Welcome to another edition of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast Recap—a rundown of key lessons from top operators, founders, and execs shaping the future of auto retail.
Today's guest is Car Dealership Guy himself, Yossi Levi, reflecting on the platform's journey and what's ahead for 2026.
Acting on opportunities in the moment can unlock unexpected potential.
CDG was tweeting insights when a breaking news tip on Easter Sunday led to an impromptu decision that changed everything.
"I got a tip about some big industry news and I told my wife I said, 'Hey, we have to go home. Like this is the moment where I think I can record something and put it on air.' And so we went home and I pull out Garage Band on a Mac computer and I record this whole thing and I don't even edit it. I just throw it up on Twitter, it goes viral within like hours."
That unedited recording became the revelation moment, but the real question came days later: what now? The answer was bringing other voices to the platform.
Democratizing knowledge creates more value than hoarding expertise.
After the initial viral success, CDG realized the value wasn't limited to one person's insights.
"The next way to solve for that was let's why limit the insights that I have? Let's bring other people to the podcast. And that was the really big moment that Car Dealership Guy started becoming what it is today."
Since then, the platform has evolved from solo commentary to a knowledge-sharing hub, taking insights from individuals and distributing them to the broader industry, something Levi says will remain key in 2026.
Expanding into services that directly solve dealer problems creates more value than media alone.
CDG started with content but has grown to include offerings that directly support dealer operations.
"We started with media. We expanded to some very tangential and complimentary services such as Nomad content, which does social media marketing for dealers, and CDG recruiting, which helps with hiring."
The latest service, CDG Circles, brings dealers together for peer insights, while upcoming announcements will reveal further expansion of what's being called "CDG companies."
The best improvements come from listening to your audience.
CDG has learned that complaints and critical feedback often lead to the most meaningful platform enhancements.
"Some of the best feedback we've gotten was from just complaints or someone leaving a comment, ‘Hey, the audio quality on this is terrible,’ and we fixed it."
Staying connected to what the community needs and responding quickly has been essential to CDG's growth and relevance.
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2026 brings optimism and continued momentum for the industry.
Despite rapid changes, there's a significant reason for dealers to be positive about what's ahead.
"I'm very excited. I'm very pumped about the future. There's a lot to be optimistic about in this industry. It is changing fast. There's no doubt about that. We've highlighted that on our platform."
CDG's role will continue evolving to bring intelligence and insights to the forefront, with major announcements coming next week about the platform's expanded capabilities and new offerings for dealers.
