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Cars Dealers Can't Sell So They Are REVOLTING | Episode 1050

Cars Dealers Can't Sell So They Are REVOLTING | Episode 1050

CarEdge Live Apr 13, 2026 30 min
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About this episode

Dealers are pushing back on manufacturers as inventory piles up and sales slow—Volvo is the headline example, but the conflict spans brands like Volkswagen and Audi. The hosts break down why: floorplan financing costs money daily, and manufacturer “floorplan assistance” runs out when cars sit. They use CarEdge data to show Volvo lots with 90–180+ day aging, then discuss how dealers may need to accept thin or even negative front-end profit while making up margin in finance, service, and incentives. The episode also flags easier auto-loan approvals alongside rising negative equity and repo risk.

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Technical Too Afraid to Ask
Brand

Progressive

"That's why drivers have enjoyed Progressive's Name Your Price tool for years now. With the Name Your Price tool, you tell them what you want to pay, and they'll show you options that fit your budget."

Progressive is an insurance company. They have a tool that helps you choose an insurance plan based on what you want to pay each month.

Brand

Toyota

"Dear crew, it's Toyota. With an adult-sized third row, everyone's welcome in the Grand Highlander... Toyota, find yours at Toyota.com."

Toyota is the car brand being advertised here. They’re showing different models depending on what kind of family or driving needs you have.

Car

Sienna

"Sync back in the Sienna with an available rear seat entertainment system. Slip into the RAV4 with available all-wheel drive."

The Toyota Sienna is a minivan. This part is talking about an option that can entertain passengers in the back seats during trips.

Company

CarEdge.com

"Today's show is brought to you by CarEdge.com. For those of you that are unfamiliar, we are on year six here, folks, of me, my dad, and our incredible team offering car buying services back at CarEdge.com."

CarEdge.com is a service that helps you buy a car without doing all the work yourself. They help you research, contact dealers, and negotiate so you can get a better deal.

Concept

dealer outreach

"We take care of research, dealer outreach, and even negotiations. We learn what matters to you."

“Dealer outreach” is the process of contacting multiple dealerships to request pricing, availability, and trade/financing details. In a negotiation-focused buying strategy, outreach helps you compare offers rather than relying on one dealer’s number.

Brand

Volvo

"And let's face it, most Volvos are not cheap. So it means they're more expensive to floor plan because dealers pay interest to carry their inventory."

Volvo is the car brand in this story. The speaker is saying Volvo’s dealers are feeling the squeeze because the cars cost more to keep sitting on the lot.

Concept

dealers pay interest to carry their inventory

"So it means they're more expensive to floor plan because dealers pay interest to carry their inventory. The dealers tend to not want to take more of them."

Dealers don’t just pay for the cars—they also pay interest while the cars are waiting to be sold. If sales slow down, that interest cost adds up.

Concept

invoice price

"The manufacturer invoices that to the dealership, sells it to them at invoice price. [370.3s] But then the dealership pays for that with typically financing."

Invoice price is what the dealer pays the manufacturer for the car (roughly the wholesale cost). Even if a dealer sells near that price, they may still lose money if financing and lot-holding costs are high.

Concept

floor plan assistance

"Now, manufacturers will cover what they call floor plan assistance, where they will pay the dealer X amount of dollars to help them defray the cost of carrying that inventory."

Floor plan assistance is help from the car maker to reduce the dealer’s cost of holding cars on the lot. If the cars sell fast, it can even turn into extra profit; if they sit, it can run out and hurt the dealer.

Term

profit center

"When inventory sells quickly, for instance, at a Toyota dealership, floor plan assistance can actually become a profit center. Because you're selling the cars quicker than the interest is building up."

A profit center is something that makes money for the business. Here, if cars sell quickly, the dealer can earn more from incentives than it spends on financing.

Company

CarEdge dealer ratings website

"I'm over on the CarEdge dealer ratings website, and I've searched for Volvo dealers. And I'm very interested here, Dad."

They’re using a website that shows ratings for car dealerships. In this segment, it’s used to look up Volvo dealers and see how they’re doing. It’s basically their way of checking what’s happening at the dealership level.

Concept

days on market

"Wow, the days on market for their inventory. This is fascinating. I was expecting to see more and more of their inventory be aged 180 days or 90 days."

This is basically how many days a car has been sitting unsold. If it takes a long time to sell, it usually means the price or demand isn’t working out.

Concept

tariffs

"Tariffs took care of that. They just made those vehicles way too expensive to continue to import."

Tariffs are extra taxes on imported products. If cars cost more because of tariffs, fewer people buy them, and dealers have a harder time moving inventory.

Concept

service department

"And they have to hope that the service department can carry them while they're going through all this."

The service department is where the dealership fixes and maintains cars. If selling new cars is tough, the dealership hopes service work can keep money coming in.

Concept

overpriced

"So on the product, because it's not desirable anymore or it's overpriced. So, yeah, dealers revolve."

“Overpriced” refers to pricing that’s higher than what buyers are willing to pay, which reduces sales velocity. In dealer terms, overpriced inventory increases holding costs and can force discounting to move units.

Concept

create a market

"They keep building stuff. They keep pushing it on the dealers, but they haven't created a market for it."

“Create a market” means generating enough consumer demand through pricing, incentives, marketing, and product positioning so vehicles sell at sustainable margins. The speaker argues manufacturers keep building cars but don’t ensure demand exists.

Brand

Volkswagen

"is about Volkswagen, a brand that you and I have been talking about a lot. And we have another story this morning from Stellantis, where they did more layoffs..."

Volkswagen is a big car brand. The point here is that when Volkswagen’s sales start slipping, dealers get less interested in stocking and pushing those cars.

Concept

ultimate buyer of it instead of the customer

"Are we going to keep buying their product that they're not supporting, that they're not creating interest in or a demand for it? Are we going to keep being the ultimate buyer of it instead of the customer?"

This phrase describes a situation where dealers end up buying and holding inventory rather than customers driving sales. It’s a sign of demand mismatch—dealers become the buffer for slow-moving products.

Concept

manufacturer isn't going to do it

"But they employ a lot of people and so you need them to at least be able to break even so they can pay their employees who can help keep the economy going. The manufacturer isn't going to do it. So, yeah, dealers will take a stand."

The host suggests manufacturers won’t absorb the financial burden when demand is weak, leaving dealers to manage the fallout. This frames the dealer revolt as a response to lack of manufacturer support or incentives.

Brand

VW

"...Audi has been suffering for two or three years now, VW has been suffering for four quarters now where they've had declines in sales..."

VW is short for Volkswagen, a major car brand. The speaker is saying that when VW cars don’t sell for a long time, dealers can’t keep absorbing the losses.

Concept

dealer councils

"...this is when it's important that the factory dealers associations, where they have the dealer councils, where they actually sit and listen to what the dealers are suggesting..."

Dealer councils are structured groups where dealers meet with the automaker to share feedback and influence decisions. In this context, the speaker argues that dealer councils matter because dealers see real customer demand firsthand.

Concept

days on the market

"You know, still 2025 sitting out there, 115 days on the market. I know that. Yeah, you used to work right next to it, 86 days on the market, 120 days on the market."

Days on the market tells you how long a car has been sitting for sale. If it’s been there a long time, it usually means it’s not selling well, and you may find better deals.

Brand

Chrysler

"I would also continue to say that's the Lanthus vehicles. So Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Ford is on this list as well."

Chrysler is a car brand. The hosts are saying Chrysler dealers may have more room to negotiate right now.

Brand

Dodge

"So Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Ford is on this list as well."

Dodge is a car brand. They’re including it as a place where you might find better deals because cars are sitting longer.

Brand

Jeep

"So Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Ford is on this list as well."

Jeep makes SUVs. The hosts are saying Jeep dealers may be more willing to negotiate right now.

Brand

Ram

"So Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Ford is on this list as well. Ford still has tens of thousands."

Ram makes pickup trucks. They’re saying Ram dealers may be more motivated to sell because trucks are taking longer to move.

Concept

inventory management

"Okay. It's not inventory growth. It's inventory management. It's to understand what your daily sales rate is per model so that you can make adjustments..."

It’s how a dealership decides how many cars to keep on the lot. They watch how fast each model sells, then order less or more so they don’t end up stuck with too many cars.

Concept

manufacturer stroke us a check to make us whole

"I am telling you, from all the years I did it, not once did I ever see a manufacturer stroke us a check to make us whole if we lost money that year. They just don't do it."

They’re saying the car company usually doesn’t pay the dealer back if the dealer loses money on unsold cars. So the dealer has to manage the risk and try to sell the cars themselves.

Concept

aged cars

"Well, if I have aged cars like that, I have them up either in the showroom or right next to the showroom."

“Aged cars” are cars that have been sitting at the dealership for a long time. Dealers try to push them out with better visibility, incentives, or discounts.

Concept

supply and demand

"It's just got different supply and different demand. Really, really, really good question there from Dale."

Supply and demand describes how pricing changes based on how many cars are available versus how many buyers want them. The speaker uses the example of a car sitting for 3 days versus 300 days to show how demand expectations shift discounting.

Term

rear seat entertainment system

"Seen back in the Sienna with an available rear seat entertainment system. Slip into the RAV4 with available all wheel drive and let's go."

This is the entertainment setup for the back seats—usually screens and audio so passengers can watch or listen to things during the ride.

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