Category

Supply Chain

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November 21, 2024 Special Topics

Inventory Management Strategies for Franchised Auto Dealers

An auto dealership’s inventory management is a crucial part of its operations and significantly impacts the strength of the balance sheet, margin health, and profitability. While dealers cannot control their allocation from OEMs, they can and should respond with the most appropriate sales strategy for the inventory they receive. There are two main approaches available to dealers: maximize price or volume. The key is balancing these strategies to optimize both sales and profitability. We discuss the pros and cons in this week’s post.

March 27, 2024 Special Topics

News Update: How the Collapse of the Baltimore Bridge Might Impact the Auto Supply Chain

The recent collision of the cargo ship Dali with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the Port of Baltimore has far-reaching implications for the global supply chain, particularly for the automotive industry, as the port is a major hub for automotive shipments. Automobile imports account for nearly 75% of all automobiles passing through the Port of Baltimore. The incident may cause delays in vehicle deliveries with notable effects on foreign manufacturers like Mazda and Mercedes-Benz. Although it’s too early to quantify the full economic impact, the event underscores the importance of adaptability in the auto industry, reminiscent of the resilience demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

October 6, 2023 Electric Vehicles Special Topics

United Auto Workers Strike

What It Means for Auto Dealers

The United Auto Workers (UAW) strike has been ongoing for almost a month now. In this post, we talk about how we got here, updates on the strike, and the strike’s anticipated impact on auto dealers.

August 25, 2023 Public Auto Dealers Used Vehicles

Q2 2023 Earnings Calls

Lower New Vehicle Supply Boost Fails to Lift Profits; Used Vehicle Prices Drop Amid High Demand

The automotive market is experiencing a shift as improved new vehicle availability is affecting used vehicle prices and profitability. Insights from industry leaders like Lithia, AutoNation, and Asbury indicate important trends, from stock incentives for General Managers to the implications of electric vehicle maintenance on dealerships. This piece explores these dynamics, touching on the potential for pent-up demand and the future of dealership sizing in a post-COVID landscape.

March 17, 2023 Public Auto Dealers SAAR Used Vehicles

Q4 2022 Earnings Calls

Executives Anticipate a Return to Normal

In 2022, fewer than 14 million light vehicles were sold, which was the lowest level since 2011. Supply constraints hampered productions from automakers, which led to higher profits for auto dealers on each vehicle they were able to acquire and sell, both new and used. Vehicle production improved gradually throughout the year, which is anticipated to continue through 2023.

This week we review the Q4 2022 earnings calls from the executives of six publicly traded auto dealers and discuss some of the major themes.

February 3, 2023

Floorplan Interest Income Fading

Part 2: Floorplan Relevant Factors

In part 2 of our series on floorplan interest, we take a closer look at floorplan relevant factors and macroeconomic forces to keep an eye on throughout the coming year and beyond as dealers plan their floorplan expenditures and budgeting.

January 27, 2023 Special Topics

Floorplan Interest Income Fading

Part 1: Rising Interest Rates and Increasing Inventories Are Anticipated to Remove the Unlikely Profit Center

Compared to last year, interest rates have significantly increased since the Federal Reserve began raising rates in March 2022. Inventories have also improved as the industry works through its supply chain issues. These shifts in economic trends are expected to have an impact on many aspects of auto dealer operations. In this week’s post, we talk about floorplan interest income and pose some important questions: What is floorplan interest expense, and what are floorplan credits? How have floorplan credits turned into an unlikely profit center for dealers? Can we expect this trend to continue amid changing conditions?

July 26, 2022 Public Auto Dealers Used Vehicles

Carvana Is Looking More Like Icarus

How the Pandemic Darling May Have Flown Too Close to the Sun

Lately, Carvana has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Its share price is down over 90% since its pandemic peak and currently sits below the low levels of March 2020. This post provides an abbreviated history of Carvana from its founding in 2012 to 2022 and discusses what its successes and struggles mean for traditional auto dealerships.

May 23, 2022 Public Auto Dealers Used Vehicles

Q1 2022 Earnings Calls

Large Dealer Groups Continue to Invest in the Franchise Dealer Model, Managing Their Dealerships as Portfolios

It’s earnings call season again. Themes from the Q1 2022 earnings calls were affordability issues, managing stores as a portfolio, the health of the franchise dealer model, and who repairs electric vehicle components and what that means for dealerships. All this against a backdrop of the continued inventory shortage makes for an interesting post. Read more here.

April 11, 2022 SAAR

March 2022 SAAR

The March 2022 SAAR was 13.3 million units, down 5.3% from 14.1 million in February and down 24.4% from March 2021’s SAAR of 17.6 million units. This drop in the SAAR is a product of several factors. We dig into the low magnitude of the seasonal adjustment and ongoing supply chain issues in this post.