An Urban Science/Harris Poll survey finds 74% of U.S. auto dealers are unsatisfied with their ability to track sales leads but only 14% believe AI tools can help. +

Kelley Blue Book reports trucks and SUVs are largely to blame for April’s average new-vehicle transaction price of $49,461, a 1.8% year-over-year increase. +

Vehicle history reports for pre-owned vehicles that were sold and solely serviced by the same dealership will now carry a “Carfax Homegrown” badge. +

DealerOn has added OnPrompt and Sidekick, two AI-powered tools designed to help dealers understand how car shoppers discover and interact with their online profiles. +

Reuters reports U.S. sales of new hybrid vehicles have increased along with fuel prices since the start of the U.S.- and Israel-led war with Iran in late February. +

Automotive News reports sales of new Hondas improved on a year-over-year basis in April, offering a bright spot in a report dimmed by growing affordability concerns. +

Agentic AI advertising solutions provider Synter has announced a series of platform enhancements designed to close the “execution gap” in automotive advertising. +

Lotlinx’s Q1 2026 Vincensus Report finds new vehicle sales are down and inventories are up — along with prices, which climbed by 2% year-over-year and 3% from the prior quarter. +

Cars.com’s new VIN-level, AI-generated video ads are the first to be powered by demand signals from in-market car buyers and appear to be driving results for early adopters. +

Big-ticket acquisitions helped Penske Automotive Group move ahead of former No. 2 AutoNation in Automotive News’s rankings of America’s biggest new car retailers. +