DealerEdge HQ - 17/06

Fewer cars, bigger jokes, fatter grosses

Author

Kamil Grzych
June 17, 2025

1. KPI Snapshot

Inventory 2.47 M (-12 % YoY).
<-- You can’t sell metal that isn’t on the lot, but you can sure charge for rubber mats.

2. Market Pulse Dashboard

Metric

Now

What’s funny / scary

SAAR

15.6 M ▼

We keep calling it “steady” while it quietly diets.

Days’ Supply

70 ▲

My grandma’s pantry has less canned corn.

ATP

$48.9 K ▲

$50 K sticker is the new $4 coffee—no one blinks, everyone complains.

Manheim

205 ▼

Used prices finally loosened their grip—your buyer hasn’t noticed yet.

Takeaway: Scarcity + silent price creep = margin season for stores that talk value not discount.

3. Pricing & Profit Board

Age Band

Play

Why it prints money

🟢 < 40 d

Sticker + $899 tint/tire pkg

Shoppers can’t compare what doesn’t exist.

🟡 40-90 d

84-/96-mo “keep the payment under 6” grid

Turns $50 K fear into $585 reality.

🔴 > 90 d

-1 % markdown ladder + OEM cash

Cheaper than floor-plan interest.

4. Turnkey Sales Play – “Lot Countdown Live”

  1. Pull live count: “2 Tacomas left.”

  2. 30-sec selfie walk-around → text to lead.

  3. Close with: “Add the liner, I’ll park it for you.”
    Field reports: Video urgency lifts close rate 12 %.

5. Talent & Ops Edge

Slack bot pings reps at 9 AM with overnight unit delta. Lowest count wins bragging rights—and the first up.

6. OEM & Regulation Radar

  • G7 punts tariffs to Q4. Pricing limbo continues—use it to justify “buy-now” before next twist.

  • Ford magnet shortage could chop F-Series Q3 allocation—trucks about to play hard-to-get.

  • TX & KS direct-sales bans upheld; franchise moat still wide.

7. Execution Checklist

  • Badge every VDP with “Only 2 left.”

  • Load 84/96-mo payment tiles into CRM by lunch.

  • Flag F-Series pipeline; reallocate ad dollars tomorrow.

8. Team Conversation Prompt

“Which low-count model gets our best accessory pitch today—and who’s filming the walk-around?”

9. Next Issue Teaser

Thu 7 AM → Heat map: which ZIP codes are drowning in Crosstreks and how to fish them out.

Five minutes. All edge.