Blog

Automotive industry insights, tips, and guides

The Solar Panel Trap: Why Your Dealership Facility Might Not Be Ready Yet

The Solar Panel Trap: Why Your Dealership Facility Might Not Be Ready Yet Most dealership groups are getting sold on rooftop solar panels as a no-brainer facil...

Read More →

Better Signage Won't Fix a Bad Layout: A Contrarian Take on Dealership Wayfinding

Eighty-seven percent of dealerships say their facility signage and wayfinding are "adequate or better." Meanwhile, mystery shops consistently show customers spe...

Read More →

Stop Over-Correcting on ADA Compliance: A Contrarian Dealership Perspective

You've got a 40-year-old service bay, a showroom that's seen three remodels, and a parking lot that slopes like the Cascade foothills. Now you're staring at an ...

Read More →

The Parking Lot Capacity Trap: Why Limiting Spaces Actually Improves Operations

Most dealership operators approach parking lot capacity the same way they approach inventory turns: add more, maximize efficiency, stack cars tight, and call it...

Read More →

Service Bay Throughput Isn't a Capacity Problem—It's a Facility Design Problem

Your service bay throughput problem isn't actually a service bay problem. You've been solving it wrong, and most dealerships in the Pacific Northwest are making...

Read More →

Stop Wasting Money on Fancy Coffee Machines: What Customer Lounge Amenities Actually Work

You walk into your service lounge on a Tuesday morning and see the espresso machine—the $8,000 espresso machine you installed last year because every dealership...

Read More →

LED Retrofits Aren't Always Worth It (And Your Accountant Probably Knows That)

LED Retrofits Aren't Always Worth It (And Your Accountant Probably Knows That) Here's the unpopular opinion: most dealerships shouldn't retrofit their entire f...

Read More →

Why Your Showroom Redesign Might Be a Waste of Half a Million Dollars

How many times have you walked into a newly redesigned showroom and thought, "Well, that's nice, but are we selling more cars?" That's the question most dealer ...

Read More →

Why Local Dealerships Are Losing Money on Fleet Sales (And How to Change It)

Back in 1987, Ford launched its first purpose-built medium-duty truck platform specifically designed to compete directly with International Harvester and Navist...

Read More →

Why Your Fleet Billing Is Costing You Thousands (And How to Fix It)

Most dealerships are leaving thousands on the table by billing fleet customers the same way they bill retail buyers. That's not just inefficient—it's a strategi...

Read More →

Why Speed Is Killing Your Fleet Margin

Most dealerships treat commercial vehicle delivery logistics the same way they handle new car delivery: fast handoff, quick paperwork, and get it off the lot. T...

Read More →

Stop Outsourcing Your Upfitter Partnerships: Why Fleet Dealers Are Bringing Work In-House

Most dealerships treat upfitter partnerships like they're inevitable. You get a commercial van order, you send it to the shop, they bolt on some shelving and a ...

Read More →