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Good morning. It’s good to see a familiar face walk back into the showroom. Today’s lead is about earning that next visit, not taking it for granted. A few things worth a conversation with your team before the day gets away from you. Let's get into it.
They love the badge. The next sale is still yours to earn.
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SAME BRAND. NEXT VEHICLE.
U.S. brand loyalty, not dealership retention. Original Morning Drive graphic. Data: J.D. Power. |
J.D. Power’s new brand-loyalty study offers an encouraging starting point: 50.2% of owners in its measure stayed with the same brand, up from 49% in last year’s study. The report was released October 6. (J.D. Power)
But there is an important word in that finding: brand. The study tracks whether an owner traded a vehicle for a new one from the same brand, using transactions at franchised new-vehicle dealers from September 2025 through August 2026. It does not report whether that customer returned to the same dealership. (Study methodology)
Some badges have a particularly strong pull. Ford led trucks at 66.2%, while Toyota led mass-market cars at 64.8% and mass-market SUVs at 63.8%. Those are national segment results, not Florida store benchmarks. (J.D. Power)
For a Florida dealer, the useful question is what happens between that brand preference and the next purchase. Consider looking at your own repeat-buyer rate alongside service retention and lease-renewal results. Keep those measures separate; each answers a different question.
An owner who likes the vehicle is a promising next customer, not a completed deal. Ask your team how it stays useful between purchases, who owns the next contact, and whether returning customers have a clear reason to choose your store again.
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A router lawsuit puts the network closet in focus
Illustrative file image, uploaded August 2020. Abhi25t, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not evidence of a compromised device.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued TP-Link Systems on October 6 in Polk County circuit court, alleging misleading representations about router security and ties to China. These are allegations in a newly filed case, not findings that a dealer’s network was compromised. (Complaint; Florida AG announcement)
TP-Link disputes the claims and says its systems do not provide unauthorized foreign access to customer data. (Company response)
If your dealership uses this equipment, ask IT to confirm where it sits, who manages updates and how guest access is separated from business systems. Treat that as an inventory-and-controls check, not a conclusion about liability or an instruction to replace every router. Follow the case and any product-specific security notices.
More used EVs, not one EV market
CarGurus’ October 6 national market report says used-EV inventory rose 60% year over year in September. It also reports used-EV sales up 19% year to date, while new-EV sales fell 48% over that period, excluding direct-to-consumer EV brands from the new-vehicle figure. (Original research)
Those figures describe different sides of the market, not a single forecast for every electric vehicle. They also come from a national marketplace analysis, not a Florida sales census. (CarGurus methodology context)
For your next appraisal meeting, separate new and used EV performance. Then compare the actual models, price bands, battery-condition information and recon requirements in your market. More available inventory may create buying opportunities, but a national growth rate cannot tell you what your next trade will retail for.
A $430,000 proposal over unequal opportunities
Ingram Park Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, Ingram Park Nissan and Benson Enterprises have proposed a $430,000 settlement in federal court in San Antonio. The proposed consent decree was filed October 5 and still requires court approval, according to reporting published October 6 by the San Antonio Express-News. (Patrick Danner’s original reporting)
The EEOC alleged sex-based harassment, unequal access to bonuses and customers, and retaliation; the defendants denied the allegations. (EEOC complaint announcement; Express-News)
The proposed amount includes back pay, damages, and attorney fees and costs, not a $430,000 government penalty. Reported terms also call for complaint-handling procedures and training; they should not be described as an entered court order. (Express-News)
The management question travels: are bonus notices, customer assignments and complaint channels equally accessible? Review the process, not just the written policy. This Texas case is not a statement of a new Florida rule.
2.5%: the asking-price adjustment
A new OAV snapshot tracks 1,431,874 U.S. used vehicles listed on both September 5 and October 3: their asking prices fell 2.5% on average over those four weeks. This is retail asking-price evidence, not another wholesale index or a measure of completed sales; vehicles no longer listed are excluded. (Dated dataset and methodology)
For your store, compare aged listings with current competition rather than treating that average as a blanket markdown. The snapshot’s fixed group makes it a useful prompt for a pricing review, not a valuation for an individual vehicle.