The Real Car Business

Just one year ago this week marked a point that I had never been before over a 30+ year career and it was a professional decison that had to be made. I was not healthy and I was not at the lofted level of dedication I'd held myself to. The decision was easy! I resigned. I committed to my team to a seamless transition and told them there would be no disingenous goodbye followed by an announcement on the competitor I was going to join. Resignation became dedicating more time to my family, friends, my health, and to the larger community that surrounds us all. Unencumbered by a business culture stalled in its own way, I relished "taking the high road" journeying thousands upon thousands of miles with eyes and ears wide open and no timetable. And there it was in front of my wife and I every trip we took: The door of opportunity swung wide open with one clear-cut decision. A year on now spiritually and bodily rejuvenated, I re-engage to be purposelful in mentoring ...

https://www.autoremarketing.com/wholesale/daag-enters-atlanta-market-acquisition Some debate yesterday on ATI about where the industry is heading, and the DAA Group indicates its more bricks. Digital seems to be showing signs of limitations in that the facilitation and logistics that are needed by large commercial consignors and larger dealer groups simply are not there. Let's see if the ACVA antitrust suit goes anywhere... and if AutoIMS is permitted... my theory may be proved short sighted.

Perhaps it's not a war, but more like a skirmish! And as discussed during Jay's YouTube, I defined three areas to consider as this works itself through: First- this is a legal matter and there is plenty to be determined so that in the meantime, know that everything else is just conjecture. Second- this is as much a reflection of the limitiations digital auctions offer to commercial consignors than it is about legal right. If the "digital product" was as strong as it says it is, then the market would flood toward it. The reality is that brick & mortar auctions have blacktop to park cars on... commercial sellers need blacktop! Third- that as the two offerings have this legal skirmish, the dealer body remains "fractured" because they don't have a complete 360 degree view of the market. They have to shop for commercial consignors vehicles in one mode, and dealers vehicles across another mode. The auction houses seem to either not know (or care) tha...