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Episode #1265: Today we cover Carvana doubling down on franchised dealerships, the solid-state battery arms race heating up as automakers target 2027 launches, and how 7-Eleven is using AI to cut frontline hiring from weeks to days—saving millions of hours while keeping humans in the loop.

• Carvana is leaning harder into the franchise world. The online used-car giant has acquired its fifth franchised dealership, adding a Stellantis store in Sacramento as it continues blending digital retail scale with traditional brick-and-mortar rooftops.
  • Carvana purchased Sacramento Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram from Nouri/Shaver Automotive Group, with the deal closing Dec. 11.
  • This is Carvana’s fifth Stellantis dealership since they first acquired a store in February 2025, with locations in Arizona, Texas, Georgia, and a second California store.
  • The move comes as Carvana reports strong momentum: used-vehicle sales jumped 44% year-over-year and Q3 net income hit $263 million.
  • A Carvana spokesperson said, “We are proud to bring the Carvana experience to Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram customers in the Sacramento area.”

• Last week brought major milestones in the race to develop solid state batteries, signaling that commercial EV launches powered by solid-state tech are finally moving from promise to pilot.
  • Volkswagen-backed QuantumScape opened its highly automated Eagle Line pilot facility in San Jose, advancing U.S.-based solid-state production.
  • Karma Automotive and Factorial Energy announced the first U.S. solid-state battery production program for passenger vehicles, debuting in the electric Karma Kaveya in 2027.
  • Factorial’s momentum is global, with partners including Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and Hyundai/Kia, and mass production targeted for 2029.
  • Gartner’s Pedro Pacheco: “This means there is now an ‘arms race’ to see who gets SSBs to market the fastest and most successfully.”

• 7-Eleven is quietly building a playbook for the future of frontline hiring. By combining recruiters, automation, and conversational AI, the convenience-store giant has dramatically cut hiring time, reduced ghosting, and freed up store managers to focus on running the business.
  • Applicants start the process via QR codes that connect them to an AI text assistant named RITA, which gathers info and schedules store-level interviews automatically.
  • After acquiring Speedway in 2021, 7-Eleven shifted from store-only hiring to a recruiter-supported, centralized model that drives better applicant flow.
  • Automated hiring slashed time-to-hire from nearly two weeks to just three days, while improving retention and candidate quality.
  • Automation has saved store leaders over 2 million hours per year, handling about 95% of the hiring process and enabling smarter, store-level recruiting spend.
  • Rachel Allen emphasized the human-f

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Episode #1264: As the NADA Show wraps, we zoom out on what actually mattered, from a shift in how dealers are thinking about AI, to deeper vendor partnerships, to how dealers are thinking about Chinese vehicles

Show Notes with links:

• As the dust settles from another packed NADA Show, some of the most meaningful takeaways weren’t about flashy announcements, but mindset. Liza Borches shared reflections on leadership, partnerships, and why this year’s conversations felt more practical — and more ready for action.
  • “AI is a strategy conversation, not a tool conversation. It’s less about adding new technology and more about using AI to help us solve problems and connect the tools and partners we already have.”
  • “Partnership matters more than ever. Our vendor partners aren’t just providers — they’re collaborators helping us build better experiences for our customers and teams. The integration that our key partners are not just willing to do but excited to do is a gamechanger.”

• The idea of selling Chinese vehicles in the U.S. split the room at NADA. Dealers openly acknowledged the profit opportunity, even as trade groups and some store owners warned about subsidies, nationalism, and long-term consequences for American retail auto.
  • Presidio Group president George Karolis said dealers are conflicted: “A majority of the dealer respondents saw it as a threat and opportunity — both… the vehicles are really good, slick and more affordable.”
  • Several dealers privately said if Chinese OEMs solve affordability, politics won’t stop them from selling
  • Cable Dahmer Automotive Group owner Carlos Ledezma took a pragmatic stance: “If that’s what the consumer is looking for, then we are going to have to pay attention to that.”
  • NADA CEO Mike Stanton was blunt on policy: “It’s bad for our industry, it’s bad for our country, it’s bad for consumers,” while still conceding NADA wouldn’t block dealers from adding Chinese franchises.
  • Ford Blue president Andrew Frick captured the dealer mindset: “It’s hard for a dealer not to look at that as an opportunity for them as an entrepreneur.”

Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.

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As we wrap up the NADA show this morning, we are energized.

We’re hearing that this has been record years for a lot of industry partners, and dealers are optimistic and ready to try new things.

Our friends at CarRx are our content partners today, and we’ve got Michelle Jackson, EVP of Sales to share with us a little bit more about their product and how they’re approaching the end of the year.

They’ve got a really cool both so we end the show playing Mortal Kombat and solving Rubik’s cubes.

Join Paul J Daly and Kyle Mountsier every morning for the Automotive State of the Union podcast as they connect the dots across car dealerships, retail trends, emerging tech like AI, and cultural shifts—bringing clarity, speed, and people-first insight to automotive leaders navigating a rapidly changing industry.

Get the Daily Push Back email at https://www.asotu.com/

JOIN the conversation on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asotu/