A late-night dealership text may now be worth more than the SUV sitting on the lot, because response speed, fuel costs, and data-backed trust are rewriting the retail playbook.

Today’s episode breaks down how a 47% gas-price spike is reshaping wholesale demand, why EV values are splitting away from non-EVs, how Carfax is turning 38 billion records into a merchandising tool, and why mega-dealers like AWR are hiring operators instead of just dealmakers.

Today's Key Headlines

~Gas prices spike 47% to $4.56 a gallon and reshape buyer demand

~Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index falls 1.6% to 211.9

~EV wholesale values jump 7.2% while non-EVs drop 2.2%

~Carfax uses 177,000 data sources and 38 billion records for its Homegrown badge

~AI virtual assistants now handle roughly 60% to 70% of initial digital inquiri ...