Cars Cruise, Trucks Pay The U.S. has one of the lowest car tariffs in the world at 2.5%, but one of the highest truck tariffs at 25% thanks to a 1964 law still shaping today’s market. The Chicken Tax, imposed in retaliation for European tariffs on American chicken exports, reshaped the American pickup market and continues to influence domestic assembly today.

BY PHILIP VILLEGAS Over the past year, I’ve noticed something across dealerships: The “Old Car Dogs”—dealers, operators, and managers who’ve run stores for decades—are finally retiring. Many held on through the pandemic when profits were historic, but now that the music is slowing, they’re stepping aside. These are the ones who built this business. They’re pragmatic, no nonsense, and believe in one rule: If it works, don’t break it. That mindset kept stores alive through rece

BY ERIK ACOSTA Buying a car should be an exciting experience—flipping through listings, test-driving vehicles, and finally driving off the lot in something that feels like the perfect fit. But for someone who audits dealerships for a living, the process is a little different. It’s hard to turn off the part of my brain that constantly analyzes deals, processes, and whether everything was done “correctly.” Over the past year and a half, I have purchased seven cars. Yes, seven.

Celebrating 100 years of Chrysler   The Chrysler Corporation was founded in 1925 by Walter P. Chrysler, who had no prior experience in...

BY MARILOU C. VROMAN, CPA, CFE Factory warranty fraud in automotive dealerships can be a tempting source of revenue in a time when...

BY SAMANTHA MILLARD Automotive dealerships operate in a dynamic environment where unforeseen events, such as natural disasters, data...

The first handheld financial calculator, the HP-80, was introduced by Hewlett-Packard in 19731 . It included functions that could be used...

By Phil Villegas When’s the best time to buy a car? Ask any dealer and more than likely the response will be that undoubtedly right now...

By Marilou Vroman, CPA, CFE In working with many dealerships, I have observed a wide spectrum of the levels of internal control. Some...

At the turn of the 19th century, nearly 40% of American cars were electric. During that time, electric vehicles (EVs) shared the roads...

By Phil Villegas Numerous articles discuss the rapid deployment of Electric Vehicles (EVs) by manufacturers and question the...

By Marilou C. Vroman, CPA, CFE Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking.  It is our belief that most individuals conduct...

Did you know that UAW was one of the first unions to support The Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s? The UAW President, Walter...

By Marilou C. Vroman, CPA, CFE If you’re an automotive dealer or manager, you’ve likely experienced – or at least heard stories of – a...

By Luis Deville, CPA Like many industries, dealerships mainly focus on revenue and ensuring that sales increase at a steady pace....