Opinion: Page 3
The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders
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Industry Voices | Vehicle Affordability in 2025: Challenges, Predictions and Opportunities
J.D. Power analyst offers insights on the retail auto path ahead.
Tyson Jominy • Dec. 30, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | Engaging Gen Z Talent in Auto Retail
The CDK Dealership Workplace Study reveals that Gen Z employees in auto retail show lower satisfaction and motivation, but dealerships can reduce turnover with personalized management and competitive benefits.
Bruce Johnson • Dec. 27, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | Dealers’ 2025 Auto Lending Playbook
Dealers need to consider developing safeguards against growing fraud.
Kevin Filan • Dec. 27, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | Automotive Trade Is a Two-Way Street
Global commerce in the 21st century is too interconnected to make a unilateral “America First” strategy successful for both consumers and workers.
Warren P. Browne • Dec. 26, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | Can CX Shift From Transactional to Transformational?
We must regularly ask what customers want, what experience is needed to meet their needs and how technology can enable that experience.
Parrish Hanna, Dennis Ephlin • Dec. 26, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | The Car of the Future: A Software-Driven Experience
Software-defined vehicles could transcend their initial functionalities from the time they roll off the manufacturing line to the 5-year ownership mark, provided the vehicle has the proper hardware baseline to accommodate the notion of “continual upgradability.”
Stavros Stefanis • Dec. 17, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | In It Together Against Digital Fraud
Survival in today’s auto retail environment means working together, whether that’s sharing information about suspicious transactions or just picking up the phone to warn other dealers about potential scams.
Jessica Gonzalez • Dec. 16, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | Nearshoring and Managing Global Uncertainty
The reality is that nearshoring decisions are typically made without 100% of the information one might wish to have. Therefore, suppliers should also be aware of their propensity for risk as they chart their course forward.
Mark Barrott, Alejandro A. Rodriguez • Dec. 9, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | Addressing the Gaps in America’s EV Charging Infrastructure
Public charging is vital for widespread EV adoption. It complements home charging by enabling longer trips, managing emergencies and covering cases when home charging isn’t enough.
Ronak Amin, Robert Fisher • Dec. 6, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | Improving the BEV Charging Experience
EV skeptics continue to have doubts around battery life, range and charging. The adoption of physics-based models within the battery-management system can help enhance all three and make electromobility more sustainable.
Christian Korte • Dec. 5, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | Enhanced Computing Power Essential for SDV
Automotive computing requires a standardized approach to advance the potential of software defined vehicles.
Adam Konopa • Dec. 5, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | The Encryption Solution for Dealers and Lenders
In the context of automotive retail, encryption serves as a powerful tool to protect sensitive customer data throughout its lifecycle – from collection and storage to transmission.
Karl Falk • Dec. 4, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | Navigating the 2025 Auto Loan Refinancing Bump
As consumers become aware of the opportunity to lower their monthly payments, lenders should prepare for an increase in refinancing requests. This trend is likely to gain momentum in early 2025.
Jessica Gonzalez • Nov. 25, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | Using Technology to Grow Used-Car Inventories
Advanced digital platforms directly connect dealerships and individual car owners looking to sell their vehicles. This approach bypasses the middlemen typically involved in wholesale auctions.
Brad Parker • Nov. 22, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | Reinventing the Automotive Value Chain for Next-Gen Mobility
While we’re seeing supply chain resilience initiatives with some automotive customers, efforts are not yet collectively executing at scale, which is coming through in risk scores.
Mike Thoeny • Nov. 21, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | NASCAR Gets Glimpse of EV
Developers of the NASCAR EV say they hope to interest young people in becoming the engineers and technicians who will advance the technology.
John F. Possumato • Nov. 15, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | Electric Vehicles: Serious Customers, Serious Business
Driftrock’s latest research shows automotive brands and dealerships that focus their marketing efforts on digital channels have seen a 210% year-on-year increase in EV leads.
Matt Wheeler • Nov. 13, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | From 5% to 40%: How a Dealer Cracked the Code on Selling to a Diverse Customer Base
It all comes down to streamlining communication.
Juan Alarcon • Nov. 6, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | Scary Times for Vehicle Subscription Services
Just when you thought the whole subscription model was doomed, a new breed of survivors emerges from the shadows, leveraging learnings from the past to make quick progress.
John Possumato and Nick DiPrima • Nov. 5, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | Key Supplier Strategies for a Reimagined Automotive Future
For suppliers with strong market positions, investment in equipment, software and technology is vital to building a competitive advantage and driving industry innovation.
Thomas Alongi • Oct. 31, 2024 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Industry Voices | Is CFPB’s Focus on Junk Fees Justified?
The CFPB’s ongoing campaign against what it terms “junk fees” doesn’t reflect consumer experience in the auto lending space, based on what consumers are actually complaining about.
Tom Oscherwitz • Oct. 28, 2024 -
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Industry Voices | The Affordability Challenge for Dealers
Vehicle service contracts, GAP insurance, maintenance plans and ancillary coverage, such as tire and wheel, can provide valuable financial safeguards for consumers while also creating additional revenue streams for dealers.
Rick Kurtz • Oct. 17, 2024 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Industry Voices | Key Safety Features to Look for in Heavy-Duty EV Batteries
Just as battery technology has evolved at an accelerated pace, so have the safety features for commercial transportation applications.
Lisa McKenzie • Oct. 17, 2024 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Industry Voices | Does AI Signal the Death of the Automotive Salesperson?
The future of automotive sales is not about AI versus humans. It’s about combining the strengths of both.
Aaron Bickart • Oct. 16, 2024 -
Courtesy of WardsAuto
Industry Voices | It’s Cycle Time
Analyzing service bottlenecks can reveal improvement opportunities.
Colin McElhatton • Oct. 15, 2024
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