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Gen Z may be early in their ownership journey, but the service experiences they have today are already shaping where they’ll return tomorrow—both for service and their next vehicle. As this generation moves more fully into ownership, expectations set outside the automotive industry are colliding with long-standing dealership processes. The result is a defining moment for dealers: one that can either erode trust or build loyalty that lasts for decades.

Today, Gen Z still turns to dealerships for service. But there are early signs that traditional models aren’t fully keeping pace. Recent research shows that satisfaction is softening, even as loyalty largely holds, and alternative service options like mobile service are gaining attention. Those shifts point to a growing disconnect between what younger customers expect and what the traditional service experience often delivers.

That disconnect often appears before a customer ever sets foot in the dealership. Even as demand for digital engagement grows, scheduling service can still feel harder than it should. Phone calls, long wait times, and unclear systems add friction early in the process. For Gen Z—accustomed to instant, on-demand access across nearly every part of life—friction at the scheduling stage isn’t just inconvenient; it’s a reason to disengage altogether.

Where Expectations Are Won—or Lost

With average transaction prices reaching roughly $35,000 for cars and exceeding $50,000 for trucks, service decisions no longer feel low-stakes—especially for younger buyers. Every interaction reinforces whether that investment feels protected or at risk, raising expectations for clarity, consistency, and trust across the service experience.

Digital access plays a key role in shaping those perceptions. It’s not just about convenience; it’s how customers judge competence. For Gen Z, intuitive online tools signal that a dealership is organized, transparent, and respectful of their time. When self-service options are hard to find—or missing entirely—dealerships risk being ruled out before a relationship even begins.

Recall appointments create another critical moment. They remain a dependable reason customers return to dealerships, but for Gen Z, these visits carry added weight. Younger customers are often open to additional services during recall visits, yet they’re also quick to delay or opt out if timing, pricing, or next steps feel unclear. Clear communication at this stage can strengthen trust—or quietly undermine it.

As ownership cycles stretch and budgets tighten, predictability has become just as important as speed. Many customers are focused on keeping vehicles longer, and satisfaction rises when service stays aligned with expectations—even if repairs take extra time. Across generations, delivering on what was promised matters more than moving fast. For Gen Z, changes without explanation are especially costly to trust.

Gen Z is Still Coming to the Dealership

Despite their digital-first reputation, Gen Z hasn’t abandoned the physical dealership. Industry data shows that over 50% of customers choose to wait onsite during service—but expectations have changed. Comfortable seating, reliable connectivity, and spaces that support productivity now signal professionalism and respect for customers’ time.

Gen Z loyalty starts early, with the majority getting their vehicles serviced at the same dealership where they bought them. That makes early service experiences decisive moments, shaping trust and influencing future purchase decisions. The service lane isn’t just about today’s visit—it’s the gateway to long-term loyalty. Dealers that remove friction, communicate clearly, and follow through on their promises can earn Gen Z customers not just once, but for a lifetime.

Washington, D.C. – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Justice announced that they have withdrawn a joint statement regarding the implications of a creditor’s consideration of an individual’s immigration status under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA).

On October 12, 2023, the agencies published a joint statement cautioning that creditor policies related to an applicant’s immigration or citizenship status could, in certain circumstances, run afoul of ECOA’s and Regulation B’s prohibition of discrimination on the basis of protected classes, including race and national origin. The agencies withdrew the joint statement to avoid any conflict with the express language of ECOA and its implementing regulation, Regulation B.

“For decades, ECOA regulations have permitted lenders to consider a borrower’s lawful residence status and other information necessary to protect their rights and remedies with respect to repayment,” said Acting Director Russell Vought at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. “We are correcting the last administration’s attempt to ignore these well-accepted and common-sense principles of our nation’s fair lending laws.”

“The federal government is committed to avoiding statements that could confuse the law or imply compliance standards for civil rights laws that lack any statutory or regulatory basis,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon at the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This administration is restoring alignment with established federal civil rights law rather than continuing the prior administration’s ideologically-driven departures.”

ECOA and Regulation B respectively permit creditors to consider pertinent elements of credit-worthiness and information necessary to protect creditor rights and remedies, including a borrower’s immigration or citizenship status. The agencies also believe withdrawal is appropriate to avoid any confusion that lenders may legitimately consider immigration status under several circumstances, including when necessary to avoid financial risks and to comply with other laws. In addition, withdrawal is appropriate to address any misimpression that the joint statement interprets 42 U.S.C. § 1981 to confer any liability under the statute that has not already been recognized by courts. Finally, the agencies believe withdrawal is appropriate to avoid any unnecessary burdens from new or increased compliance efforts.

Catalyst IQ and JD Power each offered some clarity for why used-car retail prices are climbing even faster than ones for new models, which are just $30 below the record level seen in July 2023.

And perhaps more importantly for dealerships, Catalyst IQ also provided six recommendations to help stores navigate affordability pressures potential buyers are facing.

According to exclusive information shared with Cherokee Media Group on Friday, Catalyst IQ new-vehicle prices have climbed almost $1,000, or 1.9%, year-over-year, while vehicle movement per day has dropped by almost 5%.

Used-vehicle prices, meanwhile, have jumped even more at 6.1%, with vehicle movement down by just 1.0%, according to Catalyst IQ.

“We’re seeing a significant affordability impact on the used-car market with used vehicle prices increasing 6.1% year-over-year compared with 1.9% for new vehicles,” said Rick Wainschel, vice president of data science and analytics at Catalyst IQ.

“As we saw earlier this week in the (Wall Street Journal), consumers are still moving into used inventory, but affordability pressures are impacting all aspects of this market,” Wainschel continued in the message to Cherokee Media Group.

“While the data doesn’t point to a specific price threshold, it does show that as new vehicle prices move above $50,000, many consumers continue searching for lower-cost alternatives. It’s also important to understand that used vehicle movement has declined far less than new vehicle movement (1.0% vs. 4.7%), suggesting consumers still view used inventory as a relative value alternative even as prices rise across all sectors,” Wainschel went on to say.

So, that analysis likely prompts this question. How did we get here?

Well, following the publishing of that article by the Wall Street Journal that Wainschel mentioned, JD Power’s Tyson Jominy added more context to the company data cited by the newspaper.

Jominy, who is senior vice president of data and analytics at JD Power, pushed back on the thinking that new-car sales suddenly fell off the table, creating an unexpected dearth in the used-vehicle market. Rather, Jominy explained in this LinkedIn post that the deterioration of new-car sales has been happening for a decade that’s compounding the price and affordability situations.

“Industry total sales peaked in 2016 (2015 for retail sales), which means we are over a decade removed from peak vehicle sales in the U.S.,” Jominy wrote. “We aren’t just losing a million sales this year; we have been losing sales every year for a decade.

“We lost 3 million during COVID alone, then another 3.7 million during the supply chain crisis,” he continued. “Cumulative sales losses are 16.1 million over the past decade, nearly matching our forecast for the year.

“In short, the industry has lost an entire year’s worth of new-vehicle sales over this past decade,” Jominy went on to state.

And perhaps in a twist, as those sales are declined, prices have rocketed higher.

Catalyst IQ data shows average marketed price (AMP) is approaching an all-time high, reaching $51,610 on May 26, just

Over the past year, AMP increased by $1,896 with almost 85% of that growth taking place since March 1 alone. Coupled with affordability pressures, higher interest rates, and fuel prices approaching all-time highs—up more than $1.50 per gallon over the past eleven weeks—this rapid price growth is creating additional challenges for dealers entering the summer selling season.

“Historically, rising new-vehicle prices have created tailwinds for used demand as affordability-conscious consumers shifted into pre-owned inventory. That dynamic still appears to be playing out today, but with important limitations,” Wainschel told Cherokee Media Group.

Through a separate news release, Wainschel gave more insight through the prism of new models.

“Historically, higher vehicle prices were often temporary and corrected quickly through incentives or discounting,” Wainschel said. “This shift is fundamentally different for the industry. Several of the most profitable vehicle categories — including full-size trucks, full-size SUVs, heavy-duty trucks, and luxury midsize SUVs — are reaching all-time highs. These MSRP-driven price increases are resetting long-term pricing levels, making them more difficult to reverse.”

Catalyst IQ then explained this environment creates both opportunity and risk as consumer shopping behavior is influenced unevenly across segments, geographies, and vehicle configurations.

“It comes down to understanding where demand remains resilient and looking for pockets where affordability resistance is emerging,” Wainschel said. “Dealers who understand that every segment, trim and brand behaves differently in this market will be the ones who are successful in keeping business steady and earning customers’ business as they navigate current economic conditions.”

Easier said than done, right? Well, Catalyst IQ offered a few recommendations in a blog post that accompanied its data.

Here are six strategies Catalyst IQ suggested for dealerships operating in this higher-priced market.

1. Audit price position, then act surgically

“As pricing rises, not every VIN requires the same strategy. Use VIN-level market intelligence to identify which vehicles remain competitively positioned and which are beginning to face price resistance. Protect margin where demand supports it, while making targeted adjustments only where needed.”

2. Use lower-priced new, used, and certified inventory as affordability release valves

“As vehicle prices climb, a focus on more affordable models and trims informs consumers that there are still accessible choices to consider (see list below*). Additionally, used and certified inventory can become increasingly important alternatives for payment-sensitive shoppers. Dealers that strategically position vehicles that are within the means of a larger proportion of consumers can be better positioned to preserve volume and retain consumers who are stretching on affordability.”

3. Protect volume by strengthening top-of-funnel visibility

“In higher-priced segments, shoppers often take longer to make decisions and compare more options before converting. Maintaining strong upper-funnel visibility helps ensure your dealership stays in the consideration set without relying too heavily on broad discounting.”

4. Rebuild the message around total value, not just sticker price

“As affordability pressure increases, consumers look beyond monthly payments alone. Reinforce ownership value, capability, warranty coverage, fuel efficiency, and real-world usefulness consistently across digital advertising and vehicle detail pages.”

5. Expand reach selectively based on demand signals

“Broader geographic or platform expansion can create opportunity, but only when supported by data. Use localized demand and inventory insights to identify where incremental reach is most likely to drive efficient results.”

6. Monitor market resistance and adjust quickly

“In a fast-moving pricing environment, conditions can shift rapidly by segment, geography, and even individual configurations. Dealers that regularly evaluate pricing position, demand signals, and inventory efficiency will be better positioned to respond before resistance turns into aging inventory and wasted spend.”

There’s no Federal EV tax credit incentive anymore, but more buyers are switching anyway – from 67.1% in January to 72.1% in April.

Key Points

• EV trade-ins rose from 67.1% in January to 72.1% in April.
• Used EV prices increased 11% this year, outpacing non-EVs for six weeks.
• If this trend continues, then we might be seeing a real trend away from gasoline power.

Moving to Electric

According to data from Edmunds, the shift from gas to electric has increased from 67.1% in January this year to 72.1% in April; this is the rate at which EV buyers are trading in their gasoline-powered vehicles, even without federal tax incentives.

The increase suggests that more and more people are making the switch, and a sustained rise over the next few months will indicate a significant shift in the market towards electric power.

Source: Auto Remarketing

Source: CNBC

Last Tuesday marked the end of the road at another 42 buy-here, pay-here dealerships operated by America’s Car-Mart.

Car-Mart president and chief executive officer Doug Campbell explained in a letter to shareholders that the company shuttered 31% of its store footprint that impacted about 18% of its outstanding customer base that is part of its $1.5 billion portfolio of outstanding receivables.

“We did not make this decision lightly and are taking these steps because they are the right thing to do for the long-term health of this business,” Campbell said in that letter about the move approved by Car-Mart’s board on April 7. “Our approach is to preserve liquidity and protect the runway this business needs to reach a sustainable outcome. This includes carrying less inventory than we would in a normalized operating environment and tightening underwriting standards, both of which will result in reduced origination volumes in the near term.

“We will continue to evaluate our entire store portfolio and will take additional action where needed,” he continued. “These are deliberate trade-offs designed to responsibly manage our capital position until additional financing is secured.”

In January, Car-Mart wound down operations at 13 locations after beginning a footprint reduction in November.

Campbell reiterated Car-Mart’s three priorities going forward include:

Protect the company’s servicing and collections infrastructure

“Our approximately $1.5 billion finance receivables portfolio generates significant monthly cash collections,” Campbell said. “Maintaining the teams, technology, and processes that service these accounts is our highest priority.

—Keep cost structure in alignment with the company’s current scale

“The store closures and support staff reductions are designed to do exactly that,” Campbell said.

—Continue to pursue a warehouse credit facility or other revolving asset financing

“To this end, we have engaged with additional potential warehouse lenders,” Campbell told shareholders.

Car-Mart still has more than 90 rooftops in its footprint that’s concentrated in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri.

“I believe in this business because our customers need transportation and financing,” Campbell said. “Our associates are committed to serving our customers and communities every day.

“The buy-here, pay-here model is durable, and the credit quality improvements we have built over the past two years are real,” he added. “The actions we are taking are designed to protect what we have built and position Car-Mart for the future.”

Source: Autoremarketing

Chevrolet

There's no shortage of "these are the most stolen cars" articles, and they're usually grounded in research by the National Insurance Crime Bureau. The problem with these lists is that the NICB is looking at aggregate theft data (that is, how many of each model are stolen across the country in a year). There are certainly trends to observe — the organization has been keeping an eye on the Hyundai/Kia situation for years — but while a vehicle could top the list by being a laughably stealable security risk, it can also get there by being a Honda Accord, which took the No. 2 spot (between two Hyundais) on the NICB list in 2025 despite having no widely recognized security vulnerabilities. There are just a whole lot of Accords out there, so a whole lot of Accords get stolen.

A new study from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), published via the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), flips that script by measuring thefts relative to how many of each vehicle actually exist. The result is a look at vehicle thefts through a whole new lens, with the top 10 including few of the perennial "hottest car" list favorites. There are no hilariously vulnerable Kias or Hyundais, no relentlessly common Hondas or Toyotas, and not a punchline of an Altima to be found. So sit back, scan your block for nefarious car thieves, and find out if it's time to buy The Club for your ride.

10. Ram 1500 Crew Cab Short Wheelbase 4WD

This is just the 10th most stolen vehicle on the list, but we're going to point out a trend that will pop up a few times before we're done. Four-wheel-drive crew cab pickups are in danger. 

The combustion-powered Ram 1500 is surprisingly complicated, with its various drivetrain and cab configurations spread out over 10 trim packages, from the humble Tradesman to the illustrious Tungsten, which carries an $88,800 suggested price before options and $2,595 destination charge. We bring that up just to point out that modern workhorse pickup trucks can also carry borderline luxury energy, with price tags to match. The infotainment screens alone have proven irresistible to thieves, and while that doesn't contribute to the theft totals we're discussing today, it does demonstrate that the bad guys have an eye on the Rams.

They also have the key fobs. Or at least clones of them. Like the compromised Mercedes cars in "Gone in 60 Seconds," in recent years hundreds of vehicles across multiple states have been boosted by a handful of criminals who managed to make their own copies of Dodge fobs, including those of the Ram 1500. To add insult to injury, they then dumped their ill-gotten autos on the illicit market for as low as $3,500. Anyway, before we move on, here's how to protect yourself from keyless car theft.

9. Land Rover Range Rover 4WD

First of all, as part of our ongoing public service education work, we'll point out that Range Rover is a subbrand of Land Rover, which is a subbrand of Tata motors. It's a little confusing, but necessary if you want to accurately point fingers about an ongoing security vulnerability that left its $100,000-plus luxury SUVs vulnerable to being stolen after having their key fob signals intercepted over the air. The result was a $20-million effort announced in 2023 to roll out software updates and work with affected owners to get them installed.

But here's the thing. That whole mess was limited to vehicles manufactured between 2018 and 2022, with the problem resolved under a new electronic architecture in place since. So while no manufacturer wants to show up on a list like this, it probably stung especially in the case of Land Rover. We mean Range Rover. No, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), wholly owned subsidiary of the Tata Group. That's because the model years that showed up in the new HLDI data ran from '22 to '24, firmly in what Land Rover calls its "resilient to theft" era. Better luck next year?

8. Dodge Durango 4WD

As Durango Hellcat owners lose their lawsuit over their "limited edition" vehicle investments, we've kind of formally adjudicated that treating your Durango as a collector's item isn't a great idea. But that doesn't mean it isn't an attractive theft target. 

Matt Moore, chief insurance operations officer at HLDI and IIHS, points out that "Muscle cars have often topped this list, as thieves are attracted to vehicles with high horsepower." And while maybe car thieves are scoping up Durangos because of impressive towing capacity and pleasantly surprising infotainment system, it's also possible that it has to do with the Durango being what Car & Driver describes as "the closest thing to a three-row muscle car," even if you don't opt for the definitively-not-collectible Hellcat edition.

Oh, it doesn't really help that you can carefully remove the windshield from the outside and then program a new key fob on the spot, as some folks in Pennsylvania discovered when they came outside to their Durangoless windshield lying thoughtfully (and unhelpfully) on the ground. As additional evidence of key fob vulnerabilities, a couple of guys in Michigan are accused of stealing more than 25 Durangos right off of dealership lots. Evidently, the criminal underbelly yearns for a powerful three-row SUV.

7. Chevrolet Silverado 3500 Crew Cab 4WD

See? We told you 4WD crew cabs weren't safe. The Chevrolet Silverado HD is built to tow and haul, but that won't do you much good if you come outside to an empty parking spot (or two; we see how some of you animals park these things). While it's possible this is simply more evidence of highly capable heavy-duty American trucks getting plucked for their utility, there's also some evidence that General Motors has a key fob issue of its own, with a whole bunch of Silverados and (spoiler alert for the next entry on our list) GMC Sierras ending up stolen and headed to Mexico using electronic security compromises similar to the ones that have come up already.

Vulnerabilities aside, the 3500 Crew Cab 4WD compares well to the more entry-level Ram we began with above. This is a serious work truck and thieves are apparently going quite deep into the more capable end of Chevy's lineup — these start at $53,595 plus $2,795 destination charge, and can easily exceed $75,000 before options with the High Country variant. 

When it comes to the key fob attacks, there's presumably not much different in terms of effort when you jump from the base model Silverado to something like this, so maybe it's not that surprising, but it's still a little fun to think about the apparently plausible scenario of some black-market truck buyer weighing how much extra he's willing to pay for one with the Duramax 6.6 that can tow 36,000?pounds (of additional stolen merchandise, perhaps?).

6. GMC Sierra 3500 Crew Cab 4WD

If you really know what you're doing, you can walk up to a GMC Sierra 3500, disable the horn through the grill (and thus kill the alarm noise), and make off with the truck in under three minutes. That's just one super-specific example of a wider trend in GMC truck thefts, and it wouldn't be a crazy leap to assume there's some overlap with the electronic vulnerabilities already established under the General Motors umbrella with the Chevys discussed already.

From a GM brand standpoint, it's maybe worth an internal PowerPoint slide somewhere that the Sierra 3500 and the Silverado 3500 — product portfolio siblings with essentially identical underpinnings — landed right next to each other in the HLDI data. Perhaps at the end of the day people actually aren't that discriminating when it comes to what badge you slap on the front, at least not if you're just hustling out of the suburbs and across the southern border. Anyway, did we mention that a version of the GMC Sierra 3500 HD now starts at over $100,000?

5. Acura TLX 2WD

We don't really know what to say about this one. Acura killed the TLX after only selling 7,478 of them in 2024 and apparently a good chunk of them were stolen anyway. Together with the even higher-ranking 4WD TLX, you'll notice that the Acura is the only sedan on today's list. Even if you zoom out to the top 20, you'll still only find one other, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (long wheelbase) down in the 18th spot — and still with the caveat that we're talking about relative theft frequency. A long-wheelbase S-Class isn't exactly a Ford F-150 in terms of sales volume.

Anyway, there doesn't seem to be an obvious, widely documented smoking-gun behind TLX theft rates. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration previously exempted it from federal parts-marking requirements after concluding its standard immobilizer-based anti-theft system was likely to be effective. But there isn't a specific vulnerability stemming from that, so your guess is probably as good as anybody's.

4. GMC Sierra 2500 Crew Cab 4WD

This is, mercifully, the last of the pickups on this list. Even though the other GM variants we've already discussed share the same vulnerabilities and ultimately the same fate, this is the model that made the biggest media splash in the "they're comin' for your pickups" genre of local news. That said, expensive, work-focused trucks surely seem to remain highly desirable in illicit markets.

Like its smaller sibling, the 1500, you can push these quite high in terms of suggested price with the available Denali packages, except in this case the Denali Ultimate can get you all the way up to $94,200 before options and $2,795 destination charge.

But for those of you who enjoy some rampant speculation to go with their data-driven actuarial analysis of insurance data, we'll at least attempt to oblige. Based strictly on the data set, the off-roading GMC Sierra 2500 HD AT4X falls under the "GMC Sierra 2500 Crew Cab 4WD" umbrella, meaning that we can't say that these theft numbers aren't driven purely by the enthusiasm of nefarious characters who simply appreciate the awesome capability of one of the coolest all-terrain trucks you can buy from the factory. So maybe it's that? (It's probably not that.)

3. Chevrolet Camaro

Finally! We were getting a little frustrated with that HLDI guy we quoted back in the Durango section, who promised muscle cars before providing nothing but pickup trucks and an Acura sedan ever since — until now. The (since discontinued) Chevy Camaro marks a shift into performance territory, with a look and feel finally worthy of Grand Theft Auto opening the door to, well ... grand theft auto.

So why a Camaro and not a Mustang, or maybe one of those Challengers with the lip guard still on the front splitter? It's that key fob vulnerability again. GM issued a recall (sorry, we mean "customer satisfaction program") on this one, offering a body control module update after some areas reported Camaro thefts spiking more than 1,000%, directly attributable to key fob cloning, sometimes perpetrated by literal children. 

Except this time, instead of snatching signals out of the air or gaining access to an actual fob, thieves are managing to pull key codes directly from the OBD-II port, taking advantage of a diagnostic interface that really probably shouldn't include access to that sort of thing. So since we're not sure if the Camaro will ever come back as a Chevy offering, you might want to go out of your way to keep yours safe if you have one.

2. Acura TLX 4WD

You didn't lose your place. It's a slightly different TLX. The Acura TLX 4WD has doubled up Acura near the top of our list here, and it's frankly kind of annoying that the HLDI made this distinction between the two drivetrains. There are no obvious security exploits or electronic vulnerabilities that apply to the 4WD as compared to the 2WD and really the story here is that people want these Acura sedans badly enough to steal them, yet not enough to purchase them in sufficient volumes to keep them in the lineup. All that said, we did put some thought into what might be at least a contributing factor for what's going on here and didn't come up completely empty-handed.

This entry in the data would include the Type S. The Acura TLX Type S is a different kind of AWD sport sedan. It has performance that's Machines With Souls compared to "a four-door NSX," and if that doesn't at least put it into the sports car conversation with a base model Camaro, we're not sure what does. 

But importantly, every Type S is all-wheel drive, meaning that if (big, big if, to be clear) would-be car thieves are looking for a high-performance good time, perhaps with some legendary Japanese reliability, then they might opt for a TLX Type S, and in doing so boost the theft rate reflected in the "Acura TLX 4WD" data. It's a theory, anyway. Call us next time you want to dig into the story behind the story, HLDI.

1. Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

(Boss music plays.) Putting a satisfying bow on this whole data-driven exercise, it's the Camaro ZL1. It's exactly the kind of vehicle that gets overlooked in the usual "most stolen cars" lists because there simply aren't that many of them, and frankly it's a little bit fun to imagine Nicolas Cage doing a "Gone in 60 Seconds" reboot that includes tearing off in a 650-horsepower supercharged V8 hero car with a manual transmission for those quick cinematic shots from inside the pedal box.

The ZL1 has all of the same security vulnerabilities as the base model Camaro we covered earlier, plus the fierce looks and exceptional performance that make it an icon worthy of risking jail time. Taken together, the result is that the Chevy Camaro ZL1 is 39 times more likely to be stolen than the average car and gaps the competition in taking its spot at the top of this list. Well done, Chevy. If only you'd keep making 'em. 

Source: Jalopnik