Best Wholesale Deals Now Online and Watch: A Police SUV Get Built, a Dog Crash Through a Store, and a 4×4 Navigate the World’s Scariest Road

April absolutely flew by for us, but we still managed to scoop up some of the best content for you from the past week.

First, a report on how more dealers are finding luck with <$12k wholesale inventory when going online.

Then, three videos you’ll definitely want to watch and share: a police cruiser SUV buildout time lapse, a dog who is a good boy but NOT the world’s best driver, and a terrifying trip along a mountain road in Nepal that’s also part waterfall.

Let’s dive in!

 

Best Deals on Wholesale Cars <$12k Now Found Online

Online wholesale auto buying just may be entering the mainstream, and cheap inventory is helping push it there. According to Doug Hadden from auction giant ADESA, the best place to find used vehicles in the $12,000 and below “sweet-spot” for profitability is through online-only sales. These formats include upstream closed online sales, first offered open sales, and trade-ins offered through mobile apps.

“Our industry changes almost daily now,” Hadden observed during a recent webinar. “You never know what you’re going to read in the headlines, but as we all know … not only for your retail customers, but for you as a dealer or a manager … to more accurately find the right vehicles, you’re going to need to be online.”

Find out more about how to locate hot deals here: https://www.autoremarketing.com/wholesale/dealers-seeking-cars-12k-or-below-can-find-more-profitability-online

 

Watch a Police Cruiser Tahoe Get Built at Super Speed

Police cars have an undeniable sense of coolness to them, thanks to all the unique custom components that go into them. If you’ve ever wondered how the process of customizing a patrol car happens, this captivating video delivers in spades. You’ll see a factory-fresh Chevy Tahoe go from boring white to tricked-out cop cruiser in just 5 minutes.

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1jFcNZJlKk

 

Dog Crashes 3-Wheel Truck Into Store, But Is Still a Good Boy

Possibly in search of a decent barking spot, a very good boy™ in Taixing City, China, did a very bad thing by crashing through a storefront in his owner’s three-wheel truck. The owner left the dog alone in the parked electric utility truck without turning the vehicle off, and the dog accidentally hit the accelerator.

It’s ok, dog. My aunt’s retriever also tends to forget when there’s a sliding glass door and plows into it. You’ll be a better driver some day!

Watch the chaos here: https://jalopnik.com/dog-drives-three-wheel-truck-into-store-because-dogs-ar-1825526421

 

Try Not to Pee Your Pants While Watching This Video of the World’s Most Beautiful Road You’d Never Want to Drive On

In a video depicting substantial volumes of “NOPE,” a 4WD vehicle full of people navigates a narrow mountain pass in Nepal. The flimsy-looking guard rails and dizzying drop are only part of the concern, seeing as the vehicle shares the road with a frothing waterfall. The result is a terrifying – but gorgeous – journey that makes the Jurassic Park water ride at Universal feel like pleasure cruise.

See the video here: https://jalopnik.com/this-looks-dicey-1825514283

 

So what’s the scariest road you’ve found yourself on? Have any of your pets ever tried their paws at driving? Would you want an SUV like the cruiser buildout above? And finally, how often do you look online these days when buying used inventory?

Give us your takes – and your scary road trip stories – in the comments!

 

Digital License Plates, the Importance of Online Reviews, a Canadian Car Show Spoof Ahead of Its Time, and How Test Mule Disguises Are Made

Tax season has come and gone, and we hope your business gets the benefit of consumers reeling in their returns!

To celebrate the occasion, we’re offering a few lighthearted looks around the auto world. But first, on a serious note, a report showing just how crucial online reviews are to auto dealers.

After that, a startup bringing digital license plates to the market for… reasons. Then, a Canadian cable show from the 90s that skewers how ridiculous YouTube car channels have become.

Finally, a cool video that should enlighten anyone who’s wondered how car companies create the weird disguises for their testing prototypes.

We hope you’re ready!

 

Study Finds 80% of Dealer Customers Care About Both Positive & Negative Reviews

Some dealerships care only about the negative online reviews they get, and others don’t really care about reviews at all. But that may be a mistake, according to a new survey. It reveals that 80% of people read both positive and negative reviews when weighing which dealers to visit.

In response, dealers should closely monitor their reviews and strive to give customers markers of a quality experience that will leave them gushing online.

Read the full report and the related recommendations here: https://www.maritzcx.com/automotive-social-studies/

 

Company Bringing Digital License Plates to Dubai & California

In yet another case of “I didn’t know this needed to be more complicated,” tech company Reviver Auto is launching a line of digital license plates in the ritzy city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

The plates use a digital screen similar to an e-reader’s and also allow for connectivity features. Users can also display ads or custom messages while the vehicle is parked.

Find out more about the futuristic license plates here: https://www.autoremarketing.com/technology/reviver-unveils-plans-bring-digital-license-plates-dubai

 

This Wacky Canadian Show Lampooned YouTube Car Channels Before They Existed

YouTube car channels may be all the rage these days, but many of them get downright silly. Between people filling their gas tanks with coke and others trying to turn their Geo Metro into an off roader, many offer high concepts but end up light on actual content quality.

Perhaps the creators of Canada’s Red Green Show from the early 90s had a vision of this time because its segments perfectly parody the nonsense that would come later. Host Red Green does everything from adding above ground pool treads to a mid-80s Buick to add huge swamp-ready tires to a Honda Accord. All the segments end disastrously, as expected, but creator and host Steve Smith nails every moment with perfect comedic timing.

Watch some clips and dig more into the Red Green phenomenon here: https://jalopnik.com/this-weirdo-comedy-show-from-the-1990s-was-making-fun-o-1825119339

 

Watch BMW Engineers Disguise This Prototype Test Mule to Keep It’s Design a Secret

Testing mules are a common sight around Dearborn, Michigan and upon car enthusiasts’ newsfeeds, but how do their manufacturers come up with those bizarre ways to disguise their looks? Baggy black shrouds and eye-popping zebra striped paint are both common, and some manufacturers even go as far as to bolt on random components. These plastic panels are enough to have even the most knowledgeable car wonk scratching their head figuring out what car model lies underneath.

As you might expect, a lot of deliberate work goes into these disguises. And, thanks to the folks at YouTube channel Car TV, we finally have an inside look at how at least one of these operations goes down. You get to watch the factory team disguise the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo with bolted-on body panels that look like an aftermarket bargain bin bonanza.

Watch the video and learn some things here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLC9v7MIT_M

 

So what’s the craziest looking car mod you’ve seen, testing mule disguise or otherwise? Were you a fan of the Red Green show back in the day? Does your business monitor its reviews closely and have a strategy for managing them?

And, finally, would you buy a digital license plate? Tell us all about it in the comments below!

Strong Spring Auction Prices, Dealer Consolidations, How Tariffs Could Affect Big Auto, and a Driving Test That Ends up Inside the DMV

Spring is here to bring us gorgeous flowers, sunny days, and a crop of new stories for the used and wholesale auto industry.

 

First up, a report on how wholesale prices and auction activity remain strong despite slightly weak retail sales. Then, a story about how more dealers are consolidating into large groups. After that, Cox Automotive’s CEO muses on how steel tariffs may ultimately affect the auto industry.

 

Finally, a story about a driver’s test gone seriously wrong after the student backs through the DMV’s front window.

 

Let’s peel right into it!

 

Wholesale Prices Stay Strong Despite Soft Spring Retail Sales

Retail sales for used vehicles may be slightly down from projections, but you’d never know it from all the action happening in the auction lanes. Reporting from Black Book experts indicates that small and midsize car segments have seen particularly strong price gains as projected demand remains strong.

 

“Retail is still not great here, but you wouldn’t know it by what the buyers are paying in the lanes. Prices are still strong across the board,” said one Black Book representative based in Massachusetts.

 

Read more on the report here: https://www.autoremarketing.com/wholesale/soft-retail-sales-not-slowing-strong-car-price-run

 

Consolidation Swells as Huge Dealer Groups Grow and Small One’s Sell

Rising business costs and looming technology disruptions have fueled strong recent activity in the buy/sell market for auto dealers. “Clearly, the consolidation of auto retailing has continued and if anything, picked up the pace,” explained one industry expert, adding: “We are seeing more business than ever.”

 

Everything from electrical vehicles to ride sharing to all-online sales models has shaken up the traditional dealership model. At the same time, aggressive promotional pricing and mandatory facility upgrades for manufacturer-specific dealers has caused costs to spike.

 

The result is that large dealer groups are getting bigger than ever while smaller operations continue to feel the pressure to sell.

 

Learn more about the trend here: https://www.autoremarketing.com/retail/changing-retail-market-prompts-some-dealers-get-bigger-or-get-out

 

Cox Auto Chief: Steel Tariffs May Hurt Auto Industry at First, But Everything Comes Back to the Center

After a hefty tariff was placed on imported steel, many American automakers and retailers were worried about how the action may affect the industry. According to Cox Automotive CEO Sandy Schwartz, the end result might involve an initial slowdown among automakers before things stabilize back to their current growth pattern. That stabilization might involve tempering the tariffs below their current rate or the desired outcome, which is growth of domestic steel production, but in the end the free market will prevail.

 

“It could hurt our industry a little at the start,” he suggests, but ultimately the auto industry is “too big and too important” to allow to suffer for longer than necessary.

Listen to this response and many other industry insights on the full podcast here: https://www.autoremarketing.com/trends/how-steel-aluminum-tariffs-could-impact-automotive-vendors

 

Person Taking Driving Test Backs into DMV Building, Just Might Have Failed Their Test

Lots of people have their amusing “I failed my driving test” stories, but none can quite beat the one a student driver in Waterbury, Conn. might tell after smashing through the window at their local DMV.

According to people at the scene, the 46 year-old student driver was attempting to back into a spot when they mistook the gas pedal for the brake. The result was lots of smashed glass and screaming people, but fortunately, no one was hurt …except maybe one 46 year old’s pride and their chances at ever getting a license.

Watch the video here: https://jalopnik.com/student-driver-crashes-through-dmv-window-which-may-aff-1825004695

 

So what’s your worst driving test story? Do you think tariffs or consolidation could force the industry to shrink? And how have retail sales and wholesale inventory acquisition fared for you operation compared to most springs?

Let us know in the comments below!