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Industry

BMW Tops U.S. Exports

aerial view of BMW Spartangburg, South Carolina plant

In 2025 over 400,000 BMW X models were assembled at the BMW plant in Spartanburg, S.C., which is the automaker’s only U.S.-based manufacturing factory.

Tennessee Toyota Store Sells

Toyota of Gallatin, which had been owned by Stumbo Automotive for seven years, keeps its name after Lithia Motors acquired it. - Pinnacle Mergers & Acquisitions

Lithia Motors picked up the dealership to add to its fast-growing stable of U.S. franchises as the Toyota brand remains coveted among retailers.

Meet the Editor: Hannah Mitchell

A longtime newspaper journalist, Bobit Dealer Group's editor was raised on news back in the South. Now she brings that news-hound ethic to our four auto retail magazines.

KPA Elevates Leaders to Accelerate Growth

Headshots of Adam Crowell, Wayne Curtis, and Amanda Rawls displayed under the KPA logo with their updated executive titles.

Focused leadership is intended to enhance the company's ability to help automotive dealers, repair shops, and auto-adjacent businesses speed innovation and navigate growing regulatory complexity.

BMW Dives Deeper into Robots

This humanoid robot operates at BMW's Leipzig, Germany plant. The automaker introduced similar units last year at its South Carolina factory. - BMW

Automaker expands humanoids to German factory as it seeks to scale the machines’ use and become a leader in ‘physical AI’ applications like them.

Price Driving Insurance Churn

So far this year, 33% of auto insurance holders reported being likely to switch providers in the next 90 days. - Canva

Over half of insurance holders ages 18 to 29 reported to be 'somewhat' likely to change providers in the next 90 days, according to CivicScience, which found that interest was lower among older age groups.

Overall Consumer Confidence Up

Looking to the next six months, consumers’ outlook improved about five points to 72 this month. - Pexels/Vie Studio

Americans’ view of present business conditions, the labor market and family finances, though, are still in the dumps, and if they plan to buy cars, many target used units.

Tesla Prices Defy EV Market

Tesla prices are up in both the used and new segments despite a decline in used-EV market share. - Canva

Between September and the end of January there was a 20% decline in used EV market share, Tesla driving up the overall used EV price as all four of its models had price increases.

Shades of Nature on the Road

The 'Secret Safari' color is a nuanced yellowish green with organic undertones that reflect botanical hues, according to PPG, which named the shade its Color of the Year. - Pexels/Peter Xie

A major U.S. automotive coatings provider has named a versatile yellow its color of the year as it plans hue-development with Chinese automakers.

Dependability on the Decline

Infotainment systems, over-the-air software updates and vehicle exteriors are the biggest problem areas found in the latest JD Power Dependability Study. - Canva

JD Power named the Lexus IS the most reliable model in its 2026 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, which covers 184 specific problems across nine categories.

Black Book: Weekly Market Update

Black Book

Many vehicle segments experienced gains last week as conversions picked up. Meanwhile, the retail days to turn estimate stood at 39, analysts reported.