weak new-vehicle sales during 2020–2022.

That’s pushing shoppers into more expensive inventory, squeezing affordability, and making payment-friendly segments like compact and midsize cars move faster while pricier trucks sit longer.

At the same time: CPO is standing out because payments are roughly on par with non-CPO used but well below new cars, giving dealers a way to balance affordability with stronger turn rates.

(Go deeper: 5 min. read)

As Matt Bowers watches Carvana expand its Stellantis footprint, he’s telling dealers to stop viewing it as a traditional local competitor and start seeing it as a scale-driven distribution model.

From his perspective, Carvana’s approach relies on pooling inventory nationally, pricing aggressively online, and leaning on volume economics, which is a very different playbook from stores built around local relationships, service retention, and repeat business.

Big picture: Because margins are tighter, payments are higher, and inventory is no longer scarce, Bowers says the smarter move isn’t chasing them on price but staying disciplined about the model you actually run and competing where dealers still have the advantage.

(Go deeper: 4 min. read)

President Trump and the EPA are rolling back the 2009 “endangerment finding,” the rule that has allowed the federal government to regulate vehicle greenhouse-gas emissions for more than a decade.

Automakers like the Alliance for Automotive Innovation are welcoming the move as relief from aggressive EV-focused standards, while critics (including Tesla) argue it creates uncertainty and risks limiting consumer choice long term.

For dealers: The near-term effect could be a slower EV push and more flexibility in inventory mix, but the bigger reality is that ongoing legal fights and policy swings keep making long-term product planning harder for everyone.

(Go deeper: 3 min. read)

Niello Auto Group is cutting back on third-party advertising and leaning into a customer data platform that helps spot when people in its own database are actually in-market, something sales director Dennis Gingrich says is happening for roughly 3% of customers at any given time.

By tying service activity and ownership data to AI-driven outreach, the group is trying to lower acquisition costs while staying closer to customers as affordability pushes more shoppers toward used vehicles.

The play here is simple: Own the relationship, market smarter with data you already have, and stop paying someone else every time you need another sale.

(Go deeper: 3 min. read)

Ford is leaning harder into trucks for 2026, keeping extra production shifts in place after last year’s supplier fire cut roughly 100,000 units from output, while using F-150 and Super Duty strength to stabilize profits.

At the same time, CFO Sherry House says the company is preparing a shift toward affordability, with a midsize UEV pickup launching in 2027 and five new vehicles under $40K planned by the end of the decade.

In doing so: She says the automaker’s strongest profit center will aid in rebuilding momentum, all while laying the groundwork for a more price-sensitive market just a few years down the road.

(Go deeper: 4 min. read)

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