Vendor Insights Podcasts

Today I’m joined by Jason Swiech, Product Marketer at CDK Global. We discuss what top-performing dealers are doing in the F&I office, why double-entry data is crushing customer satisfaction, the add-on products flying off the shelves and much more. Read CDK Global’s 2025 F&I Shopper Study mentioned in the episode here: https://www.cdkglobal.com/insights/new-report-shows-shifts-fi-trust This episode is brought to you by: 1. Repair360 - If you’re in the used car business, you know w...

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 Rob Scott, Executive General Manager of Bob Johnson Chevrolet, and Robert Wooden, Owner of Wooden Automotive Consultants LLC. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by Wooden Automotive Consultants. Wooden Automotive Consultants - Using their prop...

Today I’m joined by Art Dessein, VP of Sales at Impel. We dig into how AI is reshaping inventory management, the playbook big dealer groups use to roll it out without losing culture, and why less customer communication is actually leading to more sales—plus plenty more along the way. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Widewail - Want real insights instead of guesswork? With Voice of the Customer Analytics, Widewail uses AI to turn raw customer feedback into clear operational insights so you...

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 Preston Stewart, National Variable Operations Director of Napleton Automotive Group, and Rudy Nieto, CEO of MavSign. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by MavSign. MavSign - the secure offsite closing platform for automotive dealers and lender...

Today I’m joined by Jake Cronin, CEO and Founder of Siro. The untapped profit potential hiding in F&I, winning strategies to secure consent to record customers, using data to diagnose dealership challenges—and more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. BizzyCar – CDG’s Recall Tracker powered by BizzyCar monitors 70M+ vehicles with open recalls, packed with insights: timelines, fix status, campaign numbers—everything you need to bring lost customers back. Transform your recall manage...

Today I’m joined by Alan Haig, President of Haig Partners. We dig into why Stellantis and Nissan are still searching for the bottom, which states are commanding the highest blue sky multiples, the drivers behind Carvana’s first brick-and-mortar win and more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Lotlinx - Get the best possible market advantage on every vehicle transaction. Optimize operations and boost profits using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Learn more @ http...

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 Trent Waybright, Vice President of Pre-Owned Operations for Kelley Automotive Group, and Patrick Janes, AVP of vAuto Inventory Solutions. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by vAuto: vAuto - As the industry’s premier provider of end-to-end in...

Today I’m joined by Vishal Vadodaria, CEO of AutoEngage. We dive into the product obsession Vishal learned under Steve Jobs, why a major public dealer group bet early on his AI tech, how Agentic AI is poised to reshape the future of the car business and much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. CDK Global - CDK SimplePay is the only payment solution that's built into CDK solutions for unrivaled reliability and financial efficiency. To learn more or schedule a demo visit @ ⁠http://www.CD...

Today I’m joined by Alex Vetter, CEO of Cars Commerce. We unpack why consumers are getting shellshocked in the service lane, reveal the CRM blind spots from retail research to retail shopping behavior, and explore why 95% of car buyers still start their journey on third-party websites—plus much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. CarNow - Tired of tools that promise the world but don’t deliver? CarNow isn’t one of them. One store switched to CarNow's full platform and went from a 3% to...

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 Matt Hogan, General Manager of Taverna INFINITI North Miami, and Omar Mohammad, CEO of Nomad Content Studio. This episode is brought to you by: Nomad Content Studio - $3.50 per lead. $105 per car buyer. That’s what an Infiniti store in Florida is getting using Nomad Conten...

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 Paul LeBlanc, Service Director at Longo Toyota, and Derek Simonds, Executive VP Automotive at Numa. This episode is brought to you by: Numa - In the world of dealerships, service is everything — but it’s also where everything breaks down. Missed calls, unreturned voicemail...

Today I’m joined by Royce Neubauer, CEO of Auto Hauler Exchange. We dive into how dealers are footing the bill for shipping delays in unexpected ways, how smart operators are turning logistics into a profit center, why fraud is on the rise in the vehicle transport game and much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. DLRdmv – Dealers, are you still stuck using outdated interstate titling methods? DLR50 from DLRdmv modernizes out‑of‑state titling by providing 24/7 sales tax, title, and regi...

Today I’m joined by Jessica Stafford, SVP Consumer Solutions at Cox Automotive. We dive into the how car buying behavior is evolving, why consumers are embracing AI faster than dealers and much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Numa - Numa is the first AI agent platform for auto dealerships. Address communication breakdowns with customers and get full visibility into all service interactions. Numa answers every call, rescues and books service appointments and lets service teams see a...

Today I’m joined by Eric Rea, CEO of Podium. We dive into the state of Dealership AI in 2025, the questions dealers should be asking to stay ahead, why 10% of US dealers are using Podium's AI and much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Qmerit - Selling EVs can have a lot of friction points. But home charging installation shouldn’t be one of them. That’s why dealers and automakers trust Qmerit—the go-to expert for home charging installations. Join Qmerit’s dealership partner program an...

Today I’m joined by David Thomas, Director of Content Marketing at CDK Global. We dive into why dealership's ease of purchase is crashing right now, why credit denials are racking up, the fate of the EV market post tax-credits and much more. CDK Global’s Q2 Ease of Purchase Study – https://carguymedia.com/cdkglobal

 CDK Global’s most recent EV study – https://www.cdkglobal.com/insights/most-ev-owners-stand-technology-new-study This episode is brought to you by: 1. CDK Global - the go-to tec...

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 Scott Traylor, Vice President of Sales at Mia, and Tom Eggers, CMO of Covert Auto Group. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by Mia: Mia - Your 24/7 AI receptionist who speaks like a human, not a robot. No more "press 1" - just natural conversa...

Today I’m joined by Ted Rubin, President of ActivEngage. We dive into why dealers don’t need more leads — they need better ones, the danger from AI that dealers don’t see coming, why a human touch is still the missing peice and 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 slowing you down? Auto Hauler Exchange puts YOU in control. Ship cars faster and cheaper with 5,500+ vetted carriers. Get ...

Today I’m joined by Monik Pamecha, CEO and founder of Toma. We unpack why they embedded in Oklahoma dealerships for months, how that groundwork attracted top VCs, and why Toma refuses to build one-size-fits-all AI. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Toma - If your BDC or Service Advisors are buried in calls, it’s time for a smarter solution. Toma builds custom AI agents that answer 100% of your dealership’s inbound calls and handle tasks like booking service, checking recalls, and schedulin...

Today I’m joined by Graham Anderson, CCO & Co-Founder of KENECT. We get into how dealers are solving the #1 bottleneck in fixed ops, the best times to text customers, how Gen Z is flipping the script on dealer communications, and more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Qmerit - Selling EVs can have a lot of friction points. But home charging installation shouldn’t be one of them. That’s why dealers and automakers trust Qmerit—the go-to expert for home charging installations. Join Qmerit’s ...

Today I’m joined by Barb Edson, CMO of CDK Global. We dive into why post-sale support is becoming the new battleground for dealerships, what tech top dealers are asking for and leaning into, and why a wave of imitators still can’t dethrone the king. This episode is brought to you by: 1 . Copart - Are you looking to expand your dealership’s wholesale inventory? Finding front-line ready vehicles from finance, fleet, and rental consignors is now easier than ever. Copart Select gives you transpare...

Today I’m joined by Derek Hansen, VP of Operations at Cox Automotive. We get into how AI is reshaping inventory pricing, pro tips for navigating vehicle tariffs, where vAuto is innovating next—and more. If your dealership is interested in learning more, reach out to Derek by email: derek.hansen@coxautoinc.com This episode is brought to you by: 1, Toma – If your BDC or Service Advisors are buried in calls, it’s time for a smarter solution. Toma builds custom AI agents that answer 100% of your ...

Today I’m joined by Jimmy Douglas, CEO of Plug. We dive into why over half of dealers are missing an entire used segment, how two months on the lot is the tipping point for EV valuations, why dealers are shipping EVs an average of 800 miles — and much more. This episode is brought to you by: 1. Copart – Are you looking to expand your dealership’s wholesale inventory? Finding front-line ready vehicles from finance, fleet, and rental consignors is now easier than ever. Copart Select gives you transparency that drives profitability and the assurance you need. Register as a Member to Get Started @ www.copart.com/doRegistration 2. Podium - With Podium’s AI BDC, dealerships are seeing an 80% increase in after-hours appointments by handling leads 24/7. Instantly respond to inquiries, book test drives, and let your team focus on what matters: closing deals. Learn how Podium can help you sell more cars @ http://www.podium.com/car-dealership-guy 3. Plug – The only wholesale auction built for EV…

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 Kimberly Scogin, Controller at Hudson Management Group, and Shane Bigelow, CEO of CHAMP Titles. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by CHAMP Titles: CHAMP Titles - In automotive retail, everything moves fast — except vehicle titling. Consumers ...

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 Yuriy Demidko, Chief Information Officer at DPFox; and Matthew Muilenburg, Chief Product Officer at Impel. This episode of the Car Dealership Guy Podcast is brought to you by Impel. Impel AI - Impel AI helps you drive loyalty with proactive, personalized se...