Shows / Automotive Informants
Automotive Informants
Automotive Informants is where real operators talk about what’s actually happening inside the car business.
Hosted by Chris Martinez and Zach Fritz, this podcast goes beyond headlines and hype. We break down the strategies, decisions, and execution that drive real growth inside dealerships and automotive companies across the country.
You’ll hear conversations about AI implementation, fixed ops performance, used car strategy, leadership, marketing, inventory, and the operational moves that…
Episodes
- Automotive Informants
Will Your Next Car Take Crypto and Drive Itself?
The conversation explores the integration of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology in the automotive industry, discussing its evolution, potential for mass…
- Automotive Informants
Why NYC Is Suing CarGurus and CarMax Is Buying From Dealers
The conversation focuses on the importance of building genuine connections in the automotive sales industry, emphasizing empathy and authenticity in customer…
- Automotive Informants
Did We Get the Future of Cars Wrong? Hybrids, EVs & What Buyers Actually Want
In this conversation, Boris discusses his background and insights into the automotive marketplace, focusing on the shift towards hybrid vehicles and the impact…
- Automotive Informants
The Shifting Auto Market and AI’s Growing Role in Car Buying
The conversation explores various aspects of the automotive industry, including market trends, vehicle valuation, consumer preferences, the future of electric…
- Automotive Informants
CarMax’s Pricing Shift, California’s CARS Act, and the Dealer Profit Squeeze
In this episode of Automotive Informance, Zach Fritz and Chris Martinez discuss the recent developments in the automotive industry, focusing on CarMax's…
- Automotive Informants
AI Agents, Tight Credit, and the Changing Car Buying Experience
The conversation covers a range of topics related to the automotive industry, including the resilience of the car business, the impact of COVID, credit…
- Automotive Informants
Cars Are Getting Smarter. Ownership Is Getting Harder.
The episode covers a wide range of topics, including automotive industry FAQs, self-driving technology, flying cars, and the challenges of negative equity in…
- Automotive Informants
The Dealership Shakeup: Consolidation, Luxury Depreciation, AI & the Future of Automotive
The conversation covers the acquisition of Hennessy Automotive by Group One, the impact of technician bays on dealership competitiveness, challenges and…
- Automotive Informants
Is Carvana Sustainable? Robotaxis, EVs & What Happens to Dealers Next
The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including the guest's family and career journey, controversy surrounding Carvana's CEO, Carvana's financial…
- Automotive Informants
Gen Z Won’t Buy New Cars, Robots Are Coming & the Auto Industry Is Changing Fast
The conversation begins with introductions and a discussion about career transitions. It then delves into the topic of Gen Z and their resistance to new cars…
- Automotive Informants
Cars Are Getting Older. Technology Is Getting Smarter. Is Automotive Ready?
The conversation covers a range of topics related to the automotive industry, including a shift in car buying trends, the impact of new car prices…
- Automotive Informants
The Future of Car Sales: Amazon, AI, Compliance & the Next Downturn
The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including the automotive industry, JD Power Study 2026, Amazon Autos, FTC regulations, and the future of car…
- Automotive Informants
Carvana, OEM Pressure & the Fight for the Future of the Dealership
The conversation covers a range of topics related to the automotive industry, including the role of Carvana, challenges faced by dealerships, the impact of OEM…
- Automotive Informants
The Compliance Advantage | AI, FTC Rules, Customer Trust & the Future of Dealerships
The conversation covers dealership operations, compliance, FTC warnings, customer-centric approach, technology challenges, addendums, third-party listings, and…
- Automotive Informants
Can Dealers Survive the Next Wave of Automotive Disruption?
The conversation covers a range of topics including stress in the automotive industry, the impact of automation and robotics, and the future of car…
- Automotive Informants
The Automotive Revolution: AI, Robotics, China, FTC Compliance, and What's Next for Dealerships
The conversation covers a range of topics including the diversification of automotive OEMs into robotics and automation, the impact of the Chinese auto…
- Automotive Informants
The Next Billion-Dollar Shift in Automotive Has Already Started
Welcome back to Automotive Informants! In Episode 21, Chris Martinez sits down with Yvette Roybal, franchise dealer, industry leader, and author, for one of…
- Automotive Informants
Carvana Is Winning. The Dealership Model Is Breaking.
The conversation delves into Tom Stuker's career background, the birth of the BDC, and Carvana's record-breaking sales. It also explores the impact of social…
- Automotive Informants
AI, FTC, CarGurus... The Rules Just Changed
The conversation covers various topics related to the automotive industry, including the impact of CarGurus sending letters to dealers, the effect of addendums…
- Automotive Informants
The Great Automotive Shift: EVs, Carvana, China, and the New Rules of Retail
The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including the challenges of working on modern vehicles, the impact of EVs on the automotive industry, the rise…
- Automotive Informants
The Sports Car Is Dead: Slate, BYD, Carvana, AI, and the Future of Automotive Retail
The conversation covered a range of topics, including the introduction and reunion, the Slate vehicle's features and market potential, the decline of sports…
- Automotive Informants
Addendums, AI, EVs, and FTC Warnings: The New Reality for Automotive Dealers
The conversation covers a range of topics related to the automotive industry, including FTC warnings, addendum pricing, dealership practices, AI, and sales…
- Automotive Informants
AI, Brokers, Job Cuts & Virtual F&I: The New Auto Retail Reality
The conversation covers various automotive industry headlines, including job cuts, virtual F&I, dealership restructuring, and the impact of technology on the…
- Automotive Informants
China, Tariffs & the Fight for the Future of Automotive
The conversation delves into the dynamics of the automotive industry, including partnerships, market trends, and the impact of tariffs on consumer pricing. It…
- Automotive Informants
The Chinese Auto Invasion: AI, Lawsuits & the Truth Problem in Retail Automotive
The conversation covers the entry of Chinese OEMs into the US automotive market, the potential impact of Chinese OEMs on the industry, and the significance of…
- Automotive Informants
Inside the Used Car Wars: Strategy, EVs & Dealer Survival
The conversation covers a range of topics related to the automotive industry, including the impact of used car retailers, challenges in sourcing and strategy…
- Automotive Informants
Carvana Outearns CarMax, Robots Rise, and a Safety Wake-Up Call
The conversation covers a range of topics including the comparison of CarMax and Carvana's earnings, changing consumer behavior in the car buying experience, a…
- Automotive Informants
The Auto Industry Squeeze: Closures, Compliance, and Consumer Trust
The conversation delves into the impact of dealership closures on the automotive industry, the challenges in the used car market, the technician shortage…
- Automotive Informants
The Truth About Car Prices: Tariffs, Loans, and the Illusion of Affordability
The conversation covers a wide range of topics related to the automotive industry, including transparency in advertising, the impact of time and change…
- Automotive Informants
The Perfect Storm in Automotive: Tariffs, EVs and the Used Car Surge
The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including the automotive industry, vehicle technology, aluminum tariffs, used car prices, EVs, and taxation…
- Automotive Informants
Gas, Gears & AI: What’s Really Driving the Auto Industry?
The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including car prices, housing, car payments, autonomous driving, AI, and the impact of oil prices on the…
- Automotive Informants
The Dealers Who Win: FTC Pressure, EV Reality, and Why Execution Still Matters
The conversation covered various topics related to the automotive industry, including the FTC crackdown on dealers, dealership addendums and pricing…
- Automotive Informants
Rage Bait, Fake Pricing, and the Truth About Today’s Car Market
The conversation covers various topics related to the automotive industry, including market commotion, transparency in pricing, consumer experience, rage bait…
- Automotive Informants
The Truth About the Auto Market Right Now
The conversation delves into the challenges of negative equity in auto retail, highlighting the impact of AI on the automotive industry. The discussion…
- Automotive Informants
Auto on Edge: Record Debt. Rising Robotics. A Market Reset.
The conversation delves into the challenges and opportunities in the automotive industry, addressing the impact of debt and the emergence of robotics. It…
- Automotive Informants
Negative Equity, Subprime, and the Future of Auto.
The conversation delves into the uncertainty in the automotive market, the impact of negative equity on the credit market, the rise of subprime lending, the…
- Automotive Informants
When OEMs Feel Pressure, Dealers Feel It Next
The conversation covers various themes in the automotive industry, including the impact of technology, trends in vehicle manufacturing, the rise of electric…