Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I sit down with Lonny Soza, Vice President of Fertitta Auto Group, to discuss how he built a multi-million dollar powerhouse, the biggest lesson he learned acquiring vehicles for CarMax and AutoNation, and how he's bringing Bentley-level customer service to his new Chevrolet store—plus much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Auto Hauler Exchange - Ship Smarter. Pay Less. No Middlemen. Tired of brokers driving up costs and slowi...
Feb 06, 2025•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I sit down with Rob Cavender, COO of Cavender Auto Group, and Eric Barbosa, VP of Variable Operations, to discuss how they create and execute a blueprint for success in retail automotive, how they’re training salespeople to become General Managers, the growing pains of scaling a dealer group, and the secrets they've uncovered along the way—plus much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. IkonTechnologies - Ikon Technologies was fou...
Feb 04, 2025•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with Ric Saatzer, General Manager of BMW of Minnetonka where we discuss: How to run a dealership like a $10B Company, How Lean Six Sigma has transformed his business, The role of a GM to build a winning culture of detail, and more secrets of a Lithia Motors General Manager. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: 1. Mia - Your 24/7 AI receptionist who speaks like a human, not a robot. No more "p...
Jan 30, 2025•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I’m joined by Brian MacDonald, CEO of CDK Global. We explore why he’s betting $250M on a major shift in automotive retail, the winners and losers as service department trends evolve, and his prediction for a wave of dealership acquisitions this year—and much more. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: 1. Richtech Robotics - Titan is the autonomous parts delivery system that keeps techs in bays, helping you...
Jan 28, 2025•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with Sam Mahrouq, CEO of Ikon Technologies where we discuss: Scaling his auto group to 11 dealerships and millions in sales, How an "ah ha" moment at the dealership led him to found a $55M revenue tech company and much more. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: 1. Uber for Business - With Central, you can request a ride on behalf of your customers even if they don’t have the Uber app. If you’...
Jan 23, 2025•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I’m speaking with Brian Kramer, EVP at Cars Commerce, where we discuss: why dealers are losing 70% of trade-ins for every new car they sell, the future of data ownership for dealers, how Brian and his team are working to tackle—and beat—online vehicle price manipulation, and much more. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: 1. Dealer Pay - Designed to increase productivity and customer retention, offering a...
Jan 21, 2025•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to Industry Spotlight—a focused series hosted by Sam D’Arc, highlighting standout dealerships and innovative companies, and exploring the trends driving success in today’s automotive market. Today, Sam sits down with David Steinberg, CEO and Founder of Foureyes. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by Foureyes: Foureyes - No one buys a car because AI bombards them about test drives. They buy when they find the right match on your lot. That's why Foureyes built...
Jan 19, 2025•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with Peter Kelly, CEO of OPENLANE where we discuss a breakdown on how the wholesale car market finished off 2025, how volume trends are bucking expectations, and the key trends and challenges facing the segment in 2025. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: 1. OPENLANE - The world’s leading online dealer marketplace for used cars, bringing you exclusive inventory, simple transactions, and bett...
Jan 16, 2025•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I sit down with Bryan Collins, Shop Foreman at Braman Miami, to discuss life as a Master Technician, his journey rising through the ranks of a dealership shop, strategies for retaining technician talent, the real pay ranges technicians can achieve and much more. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: 1. Ikon Technologies - Ikon Technologies was founded by dealers, for dealers, to solve the daily challenges ...
Jan 14, 2025•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to Industry Spotlight—a focused series hosted by Sam D’Arc, highlighting standout dealerships and innovative companies, and exploring the trends driving success in today’s automotive market. Today, Sam sits down with Jay Healey, CMO of Healey Brothers Automotive Group, and Justin Friend, SVP of Dealers United. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by Dealers United: Dealers United – Specializing in Social, SEM, and SEO, Dealers United is the premier digital mar...
Jan 12, 2025•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with Tasso Roumeliotis, CEO of Numa, where we discuss: how to extinguish service department "heat cases" before they burn profitability, why 911 started his entrepreneurial journey, when AI should answer phone calls and when it shouldn't, and much more. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: 1. Numa - Numa is the first AI agent platform for auto dealerships. Address communication breakdowns wit...
Jan 09, 2025•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with Dorian Jimenez, Dealer Principal at Classic Chevrolet, where we discuss: Going from leading the #1 Chevy store in America to rescuing a broken dealership. How one small Texas dealership in the ’90s minted 10 Dealer Principals. Why his wife secretly enrolled in the NADA academy, and much more. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: 1. Openlane - The world’s leading online dealer marketplace...
Jan 07, 2025•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to Industry Spotlight—a focused series hosted by Sam D’Arc, highlighting standout dealerships and innovative companies, and exploring the trends driving success in today’s automotive market. Today, Sam sits down with Findley Ewing IV, CEO fo Ewing Automotive Goup, and Phil Zheng, COO of Richtech Robotics. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by Richtech Robotics: Richtech Robotics – Titan is the autonomous parts delivery system that keeps techs in bays, helpin...
Jan 05, 2025•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with Matt Murray, CEO and Jake Hughes, Director of Marketing at Widewail where we discuss the raw truth about what customers think of dealerships and why customers are the empty chair in the board room. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: 1. Widewail – Power your reputation engine with Widewail. Go Google-first. Our approach is proactive: mostly automated, sometimes manual. The perfect blend...
Jan 02, 2025•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this special episode im speaking with my toughest critics, the Car Dealership Guy team! This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: 1. Access Point Consulting - Access Point Consulting is a consulting firm that specializes in providing strategic solutions to enhance business performance and drive organizational success. Learn more @ https://accesspointconsulting.com/ 2. CDG Recruting - Building on the success of my industry j...
Dec 31, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Weekly—your go-to roundup of the top five auto industry headlines. This week's top stories: 1. Honda, Nissan formally begin talks for possible $58B merger 2. Buyers turn to smaller cars as new vehicle prices stay elevated 3. Used car sales surge during holiday season 4. Auto execs warn of industry 'breaking point' 5. CNCDA sends cease-and-desist to Scout Motors Have a tip for our editorial team? Send us your scoop at insights@cardealershipguy.org. This episode is brought to you by...
Dec 28, 2024•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Breakdown—your go-to source for deep dives into the trends, strategies and shifts shaping automotive retail. Today’s Big Story: 7 crucial lessons dealers are carrying into 2025 This episode is brought to you by: Impel - Impel enables automotive retailers, manufacturers, and online marketplaces to turn shoppers into buyers, and buyers into lifelong customers, with the auto industry's most advanced AI-powered Customer Lifecycle Management platform. Learn more @ https://impel.ai/ Pre...
Dec 27, 2024•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I speak with Taseer Badar, CEO of ZT Automotive. We dive into his entrepreneurial journey, including how President Obama "pushed him" into the car business, explore his M&A strategy, uncover which brands are on his wishlist, and reveal the tough realities behind employee layoffs. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: 1. Corpay - Corpay is transforming how dealerships handle payments. We help you save time,...
Dec 26, 2024•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast! In this episode, I’m joined by Tina Tasche, Head of Innovation & Tech at Van Horn Automotive Group. We dive into how to build the next-generation dealership BDC, Her AI features wishlist for the call center of the future, and why the traditional lead form is dead. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: 1. Podium - Turn every lead from website, email, text or phone into more sales for your dealership. Podium’s AI BDC convers...
Dec 24, 2024•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Weekly—your go-to roundup of the top five auto industry headlines. This week's top stories: 1. New vehicle sales forecasted to surge in 2025 after successful Q4 2. Used car price drops slowing down, hovering around $30K 3. Wholesale used car prices hold steady so far this month 4. Mobile vehicle service is key to winning back customers 5. Honda in talks with Nissan over possible merger Have a tip for our editorial team? Send us your scoop at insights@cardealershipguy.org. This epi...
Dec 21, 2024•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Breakdown—your go-to source for deep dives into the trends, strategies and shifts shaping automotive retail. Today’s Big Story: How Dealers Quietly Outsmart Their Competition This episode is brought to you by: Dealer Pay – A dealer-specific payment acceptance solution designed to boost productivity and enhance customer retention. With over 25 years of experience, Dealer Pay is a trusted partner for dealerships across the U.S. Learn more at dealer-pay.com or contact Julie, CEO of D...
Dec 20, 2024•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I’m speaking with Brice Englert, CEO of TradePending. We discuss how car dealers are cracking the customer retention code, insights from competing with car-buying giants like Carvana, and how consumer loyalty is shifting in the age of hybrids. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: TradePending - TradePending makes dealers' websites convert better with their trade-in tool and payment calculator on steroids,...
Dec 19, 2024•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast! In this episode, I sit down with Ernie Garcia Jr., Co-founder and CEO of Carvana. We dive into topics like the greatest comeback story of any public company ever, lessons from selling millions of cars, the future of the automotive wholesale business and much more. This episode is brought to you by: DealNow - The safe and simple way to avoid fraud, sign documents, and instantly transact any vehicle online. Learn more at https://dealnow.com/ CDG Recruitin...
Dec 17, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep 147•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Weekly—your go-to roundup of the top five auto industry headlines. This week's top stories: 1. Amazon officially starts selling new Hyundai vehicles online 2. Prime auto loan borrowers lean toward the used car market 3. Wholesale used car prices up year-over-year in November 4. Dealer reputations improve online, but customers still have gripes 5. CDK Global fires back at Tekion’s anti-trust lawsuit Have a tip for our editorial team? Send us your scoop at insights@cardealershipguy....
Dec 14, 2024•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Breakdown—your go-to source for deep dives into the trends, strategies and shifts shaping automotive retail. Today’s big story: 3 hard-hitting auto market realities from the dealership floor—and what it could mean for 2025. This episode is brought to you by: OPENLANE - The leading online dealer marketplace for used cars, bringing you exclusive inventory, simple transactions, and better outcomes. Learn more at https://www.openlane.com/ Prefer to read? Take a look at the companion n...
Dec 13, 2024•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast! In this episode, I’m joined by David Donaldson, SVP at DLRdmv, for an insightful conversation about the technology helping dealerships sell cars coast-to-coast. We discuss the daily challenges dealerships face when managing out-of-state sales, explore why banks are holding the stopwatch for vehicle titling, and unpack the infamous "Montana loophole" and much more. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: DlrDMV – With DLR50, ...
Dec 12, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to the Car Dealership Guy Podcast. In this episode, I'm speaking with Nathanael Greklek, Corporate Brand Director at Mohawk Auto Group where we discuss: How he's hacking the game of dealership attention by creating viral videos for his dealership, Getting on General Motor's radar and landing one of the biggest cameos in automotive, and his next big idea for automotive content. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by: Edmunds - Premier is a solution from Edmund...
Dec 10, 2024•52 min•Ep 144•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to Industry Spotlight, a new show on the Car Dealership Guy Podcast hosted by Sam D'Arc. In each episode, Sam highlights the most compelling dealerships and innovative companies in automotive, diving into key trends, best practices, and insights from those shaping the future of automotive retail. Today, Sam sits down with Ross Tinkham, GTM Leader at Podium, and Alex Lawrence, CEO of EV Auto, to discuss how dealers are leveraging AI to cover busy showrooms and sell more cars. This episode...
Dec 08, 2024•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Weekly—your go-to roundup of the top five auto industry headlines. This week's top stories: 1. Leasing continued to rise in Q3 strengthening captive lenders 2. Negative equity and delinquencies cast a shadow on auto lending 3. Universal EV charging framework set to roll out in 2025 4. Hybrid reliability is neck and neck with gas-powered cars 5. Hybrids drive higher conquest rates in the auto market Have a tip for our editorial team? Send us your scoop at insights@cardealershipguy....
Dec 07, 2024•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to The Breakdown—your go-to source for deep dives into the trends, strategies and shifts shaping automotive retail. Today’s big story: Is this the next big profit center in used cars? Prefer to read? Take a look at the companion newsletter for this episode here This episode is brought to you by: The Auto Hauler Exchange has revolutionized the way vehicle haulers and vehicle shippers collaborate. The Exchange is the first digital marketplace of its kind in the vehicle logistics industry. ...
Dec 06, 2024•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
