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The best dealer resources from our experts to help dealers solve their toughest inventory challenges.

Podcast

vAuto Quarterly Quick-Takes: A View of Key Q1 2026 Trends

In this vAuto Quarterly Quick-Takes podcast, vAuto’s director of strategic planning, Bethany Johnson, examines key take-aways from new and used vehicle inventory and sales data from the first quarter of 2026: Get out there early with new vehicle promotion; marketing in-transit units help capture buyer interest; mind your pricing on Day 1—for new and used vehicles to […]

Driven Her Way: Bethany Johnson on Learning, Leadership, and Dealer Experience

In this episode of Driven Her Way, Susan Givens sits down with Bethany Johnson, Strategic Planning Director at vAuto, to discuss her career journey from dealership retail to the vendor side of automotive. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience, Bethany shares why hands‑on dealer experience and an always‑be‑learning mindset are critical in today’s market. The […]

Under Pressure: Car Buyer Journey Study Insights

Blog Post

Under Pressure: Car Buyer Journey Study Insights

Summary: Affordability is tightening and price scrutiny is up. According to the 2025 Cox Automotive Car Buyer Journey Study, buyers are more cautious, more analytical, and more focused on price fairness than ever before. For used car dealers, this raises the stakes. When acquisition or pricing decisions miss the mark, risk compounds quickly. These findings show how […]

A Smarter Way for Independent Dealers to Buy and Manage Inventory

Blog Post

A Smarter Way for Independent Dealers to Buy and Manage Inventory

Every vehicle you bring in sets off a chain reaction. Acquisition costs shape reconditioning spend, which directly affects time to lot. Time to lot limits pricing flexibility. And pricing pressure shows up fast when inventory starts to age. For independent dealers, your margin for error is thin. One wrong decision can take weeks to undo. At auction, those […]

HOW MARKET-DRIVEN DECISIONS SHAPE THE MODERN CAR BUYER JOURNEY

FROM SHOPPER INSIGHT TO INVENTORY ACTION HOW MARKET-DRIVEN DECISIONS SHAPE THE MODERN CAR BUYER JOURNEY For more than 15 years, Cox Automotive has tracked shifts in the car buyer journey to help dealers adapt to changing expectations. The 2025 Car Buyer Journey Study shows buyers are more informed, more price‑sensitive, and more likely to compare […]

Line chart showing the growing share of EV appraisals at dealerships, with EV trade-ins increasing from about 1.6 percent in early 2025 to nearly 1.8 percent by early 2026.

Blog Post

An Early View of the Emerging Used EV Opportunity

Last fall, when the federal tax credits for EVs expired and EV demand dropped off, our industry faced a question: Did this moment effectively mark the beginning of the end of the EV market? Looking back, this question was more about the drama of the moment than a true reflection of how the EV market would perform in the months ahead. After all, […]

Put Spring Demand to Work. Five Moves Dealers Can Make this Tax Season.

Blog Post

Put Spring Demand to Work. Five Moves Dealers Can Make this Tax Season.

Summary The spring market is waking up. Tax refunds are already flowing, with more than $100 billion returned to consumers so far this season. That cash tends to hit the auto market fast, and early signals suggest it already has. In his latest Auto Market Weekly Summary, Cox Automotive’s Chief Economist, Jeremy Robb, points to a familiar pattern. Refunds are supporting near‑term demand, wholesale […]

Distilling What Predictive Pricing Tells You About a Vehicle

Distilling What Predictive Pricing Tells You About a Vehicle

In this vAuto podcast, lead Performance Manager Michael McMullen discusses how predictive data science-based pricing recommendations help dealers make the most from individual used vehicle investments. McMullen shares how the recommendations help dealers capture the price premium a vehicle might deserve based on past history, performance; address the varying degrees of price sensitivity an individual […]

The Means to Multi-Channel Acquisition Has Arrived

Blog Post

The Means to Multi-Channel Acquisition Has Arrived

Summary: You’re not getting paid to juggle systems. You’re getting paid to find and acquire the right vehicles, fast. The market has shifted. Doing your job is more complex, and multi-channel acquisition is now a requirement. Vehicles are coming from more places, and buying teams are expected to be more proactive and more proficient across every channel that can help fill the lot. That’s where […]

Inventory Management Car Dealerships

3 Ways to Modernize Inventory Management With Intelligent, Real‑Time Insights Inventory challenges aren’t slowing down—but today’s smartest dealers aren’t just keeping up, they’re getting ahead. With AI‑infused intelligence, connected data, and real‑time market visibility, vAuto gives you the precision and speed you need to protect profit, optimize workflows, and outperform competitors in any market. 1. Predict […]